Xinxin De Galinha

This is an amazing recipe from the northeast of Brazil – Bahia, that adding just with one unusual ingredient (azeite de dendê – palm oil) makes this dish incredibly unique! Make it with Vapatá because the basic ingredients are the same and you will have 2 dishes that complement each other! In Brazil they are served together.

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted caju nuts
• 2 cups roasted peanuts
• 1 cup dried prawns ( you get it from asian groceries stores, any size)
• 200g fresh prawns (optional)
• 1 medium onion cut in quarters
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 cm ginger
• 1 kg chicken breasts or thighs cut into small bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup palm oil ( you get it from african/portuguese shops)
• 1 large tin of chopped tomatoes
• chilli, salt, pepper to taste
• chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method

Blend all ingredients except the chicken, palm oil and tomatoes, in a food processor, roughly so all pieces are still indentifiable.

Pour this mixture into a pot, add the chicken and tomatoes and water enough to cover the chicken and boil until cooked, add fresh or frozen prawns ( if you are using them), chilli, salt and pepper to taste, add the palm oil and mix it for a minute and before serving sprinkle with coriander  and serve with rice!

Should you be into the mood of slow cooking and have a fuller flavour, feel free to fry the garlic, ginger, for couple of minutes then add chopped onions and let them develop a golden colour and caramelise the chicken and then add the rest of ingredients and boil it.

Vatapá

This is a very unusual bread sauce that is incredibly popular in the northeast of Brazil.  it is served with Xinxin de Galinha and you can make then in the same time, just remove a portion of roughly chopped nut and prawn mixture before you blend the ingredients into a paste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted caju nuts
• 2 cups roasted peanuts
• 1 cup dried prawns ( you get it from asian groceries stores, any size)
• 1 medium onion cut in quarters
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 cm ginger
• 1 tin of coconut cream
• 1 small tin of chopped tomatoes
• day old white bread of any type x 2 ( burger bun, small french baguette )
• salt pepper chilli to taste
• 1/2 cup palm oil ( you get it from african/portuguese shops)
• coriander leaves to garnish

Method

In a food processor blend caju nuts, peanuts, prawns, garlic, ginger until they resemble bread crumbs, add the bread in small pieces, tomato and coconut and whizz until a thick paste.

Pour this paste into a pan, add the palm oil and boil it for 5 minutes, the consistency would of a a thick sauce, add more water or coconut milk if too thick. This sauce will be a golden yellow colour. Sprinkle with coriander leaves serve with rice.

Feijoada

Feijoada (Fej-wa-da)

Brazilian Black Beans

This delicious and simple dish is typical of all regions in Brazil. It was first prepared by the Bandeirantes who were the early explores of the Country. It is the quintessential national Brazilian dish!

It is simply a stew of black beans with meat trimmings for flavoring and is traditionally served with steamed rice, stir fried greens with garlic, flavored salty cassava powder (farofa) and a fresh tomato and onion salad.
(This serves a lot of people – at least 15 – and it freezes very well!)

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg black turtle beans – you can get it at Indian produce shops or at CASA IBERICA in Johnston st, Fitzroy – soaked overnight in cold water.
• 200gr of Meat trimmings such as the ends of prosciutto or pancetta or
• bacon cut in bite size pieces
• 100gr of bacon bones (optional)
• 3 Chorizo sausages cut into 5 cm pieces – feel free to have different
• sausages the flavor will just be amazing the more variety you have!
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 large tin of chopped tomatoes

For the finishing flavor

• 2 chopped onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• fresh parsley and coriander to garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

It can be cooked in a large pot, slow cooker or pressure cooker.

Put all the ingredients in a large pot and add 3 liters of water. Cook for at least 3 hours on medium heat or until beans are soft. In a slow cooker; cook on low setting overnight for about 6 hours – use boiling water to speed up the process. In a pressure cooker it cooks in 90 minutes or less.

The end result is a creamy, wet stew and it will have a black color from the beans, add more water if needed. The beans will be very soft and would have absorbed the flavor of the meats. Salt and pepper to taste, only add more salt after beans are cooked, never before!

Finishing flavoring

In a pan, heat olive oil, fry chopped garlic until golden add chopped onions and fry until golden. Pour this mixture onto the beans, mix well and serve on steamed rice.

Garnish with parsley and coriander and serve with a tomato and onion salad.

This dish is best enjoyed with a nice glass of Caipirinha and listening to the smooth original Brazilian music!

Vegetarian Feijoada

Simply instead of the meat on the feijoada, add this delicious combination when the beans are cooked

• fried tofu ( you can buy ready made in asian shops)
• sliced lotus roots, either already sliced or you can buy a whole one peel it and slice it (asian shops we love you!)
• gluten pieces ( just tear them into smaller pieces)
• lots of “hard” vegies carrots et all
• “soft” veggies in the end of the cooking – corn, peas, zuchinni
• cummin powder to taste