Party Recipes

Vitapa

 

Vatapá is one of the classic dishes of Brazilian cuisine. It hails from Bahia state on the northeast coast where many of the dishes have African origins. A thick version is often served as a filling for acarajé patties.

4 to 6 servings

 


 

 

INGREDIENTS

  • Onion, chopped -- 2
  • Dried shrimp (see notes) -- 1/2 cup
  • Garlic, chopped -- 2 to 3 cloves
  • Malagueta or jalapeño chile peppers, chopped -- 1 to 3 (optional)
  • Oil -- 3 tablespoons
  • Stock or water -- 1 1/2 cups
  • Natural peanut or cashew butter -- 1/2 cup
  • Breadcrumbs -- 1 cup
  • Salt and pepper -- to taste
  • Shrimp, peeled and deveined -- 1 pound
  • Coconut milk -- 2 cups
  • Dendê, or red palm oil (optional) -- 1/4 cup
     

METHOD

  1. Place the onion, dried shrimp, garlic and chilies in a food processor or blender and puree well. Add a little water if necessary.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion-shrimp mixture and sauté until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Stir in the stock or water and whisk in the peanut or cashew butter until smooth. Then stir in the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-8 minutes to meld the flavors.
  4. Stir in the shrimp and coconut milk and simmer another 5-6 minutes, or until shrimp is almost cooked through.
  5. Remove from heat, stir in the dendê oil and serve over rice or alongside acarajé bean fritters.
     

VATAPÁ NOTES AND VARIATIONS

  • Vatapá de Galinha (Chicken vatapá): Substitute 1 1/2 pounds of cooked, shredded chicken for the shrimp.
  • Vatapá de Peixe (Fish vatapá): Substitute 1 1/2 pounds of firm white-fleshed fish, cut into chunks, for the shrimp.
  • If you can't find dried shrimp, you can puree about 1 cup of fresh raw shrimp in a blender and substitute it for the dried.
  • A truly authentic dish would use dendê, or red palm oil, which gives the dish a bright yellow-orange tint. If you can't find red palm oil, try adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric to the onion-shrimp paste instead.
  • Some recipes call for the addition of 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced ginger. Others for 1 to 2 cups of chopped tomatoes.
  • The breadcrumbs act as a thickener for the vatapá. Some recipes use cornmeal instead. Others thicken it like gravy with flour.