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X-caboquinho
X-caboquinho: Manaus breakfast roll with tucumã palm fruit, fried plantain and melted coalho cheese
Manaus starts the day with this sandwich, sold from cafés, street stalls and market counters near the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa. A crusty roll is split, buttered and toasted, then filled with slices of fried pacovã plantain, a slab of melted coalho cheese and shavings of tucumã, an orange Amazon palm fruit with an oily, nutty, slightly earthy flavour. The name plays on 'caboclo', the riverside people of the Amazon, and amazonenses defend it as a symbol of local pride. Frozen tucumã slices are sold in some Brazilian shops; there is no true substitute, though thin slices of ripe avocado give a different but pleasant result. Use a vegetarian coalho or halloumi, as most coalho uses animal rennet. People often add the tucumã to the hot pan, but it should go in cool and raw for its fresh flavour. Chef's tip: fry the plantain until really dark at the edges; its caramel sweetness is what balances the salty cheese and the palm fruit.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ⅔ oz buttersoft
- 2 ripe plantain (banana pacovã)yellow with black spots, peeled and sliced lengthways
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 7 oz queijo coalhoin 4 slices; microbial rennet or vegetarian halloumi
- 4 oz tucumã pulpsliced thinly; frozen from Brazilian shops, or ripe avocado
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 2 ripe plantain (banana pacovã) for 3 minutes each side, until deep golden and caramelised at the edges. Move to a plate.
6 minStep 2: Put 7 oz queijo coalho in the same pan and cook for 1–2 minutes each side, until browned and softened. Keep warm.
3 minStep 3: Split 4 crusty white rolls (pão francês), spread the cut sides with ⅔ oz butter and toast them in the pan or a griddle for 2 minutes, until crisp and golden.
2 minStep 4: Fill each roll with plantain, a slice of hot cheese and a layer of 4 oz tucumã pulp. Press the lids down and eat at once, with a strong black coffee.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does x-caboquinho take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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