Brazilian moqueca with banana

What a wonderful country Brazil is with dishes like moqueca from Bahia (or moqueca baiana)! Normally it is a fish stew but when I had dinner at a Brazilian friend of mine in Barcelona a while ago I tasted this vegan version. Moqueca baiana with plantain and regular banana, completely vegan. Personally, I really like plantain because it has a firmer texture than a regular banana and if you do it right, it tastes a bit like potato.

~ English Recipe below ~

Brazilian stew

That Brazilian friend wanted to make it especially for us because he and his girlfriend are also increasingly opting for veggie options. What more could you wish for than to have Brazilians cooking one of their specialties for you? Nothing right?

This sweet Moqueca stew with a hint of spice, which by the way you can also make a little spicier without losing the sweetness, is full of my favorite vegetables: bell peppers. There are different colors and flavors, so mainly choose the peppers you like and enjoy having on your plate. Personally, I think a color party is always a good idea, so I chose red, yellow and green peppers. By the way, I have never come across an orange bell pepper in Spain! Would that be something typically Dutch?

Moqueca recipe vegana

Moqueca with banana is originally from northern Brazil, which is why the name of this dish is officially called moqueca baiana. With over 209 million people, the cuisine is also different in every part of the country. In the north you will find more chilling and caribbean dishes while throughout the country you will be awash in Pão de Queijo, farofa and tapioca (dried and processed cassava root).

Options in the Brazilian menu

Only, by definition, they are not vegan. Pão de Queijo is in fact bread with cheese, farofa is fried cassava flour and is often mixed with bacon flavor or eggs. Tapioca itself is vegan but always check what they put on it. Of course you will also find the acai, which you can eat all day, believe me! But fear not, there is plenty to eat when you don’t eat animal products. I will write a blog about this soon. Keep an eye on the website!

To at least get into the travel mood, I really recommend making this vegan moqueca baiana!

Moqueca with banana

Moqueca with banana

Delicious vegan stew from northern Brazil
Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Tijd totaal 45 minutes
Number of persons 4 persons

Ingredients

  • 300 g rice
  • 1 large plantain
  • 2 bananas Canarias
  • 1 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cm ginger
  • 2 small rawit peppers to taste
  • 1 large red bell bell pepper or 2 normal ones
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 600 ml coconut milk
  • 2 limes
  • 1 tbsp coconut or peanut oil
  • fresh coriander
  • bit of salt

Preparation

  • Remove the plantain from its skin and cut it into pieces. Put some water on and let it boil, once it boils add the plantain and let it boil for about 15-20 minutes. Check occasionally to see if it softens. It may still have a little bite, but it should be easy to eat.
  • Prepare rice according to package directions.
  • Slice the onion into rings, finely chop the garlic, ginger (peel briefly) and rawit peppers then cut the peppers into long thin strips as well. The tomato may be diced. In advance, grate the zest of 1 lime and squeeze the juice of both limes. Then put this away for a while.
  • Grab a large wok pan or frying pan and heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Briefly sauté the onion, ginger, garlic along with the peppers.
  • Now add all the peppers, it’s bit much by volume but that will decrease as you fry the peppers. Now also add the sweet paprika (pimiento dulce) and turmeric and mix well with the ingredients. If it goes too fast in terms of baking, turn the heat down a little.
  • Meanwhile, check the plantain if it is done, if so, drain the banana and also check your rice right away.
  • Plantain ready? Check, now add the coconut milk to the bell pepper mixture. Should it not turn yellow enough, add small bit more turmeric and mix everything well. Be careful with turmeric once on your clothes it is hard to get rid of! My favorite shorts were corkumarized during this cooking session.
  • Add the plantain and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, remove the other two bananas from their skins as well and cut them into pieces. Choose the thickness depending on what you like, anything will do. Also, chop the cilantro in advance.
  • After 10 minutes, add the plain banana along with the diced tomato. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes along with a little fresh cilantro and then it’s ready!

Notes

Serve with rice and fresh cilantro. Extra delicious with banana chips or unsalted crushed cashews.

Moqueca baiana with banana ENG

A delicious vegan recipe from the north of Brazil
Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
45 minutes
Number of persons 4 persons

Ingredients

  • 300 grams of rice
  • 1 large plantain
  • 2 bananas Canarias
  • 1 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cm ginger
  • 2 small raw chilli peppers to taste
  • 1 large red pepper or 2 normal
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 600 ml coconut milk
  • 2 limes
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or peanut oil
  • Fresh coriander
  • a little salt

Preparation

  • Take the plantain out of its shell and cut it into pieces. Put on some water and let it boil, as soon as it boils add the plantain and let it boil for about 15-20 minutes. Check every now and then if it gets softer. It may still have some bite, but it should be easy to eat.
  • Prepare the rice according to the packaging.
  • Chop the onion into rings, chop the garlic, ginger (peel off for a while) and raw chilli peppers and then cut the peppers into long thin strips. The tomato may be diced. Grate the zest of 1 lime and squeeze the juice of both limes. Then put this away for a while.
  • Grab a large wok pan or frying pan and heat up the coconut oil on a medium high heat. Briefly fry the onion, ginger, garlic and peppers.
  • Now you add all the peppers, it’s a bit more volume but that gets less as you fry the peppers. Now also add the sweet paprika powder (pimiento dulce) and turmeric and mix it well with the ingredients. If it goes too fast in baking, turn the heat a little lower.
  • In the meantime, check if the plantain is ready, if so, pour off the plantain and check your rice.
  • Plantain ready? Check, now add the coconut milk to the paprika mixture. If it doesn’t turn yellow enough, add a little turmeric and mix everything well. Be careful with turmeric once it’s on your clothes it’s hard to get rid of! My favorite shorts are turmericized during this cooking session.
  • Add the plantain and let it simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat with a little stirring from time to time. In the meantime, take the other two bananas out of their shells and cut them into pieces. Choose the thickness depending on what you like, everything is fine. Also chop the coriander.
  • After 10 minutes add the ‘Canarias’ banana together with the cubes of tomato. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes together with a little fresh coriander and then it’s ready!

Notes

Serve with rice and fresh coriander. Extra tasty with banana chips or unsalted crushed cashew nuts.
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