A dense, fragrant Brazilian cream, vatapá blends shrimp, coconut milk, bread, peanuts, cashews, and dendê oil. Its velvety texture and golden color make it a generous classic from Bahia.
Ingredients
- 180 g stale bread, crusts removed
- 500 ml coconut milk
- 300 g peeled raw shrimp
- 50 g dried shrimp
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15 g fresh ginger
- 50 g unsalted roasted peanuts
- 50 g unsalted roasted cashews
- 60 ml red palm oil
- to taste fresh habanero pepper
- 0.5 bunches fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 600 g cooked white rice
Method
- Soak the bread in the coconut milk until completely softened and easily broken apart with a spoon.
- Quickly rinse the dried shrimp, then blend them with the onion, garlic, ginger, peanuts, cashews, and a little hot pepper until you have a thick, fragrant paste.
- Blend the soaked bread with its coconut milk until you have a smooth cream, with no visible pieces of bread.
- Heat the red palm oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the aromatic paste, and sauté until the aroma becomes round, toasted, and very fragrant.
- Pour the coconut milk bread cream into the pan while stirring constantly, then let it thicken until you have a soft, puree-like texture that heavily coats the spatula.
- Add the raw shrimp and continue cooking over low heat until they become pink, firm, and just cooked through.
- Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice, then adjust the hot pepper to keep the heat present but balanced.
- Off the heat, fold in the chopped cilantro and let sit briefly so the vatapá relaxes and the flavors meld.
- Serve hot in a bowl or a shallow plate, with cooked white rice and a drizzle of red palm oil if you like a more intense finish.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 934.7 kcal
- Protein
- 36.02 g
- Carbohydrate
- 76.84 g
- Fat
- 52.76 g
- Fibre
- 4.91 g
- Calcium
- 133.16 mg
- Iron
- 7.96 mg
- Magnesium
- 168.56 mg
