Vegetable moqueca, a vegetarian recipe

Name: Vegetable moqueca
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Brazil
Ingredients: 400 g drained hearts of palm, cut into lengths; 1 ripe plantain, in thick rounds; 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, in strips; 3 ripe tomatoes, in wedges; 2 onions, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 400 ml coconut milk; 2 tbsp red palm oil (dendê); 1 lime; 1 large bunch coriander; Salt and black pepper

Method

Marinate the hearts of palm for 10 minutes with the lime juice, salt and pepper.
In a wide, shallow casserole, warm the dendê oil over medium heat without ever letting it smoke, then fry the onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
Layer in the peppers, tomatoes and plantain rounds without stirring; a moqueca is built in tiers.
Add the hearts of palm with their marinade, seasoning each layer lightly, and cover the pot.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes without stirring, letting the vegetables release their liquid to form the broth.
Pour in the coconut milk, swirl the pot to spread it, and cook uncovered for 8 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Scatter over roughly chopped coriander and serve straight from the pot with plain white rice.

Dendê oil gives moqueca its orange colour and unmistakable flavour; one spoonful is plenty, as it is assertive. Above all, do not stir during cooking, just swirl the pot.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

Why must I not stir while it cooks?

A moqueca is built in layers and each one releases its water at its own pace to make the broth. Stirring breaks up the hearts of palm and plantain slices and turns everything to mush. Just shake the pot gently to distribute the coconut milk.

What can replace dendê palm oil?

Nothing gives quite its orange colour and flavour, which are the Bahian signature of the dish. Without it, make the moqueca with a neutral oil: still good, but now a different coconut stew. Do not compensate with more of another oil, since one spoonful of dendê is powerful enough.

What if I cannot find fresh hearts of palm?

The recipe already uses tinned hearts of palm, drained and then marinated in lime. Rinse them if the brine tastes strong, and cut them into thick lengths so they hold up through the fifteen minutes of simmering.

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Vegetable moqueca

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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