Day 60 Brazil

Most of us associate Brazil with Rio De Janiero,(which has rightfully earned its reputation as the culture capital of Brazil) miles of sun drenched beaches or for soccer fans- Pele. I personally think that it's best contribution to the world is the Caipirinha, Brazil's national drink, made with limes, sugar, water and the sugar cane brandy known as Cachaça. I could spend hours digressing but to stay on track, I chose to do a Vatapa de Galinha a Bahian style Chicken stew.

The Vatapa is the quintessential Afro- Brazilian stew, from the Bahia region of Brazil, and has a few ingredients that makes it unique and inimitable. Dende ( palm oil), dried shrimp and roasted peanuts are like a breath of fresh air when making yet another soupy stew with chicken and coconut milk. A thick paste of onion, garlic, ginger, a generous helping of cilantro, green pepper, tomatoes, the whites of scallions and diced Jalapenos was prepared and sauteed in olive oil . This is called a refogado and is the base of many Brazilian dishes.( picture Below) The chicken seasoned with salt and pepper was added to this and simmered till cooked through. At this point the chicken was removed, deboned and returned along with the shrimp, coconut milk, lime juice, salt, ground peanuts and a piece of bread processed with water which acted as a thickening agent. Simmered till thick and rich the sauce sank into the rice and gave a wonderfully creamy mouth feel.

Note: For those of us that do not have access to Dende; I was given a great alternative. Drops of olive oil mixed with Annato powder is what gave this stew it's golden hues.

Chile tomorrow....