Tag Archives: Bahia

February 28, 2012 · 3:22 PM

The best of Brazil (part I)

So let’s get back to the holidays and remember our Brazil’s trip! Oh Brazil! We had a ball in Brazil!

We took ten beautiful days off to Bahia! Ooohhhhh Bahia!! There’s much more to know up there than the tourist sites.

Since we got at the airport, I had a big smile on my face. Because I simply loved the 35 degrees welcoming us!

So, we rent a car and drove about 40km up to the city of Salvador. We stayed in a village, 4km before Guarajuba (one of the most famous beaches) and 11km before Praia do Forte (where the Tamar Project takes place, that one with the turtles).

Let me tell you something: we own the beach!! Seriously, that was amazing. There were like 6 people on the beach, including us!! There were no rubbish at the beach, no competition of space on the sand. Just perfect!! I wish I could stay in a place like that 6 months of the year… or 12. Just laying on the beach, drinking coconut water, swimming on the warm water of the ocean and don’t having to worry with nothing else.

I wanna stay here for ever and ever!

As we stayed in that little village and all we had to have fun was the beach, at nights we went up to Praia do Forte, where we could find lots of different restaurants and shops, and pubs. So we went up there almost every night!

They have the best pizza restaurant I ever ate in my entire life!! There’s many different pizza restaurants at Praia do Forte, but the most amazing one is called: 7 Pizzas. Seriously, no matter what were the flavour we asked for, was the best pizza of our lives! Better than everything you ever tasted before!! Remember the 7 Pizzas Natural Bar next time you go to Bahia :)

And of course you’ve heard about caipirinha. The most famous Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça (the brazilian liquor). But in Brazil, we can have any flavour of caipirinha we imagine. This summer the tredding flavour of caipirinha was siriguela (. But my choice of the night was passionfruit caipirinha!

That was bigger than a pint!

When we travel to Brazil, we just eat. When we travel for Bahia, we just eat shrimps, praws, fish, acarajé and moqueca and everything else made with shrimps and fish, everything really fresh, which are incredibly delicious. I’m already hungry just to remember how good that was.

A little bit of prawns on olive oil, garlic & peper

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November 22, 2011 · 4:56 PM

Acarajé from Brazil in Melbourne

I don’t know about you guys, but one of the things I miss the most from home is food. But why am I missing Brazilian food, since most things can be found here in Australia? Well, that’s because I don’t like cooking. I cook to survive, but I’m so more likely to order a pizza instead. God bless the food deliveries! Hahahaha

I do miss grandma’s and mum’s dishes a lot! And of course, the whole comfort about it. I’ve tried so many times to successfully follow their recipes, but they don’t work with me!! Yeah… Can I order a pizza?

But thanks God, Australia is an amazing multicultural country, where international food festivals take place every year. The Latin Food Festival is certainly my favourite! The last one happened last weekend at Johnston St, Fitzroy. And specially this year we could find a traditional dish from Bahia, Brazil, called Acarajé.

The Acarajé is a delicious dish from Bahia, Brazil, made of black-eyed pea flour, beans, with prawns, and a traditional sauce called vatapá! It’s specially cooked in Bahia, and it’s really difficult to find it elsewhere. Every Brazilian who doesn’t live in Salvador, is only able to delight this passionate dish when they travel to Salvador.

Outside Brazil it’s really difficult to get all the ingredients and it’s a lot of work to fry it up. I won’t even try, as I am that food lover who does not cook!

But, I’ll give a recipe that I found in the Flavours of Brazil blog if you are up for the challenge:
RECIPE – Acarajé1 kg. of dried black-eyed peas
2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. salt
1 litre dendê oil (for frying)
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In a very large bowl, cover the peas with water and let soak for at least 24 hours to soften the peas and to facilitate the removal of their skins.

Drain water, re-fill the basin several times, stirring the peas to remove as many skins as possible. Rubbing handfuls of beans vigorously between the hands assists in this process.

After several changes of water, drain, and individually remove the skins from any peas that still have them. (Allow plenty of time for this.)In batches, blend the skinless peas, the onion, the garlic and the salt in a blender or food processor until you have a light batter.

Pour the batter into a large, dry bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon, lifting the mass from bottom to top until you have a airy mass that has doubled in volume.Heat the oil in a large pan, or deep-fryer.

Meanwhile, soak two very large wooden spoons in water, then use them to form fist-sized balls of batter. Drop them one by one into the hot oil to fry until they are bright orange and crispy, turning them over halfway through the frying process.

Remove from the oil, and let cool for a few minutes. Serve the acarajé with vatapá, hot pepper sauce, fried dried shrimps, and finely chopped green tomatoes.

From:
http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com/2010/01/recipe-acaraje.html

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