Tag Archives: brazilian food

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The best of Brazil (part III)

One of the most missed things from Brazil is the food. Or perhaps, the fact that I don’t need to cook there. Grandma cooks for us, uncles cook, sometimes mum cooks, we have maids who cook for us… And I never have to cook. And I just think how amazing that is! Hahahaha! ‘Cause you know, I’m not that passionate for cooking…

So every time I’m planning to visit Brazil, I’m crazy to crave all the good food we don’t have here in Australia. Like a kind of pastry, aka pastel, which can be dressing with melting cheese (my favourite), or mince meat, prawns, chicken, olives, and much more. For me, the best combination is a melting cheese pastel and a really cold “pint” of sugar cane juice! Oh my-y GOD! That is absolutely delicious. And you can find it everywhere… There are always a kind of street bar selling this stuff, just like this, in the middle of some street.

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You can particularly find an awesome combo of pastel + sugar cane juice in my hometown, Brasilia, at Feira da Torre (Tower Market). We can say it’s a kind of Queen Victoria Market, but they only sell special stuff, you won’t find anywhere else. Besides the typical food, you will also find beautiful craft works there. All kind of craft necklaces, bracelets, most of them made with local seeds and grains, craft clothes, rugs, wood furniture, and some kind of desserts. Plus this market takes place around the TV Tower of the city (which gave the name of Tower Market) and you can actually go up there and appreciate an amazing view of the city. I’ll definitely suggest you to watch the sunset, ’cause as we’re in a flat, elevated region, we have a gorgeous view of the horizon. Imagine that…

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March 5, 2012 · 11:56 AM
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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