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302 recipes

UmbuzadaUmbu and milk drink

The umbu tree is the pride of the sertão, the dry interior of Bahia, Pernambuco and Piauí: its swollen roots store water through the drought, and when the rains come between January and March it covers itself in small green-gold fruit. Families gather them by the sackful, and umbuzada, the fruit cooked and blended with milk and sugar, is drunk cold in the afternoon heat or eaten thick as a light supper. It tastes sharply sour and sweet at the same time, creamy and fruity, a little like a gooseberry milkshake. The common mistake is blending hot, acidic pulp with milk, which makes it curdle into grainy flecks. Cool the pulp completely, mix the sugar into the pulp before the milk goes in, and serve soon after blending. It is ready when it is smooth, pale yellow-green and coats the glass. Outside Brazil, look for frozen umbu pulp in Brazilian shops; failing that, use cajá (yellow mombin) pulp or tart green plums cooked the same way. Keep any leftovers in the fridge and drink within a day. Chef's tip: for the thick version eaten with a spoon, halve the milk and serve it in a bowl with a sprinkle of farinha or crushed cuscuz.

30 minBrazilianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ají amarillo pasteYellow chilli paste

In Lima's markets ají amarillo is sold fresh all year, and most Peruvian cooks keep a tub of this paste in the fridge the way others keep tomato purée: it is the golden base of causa limeña, ají de gallina, papa a la huancaína, chupe and the sauce for tiraditos. The chillies are seeded, de-veined and blanched in three changes of water, which tames the heat and the raw grassiness, then peeled and blended with oil into a thick, silky, saffron-orange paste. It tastes fruity and sunny, almost like apricot and passion fruit, with a rounded, medium heat. Abroad, buy whole frozen ají amarillo from Latin grocers; dried ají mirasol, soaked, gives a darker, earthier paste. Common mistake: skipping the peeling; the thin skins leave papery flecks and a bitter edge. It is ready when it is completely smooth and holds a soft peak like thick hummus. This is a low-acid paste: keep it in the fridge for a week or freeze it, never on the shelf. Chef's tip: freeze it in an ice-cube tray; one cube is about a tablespoon, just right for a pot of ají de gallina.

40 minPeruvianBasicsVeganGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

DobradinhaTripe and white bean stew

Dobradinha came to Brazil with Portuguese settlers and is now a Saturday lunch in botecos and family kitchens from São Paulo to Minas Gerais, eaten with white rice and a splash of hot pepper sauce. Cleaned honeycomb tripe is simmered until tender, then stewed with white beans, smoked pork sausage (linguiça), bacon, tomato and plenty of green seasoning until thick and savoury. This recipe contains pork. The usual mistake is undercooking the tripe: it must be soft enough to cut with a spoon before the beans go in, or it stays rubbery. A pressure cooker does the tripe in 35 minutes. Chef's tip: blanch the tripe with a squeeze of lime first; it freshens the smell and the colour.

180 minBrazilianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Suco de cajáHog plum juice

Walk along the beach barracas of Salvador or into any lanchonete in Recife and the juice board will list cajá near the top. The small yellow fruit, from tall trees that grow wild across Bahia and the Northeast, is too sour to eat out of hand but makes a juice with a scent that people there treat as a taste of home: floral, sharp and tropical, a little like passion fruit and mango crossed with lime. It is drunk ice-cold with lunch, with a plate of moqueca, or after an afternoon in the sun. Most Brazilians use frozen pulp, which keeps the fragrance well. The common mistake is drowning it in sugar or blending it with too much water so the perfume disappears; cajá should taste lively and tart, so sweeten lightly and taste as you go. It is ready when it is a bright golden-yellow, lightly frothy, and smells floral as soon as you lift the jug. Outside Brazil, look for frozen cajá pulp in Latin American shops; the same fruit is sold as jobo or yellow mombin, or ciruela in Mexico. Chef's tip: blend with half ice and half water instead of all water for a frothier, colder juice.

5 minBrazilianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pisco sour

Lima drinks its pisco sour as the aperitif before a long ceviche lunch, and celebrates it every year on the first Saturday of February; the recipe took shape in the city's bars in the 1920s. It is for adults only and stronger than its pillowy look suggests. Underneath a thick white foam you get sharp Peruvian lime, a clean sweetness and the floral, grapey warmth of quebranta pisco, with the bitters adding a spicy smell to every sip. The texture should be silky, almost creamy, never thin. The classic mistake is squeezing the limes too hard or too early: the oil from the pith turns the drink bitter within half an hour. Halve the limes, press each half gently by hand just before mixing and stop when the juice slows. The egg white is raw, so use pasteurised egg white for anyone pregnant, for babies, older people or anyone unwell, or swap in 30 ml aquafaba. It is ready when the foam stands about 1 cm high and is firm enough to hold the drops of bitters on its surface. Sip one slowly and drink responsibly. Chef's tip: shake once without ice first to whip the egg white, then again with ice; the foam will be twice as thick.

5 minPeruvianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Cremolada (Lima passion fruit slush)

From January to March, when Lima's coast swelters, queues form at the cremolada counters of Barranco and along the Jirón de la Unión downtown for cups of this thick fruit ice. It sits between a granita and a sorbet: frozen fruit pulp scraped again and again until it is slushy and spoonable, with real bits of fruit through it. Passion fruit (maracuyá) gives a sharp, bright flavour; creamy lúcuma, with its maple and sweet potato taste, is the other favourite. Chef's tip: use a shallow metal tray; it freezes faster and evenly, so you get fine crystals rather than chunks.

180 minPeruvianDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Berinjela refogadaSauteed aubergine with tomato

Brazilian home cooks make berinjela refogada on Sunday and spoon it into the week's marmitas beside rice, beans and a piece of grilled chicken or an egg; it reheats beautifully and tastes even better on the second day. The aubergine cooks down until silky with garlic, onion, tomato and oregano. The common mistake is pouring in more oil every time the pan looks dry; aubergine soaks it up and turns greasy. Add a splash of water instead and cover the pan so the cubes steam soft. Chef's tip: a squeeze of lime and a little chopped parsley just before packing lift the flavour after a night in the fridge.

30 minBrazilianSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bolo de pubaFermented cassava cake

In Bahia, Pernambuco and Maranhão the afternoon and early-morning coffee table often carries a slab of bolo de puba, a dense, custardy cake made from puba, cassava that has been soaked until it ferments and softens into a tangy white paste. Coconut milk, grated coconut, eggs and butter turn it into something between a cake and a pudding, with a caramel-brown crust and a moist, slightly springy middle; it is especially loved around the June São João festivals. Puba is sold in Brazilian and African grocers as massa puba or carimã; it contains no wheat, so the cake is naturally gluten free. The common mistake is cutting it hot: it sets as it cools and will be gummy if sliced too early. Chef's tip: squeeze the puba in a clean cloth first if it is very wet, so the batter is thick enough to hold the coconut in suspension rather than letting it sink.

75 minBrazilianBakingGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Peixe na telhaFish baked on a clay tile

Peixe na telha, 'fish on the tile', is a weekend dish of the river towns of Goiás and Minas Gerais, where restaurants by the Araguaia bring freshwater fish to the table still sizzling on a curved clay roof tile. At home a terracotta or ceramic baking dish does the job: fillets marinated in lime and garlic are layered with tomato, sweet peppers, onion and coriander and baked until the juices bubble. Suitable as part of a balanced diet: high-protein fish with lots of vegetables. About 290 kcal and 9 g carbohydrate per portion; serve with a salad, or a little brown rice instead of the usual white rice and farofa. The usual mistake is overbaking, which dries the fish; take it out the moment it flakes. Chef's tip: warm the clay dish in the oven first so the vegetables start sizzling at once.

65 minBrazilianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

QuentãoHot spiced cachaça

When the Festas Juninas light up São Paulo's interior and the cold southern states in June and July, quentão is ladled steaming from a big pot beside the bonfire, next to paper cones of roasted pinhão, popcorn and paçoca. It is a festival warmer for adults only: dark caramel, sharp fresh ginger, clove and cinnamon, with the cachaça softened by heat but still clearly there. It should taste spicy and sweet, never syrupy, and smell like a spice market from across the yard. Simmering removes only part of the alcohol, so treat a mug as a real drink and drink responsibly. The classic mistake is letting the pot boil hard once the cachaça is in: the alcohol vapour can catch on a gas flame and the drink turns flat and harsh. Keep it at a bare shiver and never pour from the bottle near the flame. It is ready when the caramel is a deep amber, the ginger has made the syrup peppery on the tongue and steam rises without bubbles. Chef's tip: let the sugar caramelise until it smells just short of burnt; that bitter edge is what makes quentão taste grown-up rather than sweet.

35 minBrazilianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vagem refogadaSauteed green beans

In São Paulo and Rio, the marmita (lunch tin) that workers carry from home almost always has arroz, feijão, a protein and a simple legume refogado, and green beans cooked with garlic, onion and tomato are one of the most common. Refogar means to sauté gently in oil before the vegetables cook in their own steam. The common mistake is boiling the beans until army-green and floppy; they should stay bright and keep a little snap. Chef's tip: blanch for just 3 minutes, then finish in the pan, so they still taste fresh when reheated at work.

22 minBrazilianSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Esfiha de carne (São Paulo open beef pies)

The Syrian and Lebanese families who settled around Rua 25 de Março in central São Paulo brought sfiha with them, and the city made it its own: esfihas are now sold by the dozen from counters all over town, eaten standing up with a squeeze of lemon at lunchtime or as a cheap late snack. The dough is soft and lightly crisp at the base, and the topping of raw spiced beef, onion and tomato cooks on the pie in a hot oven. Chef's tip: squeeze the onion and tomato hard in a cloth before mixing; a wet topping makes the dough soggy.

90 minBrazilianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sanduíche de pernil (São Paulo roast pork roll)

This is pork in its most loved São Paulo form: a leg marinated in garlic, lime and paprika, roasted until it falls into slices, and stuffed into a crusty pão francês. It is what fans eat outside the Pacaembu and Morumbi stadiums before a match, and the all-night bar on the Viaduto Nove de Julho has fed it to taxi drivers and night owls for decades. The meat is juicy and tangy, cut with a fresh tomato and onion vinaigrette. Chef's tip: slice the pork thin and drop it back into the roasting juices before filling the rolls; it should drip a little.

240 minBrazilianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Queijadinha (Bahian coconut and cheese cakes)

In Salvador's Pelourinho and on the steps of the Largo do Pelourinho, baianas in white lace sell queijadinhas from wooden trays alongside cocadas: little paper cases of coconut and cheese that bake into a chewy, golden top over a soft, custardy layer. They are sweet with a salty edge from the cheese, perfect with a strong coffee in the afternoon. They contain egg and milk. Traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet, so choose a hard cheese labelled vegetarian. Chef's tip: bake them until the tops are properly golden; pale queijadinhas never get their crusty top layer.

45 minBrazilianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pão com linguiça (grilled sausage roll)

Outside every São Paulo football ground on match day, and above all on the streets around the Allianz Parque, carts with smoking griddles sell pão com linguiça: a coiled Tuscan-style pork sausage split open, crisped on the plate and tucked into a roll with vinaigrette and a splash of chilli sauce. It is fast, juicy and filling, eaten walking to the gate. The sausage is raw pork and must be cooked through. Chef's tip: once the sausage is nearly cooked, split it lengthwise and press it cut side down on the griddle; it browns all over and finishes cooking evenly.

25 minBrazilianFast Food
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Rolete de cana (sugarcane on a stick)

On the sand at Porto da Barra in Salvador, and in the crowds of the Festa de Iemanjá in Rio Vermelho every February, vendors walk with buckets of ice and bundles of skewers threaded with pale sugarcane discs. You chew each piece to squeeze out the cold, grassy-sweet juice, then spit out the fibre. It is the simplest snack there is and very refreshing in the heat. Not for small children, as the fibres are a choking risk. Chef's tip: cut between the knobbly joints, not through them; the nodes are hard as wood.

15 minBrazilianSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Arroz e feijão amassadinho for babiesMashed rice and beans for babies

Rice and beans are on almost every lunch plate in Brazil, from São Paulo office canteens to family tables in Minas Gerais, and babies join in from about eight or nine months with an amassadinho, a soft fork-mashed version. The beans are simmered with a little onion, garlic and bay leaf for flavour instead of salt, bacon or stock cubes, then mashed into soft rice with their thick broth. It is creamy, earthy and filling. It is free of the major allergens: no milk, egg, gluten, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: mash the beans well and press them through a sieve the first few times; the skins are the part babies find hardest.

50 minBrazilianRice & GrainsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Batida de cocoCoconut cachaça cocktail

Along the barracas of Salvador's beaches and at the June São João parties across Bahia, batida de coco comes out of the blender in jugs, poured into plastic cups and drunk while the forró plays. It is a drink for adults only that hides its strength well: creamy, cold and sweet like a coconut milkshake, with cachaça warming the finish rather than shouting. The texture should be thick but pourable, pale ivory, with a soft froth on top. The common mistake is blending the ice for too long, which leaves a thin, watery drink that separates into a fatty layer within minutes. Blend the liquids smooth first, then add the ice and pulse only a few times, until the noise from the blender goes quiet and smooth. It is ready when no lumps of ice rattle and the batida coats the side of the glass. Because it tastes so gentle, keep the cups small and drink responsibly. Chef's tip: chill the cachaça, coconut milk and tin of condensed milk overnight, and you will need less ice and get a richer, denser batida.

8 minBrazilianDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Frango xadrezChicken and pepper stir-fry

Frango xadrez, "chessboard chicken", was born in São Paulo's Chinese-Brazilian restaurants and named for its neat squares of chicken, pepper and onion. It is now a staple of lunch counters, delivery menus and the home-packed marmita, eaten over white rice. The common mistake is overcrowding the pan, so the chicken stews grey instead of searing; cook it in two batches. Chef's tip: toss the chicken with soy sauce and cornflour 15 minutes ahead; the coating keeps it juicy and thickens the sauce.

30 minBrazilianChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Geleia de jabuticabaJabuticaba jelly

Jabuticabas grow in clusters straight on the trunk of the tree, and in the Minas Gerais spring, from September to November, backyards from Sabará to the south of the state are suddenly covered in shiny black berries. The fruit starts to ferment two or three days after picking, so families turn the glut into jelly, liqueur and syrup; Sabará even celebrates the harvest with a festival. Boiling the berries whole draws colour, tannin and pectin out of the thick skins, so the jelly sets with no added pectin. It is deep ruby-purple, sweet and tart like a dark grape, with a faint astringent edge from the skins. Spread it on pão de queijo or toast, or serve it with fresh white cheese. Abroad, use Concord or other dark, slip-skin grapes, or muscadines. Common mistake: boiling past the setting point; the jelly darkens, turns gummy and the tannins taste bitter, so start testing early. It is ready at 104 °C, or when a drop on a frozen saucer wrinkles when pushed. Chef's tip: let the juice drip through the cloth without squeezing; pressing it makes the jelly cloudy.

70 minBrazilianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Caipirinha

Brazil's national drink lives on every boteco counter in São Paulo, but it tastes best on a hot Saturday beside a pot of feijoada, or handed over from a beach vendor's cart. It is a short, rough-cut drink for adults only: a whole lime chopped into wedges, crushed with sugar right in the glass, packed with crushed ice and drowned in cachaça, the sugarcane spirit with a grassy, faintly funky edge that rum does not have. Each sip moves from sharp lime oil to cold sweetness to a warm cane finish, with a little crunchy sugar at the bottom to stir back up. The usual mistake is pounding the lime to a pulp: the white pith and the core turn bitter within minutes. Cut out the central white strip, press each wedge only until the juice runs and the skin smells of lime oil, then stop. It is ready when the sugar has mostly melted into a cloudy syrup and the glass frosts on the outside. Cachaça is strong, so sip slowly and drink responsibly. Chef's tip: roll the lime hard on the board before cutting and choose thin-skinned, heavy limes; a thick-skinned lime makes a bitter caipirinha however gently you muddle.

5 minBrazilianDrinksVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pimenta biquinho em conservaPickled beak peppers

On the counters of bars and roadside empórios across Minas Gerais sit jars of tiny scarlet teardrops: pimenta biquinho, named for its little pointed beak. It is a cousin of the habanero with almost none of the heat, so the pickled peppers are eaten by the handful with cubes of fresh queijo minas or aged Canastra cheese, scattered over feijão tropeiro or tossed into salads. In the jar they stay plump and crisp, with a sweet, fruity, slightly smoky flavour and a mild vinegar tang. Abroad, look for sweet drop peppers or other small, mild red peppers. Common mistake: using Brazil's 4% table vinegar or topping it up with extra water; for jars that live in the cupboard the vinegar must be at least 5% acidity and diluted no more than five parts vinegar to one of water, as here. They are ready to eat after a week, when the colour has softened slightly and the brine has soaked right in. Chef's tip: leave a short piece of stalk on each pepper and prick it twice; they look prettier and the brine gets inside.

45 minBrazilianChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bolo de pote (cake in a jar)

On Sundays, when Avenida Paulista closes to cars, sellers line the pavement with cool boxes of bolo de pote, and the same jars turn up at São Paulo's weekly street fairs and outside metro stations: soft sponge cake layered with creamy fillings and eaten with a spoon. Brigadeiro cream (condensed milk cooked with cocoa) and a sweet, milky cream made with milk powder are the two everyone wants. They are rich and very sweet, so the jars are small. They contain egg, wheat and milk. Chef's tip: take both creams off the heat while they are still a little runny; they thicken as they cool and must stay soft enough to spread.

90 minBrazilianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Caldo de gallinaHen broth with noodles

In Lima's markets and the all-night caldo stalls of districts like La Victoria, a bowl of caldo de gallina is the dawn breakfast for market porters, taxi drivers and anyone coming home late: a deep, golden broth from a slow-simmered hen (a boiling fowl) with ginger and spring onion, ladled over thick noodles and yellow potato, with a boiled egg, lime and ají chilli on the side. The common mistake is boiling the broth hard, which clouds it and toughens the meat; keep it to a lazy simmer. The chicken must reach 74 °C, though after this long simmer it will be well past that. Chef's tip: cook the noodles separately, then put them in the bowls; cooked in the pot they drink the broth and turn it starchy.

150 minPeruvianSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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