Recipes - Main Courses

Feijoada

The dish was introduced to Brazil by slaves who prepared the dish by using pork which was thrown by their masters. The dish has changed over the centuries and now consists of pork, sausage and smoked meat cooked with black beans and garlic, garnished with slices of orange. It is considered the national dish and visitors visiting Brazil must taste it.

Ingredients

1 lb of varied pork sausages (preferably smoked sausages)
1 lb of pork tenderloin
Some slices of bacon
1 can of black beans (15.5 Oz)
2 tbs vegetable oil
Salt, garlic, chopped onions and bay leaves

•  The black beans are added to a medium-sized pot with 2 tbs oil, salt, garlic, chopped onions and about 6 bay leaves. Cook them for about fifteen minutes then set them aside.

•  Using a different panfry, cook cubes of pork tenderloin and slices of bacon with salt and garlic.

•  Next add the sausages and they have to be sliced, stir until all the water dries. The heat should be medium.

•  Final step is to add the cooked meat to the black beans let it cook for 10 minutes. You can add some pepper sauce, and you now have your Feijoada.

You can serve it with rice, collard green or farofa (seasoned flour). You can also add red hot sauce but that's optional.

Moqueca Capixaba

This dish has a lot of history; it dates back to the early centuries. It is a type of seafood dish from the Espirito Santo state of northeastern Brazil and is a mix of Brazilian native Indian, African and Portuguese traditions. The dish is cooked in a clay pot that is made from mud and mangrove tree sap. The recipe below is for for eight people.

Ingredients

2 kg fish (grouper or shark)
Lime drops
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
3 seedless red peppers, sliced (rings)
1 kg ripe tomatoes (hard), sliced (round)
5 medium size onions, sliced (rings)
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 cup oil
250ml coconut-milk
5 tbsp "dende"-oil (Dende oil comes from Africa, you can do without it but the meal will not taste the same)

•  The first step is to cut the fish in thick slices then season it using lime, salt and pepper.

•  Let it cool in the fridge for an hour.

•  Mix red pepper, onions and tomatoes in a bowl.

•  Next you add the coriander, parsley and chives. Mix them well, and then spread the mixture on a large clay pan. Next add one layer of fish, and one layer of the mixture, successively. When you finish with that you can now pour oil and cook on top of the oven, make sure that the heat is low, leave the meal in the oven for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes you can switch off the oven and let the dish cool off for two hours.

•  After this, turn the oven on and let it boil for a few minutes then add dende oil if you have it and coconut milk.

•  Let it cook for fifteen minutes then taste to see if the fish is ready.

The dish goes well with white rice.

Vatapá de Peixe e Camarão (Brazilian fish & shrimp stew with coconut milk)

The dish originated from the northeast coast of Brazil and it is a classic dish loved by many Brazilians.

The recipe below is for about four to six people.

Ingredients

3 teaspoons of Oil
2ea of minced onion
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1-4 Jalapeño peppers (should be minced)
½ cup of dried shrimp (ground fine)
¾ cups of peanut or cashew butter
11/2 cups of stock or water
2 cups of coconut milk
1-2 cup of lime (juice only)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1 lb of white fleshed fish
½ to 1 lb peeled shrimp
½ chopped Cilantro

•  The first step is to heat oil on a sauce pan and the heat should be medium. When the oil has finished hitting then add minced onions, garlic and jalapeño. Stir until cooked through and make sure the onion is translucent; this will take 5-7 minutes.

•  Next stir in ground dried shrimp well this will take two to three minutes.

•  Next you stir in stock, coconut milk, juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper. Let it boil for about ten minutes.

•  Add the fish and let it cook for about five to seven minutes, make sure the fish is well cooked before proceeding.

•  Next you add the shrimp and let it cook for four minutes or until it is well cooked.

•  The final step is to add the cilantro and adjust seasoning. Remove the dish from heat. You can add the lime juice but make sure the taste of the lime juice and that of the coconut milk is well balanced.

Serve with rice.

Brazilian chicken with Coconut milk

This chicken dish is simple but very delicious. The dish only takes 45 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley

•  Mix cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric and coriander on a bowl. After mixing them, place the chicken in the bowl and season it with salt and pepper, then rub the spice mixture on all sides of the chicken.

•  Take one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and heat it, make sure the heat is medium. Then place the chicken in the skillet and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on each side, it should heat till its no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove it from the heat and place it aside.

•  Heat the remaining oil on the skillet, and then cook ginger, jalapeno peppers and garlic until they become tender. Add the potatoes and let them cook for five to eight minutes. Next stir the coconut milk and serve over the chicken. Finally garnish with the fresh parsley. Your chicken is now ready.

The Brazilian chicken with coconut milk is great when served with pasta or rice.

Arroz Brasileiro

This is a typical Brazilian dish and it is better known as Brazilian tomato rice. The dish can be eaten with many other side dishes.

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
1 Tsp Dried thyme
1 Medium eggplant, cubed
3 Cups Raw Long-grain Rice
3 Cups Chicken Stock, heated to the boil
3 Cups Water, heated to the boil
2 Medium Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 Tsp Salt

•  Warm the olive oil on a frying pan; this will take a minute or two.

•  Add the onion and let it cook for a while but don't wait until it becomes brown but transparent.

•  Add the eggplant and thyme and stir them for a few minutes.

•  Next add the rice and mix it properly with the olive oil.

•  Add the chicken stock and some water to the rice.

•  Add the tomatoes and salt, let it boil and keep stirring it, check if the rice needs more water.

•  Cover the sauce pan and reduce the heat. Let it cook for 20 minutes until all the water dries up.

Serve it when it is still warm, you can eat it alone or you can take it with meat, sausages or chicken.