Bowl of Vegetarian Moqueca
(click to enlarge)

Moqueca Vegetarian


Brazil   -   Moqueca Vegetariana
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8 cups
***
1-1/2 hrs
Most		 A substantial and delicious vegetable soup, sure to please even omnivoures. see also Comments.

14
1
8
1
4
14
14
1/4
2
2
1/2
1
1/2
1/4
-----
ar
oz
#
oz

cl
oz
oz
c
T
c
c
t
T
c
---

Tomatoes Roma
Onions Red
Mini Bells (1)  
Red Chili (2)
Garlic
can Palm Hearts (3)  
can Chickpeas
Cilantro
Olive Oil
Coconut milk (4)
Water
Salt
Pink Peppercorns
Dendê Oil (5)
-- Serve with
Rice, or Farofa (6)
Prep   -   (1 hr )
  1. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Slice about 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice fairly thin crosswise.
  3. Cap and core MINI BELLS. Slice crosswise into rings about 1/4 inch wide.
  4. Cap and core RED CHILI. Chop fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  5. Drain PALM HEARTS and slice no less than 3/8 inch thick.
  6. Drain and rinse CHICKPEAS.
  7. Chop CILANTRO small.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. In a 3 quart sauce pan, heat Olive Oil and fry Garlic mix until aromatic. Take off the heat and layer half the Onions over the Garlic mix.
  2. Layer half the Mini Bells and Tomatoes over the Onions.
  3. Layer half Chickpeas and half the Palm Hearts over the Mini Bells.
  4. Season with half the Salt and Pink Peppercorns. Pour in half the Coconut Milk.
  5. Repeat this layering with the other half of the items.
  6. Pour in Dendê Oil.
  7. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
  8. Stir in Cilantro and serve hot - see Serving.
NOTES:

  1. Mini Bell Peppers:

      [Mini Sweet Peppers, Baby Bell Peppers]   These peppers are now quite available, at least in Southern California. They are sold in transparent plastic bags weighing a pound or a little more. If you can't get them, use the same weight of red or orange Bell Peppers cut into very narrow strips. For details see our Chilis of Mexico, North & Central America page.

  2. Red Chili:

      Here we all use Ripe Read Fresno chilis, but other medium hot fresh red chilis will work. For details see our Chilis of Mexico, North & Central America page.

  3. Hearts of Palm:

      These are available in cans and jars from markets serving a Latin American community, and are easily available on-line. For details see our Hearts of Palm page.

  4. Coconut Milk:

      This must be unsweetened, and best from Thailand. Aroy-D is a particularly good brand.

  5. Dendê Oil:

      [Red Palm Oil]   This is essential for authentic taste of many Brazilian (and African) recipes. Some stores may have it, but it's easily available on-line. For details see our Red Palm Oil / Dendê Oil page.

  6. Farofa:

      A wildly popular side dish made from Manioc Farina. See our recipe Farofa for an example.

  7. Serving

      When serving with rice, I prefer to place a bowl of rice on the table to be spooned into the soup as desired.

  8. Comments:

      This recipe is based on Moqueca Baiana which is made with fish and/or other seafood. It has been composed as a vegetable soup by a genuine Brazilian, so I consider it "authentic". It is quite hard to find substantial Brazilian dishes that are vegetarian. You can make this soup ahead all the way through layering vegies in the pan.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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