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Pusandao
Pusandao: Nariño Pacific coconut broth with salted fish, green plantain and potato
Down the Nariño coast, in Tumaco and the river villages towards Ecuador, pusandao is everyday food built from what keeps: salted fish (or salted pork), green plantain, potato and the milk of fresh coconuts. The fish is soaked to draw out the salt, then simmered with the vegetables in a thin coconut broth scented with chillangua, the coast's culantro. Plantain and potato soften and thicken the liquid into something soupy and comforting, salty-sweet and gently herbal; it is eaten for lunch with a squeeze of lime and nothing else needed. Plan on an overnight soak for the fish. The pitfall is boiling the coconut milk from the start, which makes it greasy and grainy; cook the plantain in water first and add the coconut milk for the last few minutes. Chef's tip: salt cod is the easiest substitute for the coast's salted fish; for the pork version, use salted pork ribs soaked overnight and boiled until tender before adding the plantain.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
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Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 14 oz salted fish and taste a flake; if it is still very salty, soak 2 hours more in fresh cold water in the fridge. Cut it into 5 cm pieces, removing skin and large bones.
10 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion, 3 spring onions, 3 garlic cloves and ½ tsp ground achiote (annatto) for 5 minutes, until soft and orange.
5 minStep 3: Add 4 ¼ cups water and the plantain chunks from 1 green plantains and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
12 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅛ lb potatoes and the grated 1 green plantains, which will thicken the broth. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes and plantain are tender.
15 minStep 5: Add the fish and simmer gently for 8 minutes, until it is opaque and flakes easily.
8 minStep 6: Pour in 2 ½ cups coconut milk, add ⅓ oz culantro (chillangua) and ½ tsp ground black pepper and heat for 5 minutes without letting it boil hard, until the broth is creamy and hot. Taste; add salt only if needed.
5 minStep 7: Serve in deep bowls with 2 limes to squeeze over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pusandao take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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