The Link
Page 5
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. Re move from heat, stir in the dendê oil and serve.
Notes
While often called a stew or even a soup, vatapá has an interesting creamy puree texture. It is often
served over rice or alongside the bean fritters calledacarajé.
My Attempt
I’ll admit I changed a few things, the Dende oil was very hard to find and the shrimp was way too small, so I
opted for turmeric for colour and smaller prawns. I swapped one of the onions for a red onion.
There is a difference between shrimps and prawns but taste wise they are interchangeable, I opted to fry
the prawns with the chilli, garlic and butter instead, before adding it to the dish raw or blending it.
Onions, chilli and garlic chopped, prawns peeled and deveined.
Hard part done!
I finished it off with some fresh coriander.
I was rather impressed as I managed to sustain only three cuts whilst preparing the food. The results was
rather good, the judges were impressed.
Preollan – “Something different. A taste the palette enjoyed. For those who prefer
a bit more bite, just add more chilli, served with toasted bread will make it even
more enjoyable”
Elize – “It was veeeeery delicious, mmmmmmmmmm”
Joanne – “I can’t believe you made this”