Vegetable moqueca
Local name : Moqueca de legumes
A Bahian stew of coconut milk and red palm oil layered with peppers, tomatoes and tender hearts of palm.
Photo : Melsj · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
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.
