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Brazilian acarajé with vatapá
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This acarajé with vatapá recipe makes the perfect snack at a Brazil-themed party. The crispy bean and onion cakes (acarajé) are stuffed with a flavourful vatapá - a popular Brazillian mix of shrimp, crab, nuts and coconut milk. Chef Marcello Tully says acarajé is one of his favourite Brazillian street-food snacks, citing their moreishness and aroma as a major attraction.
First published in 2015
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Acarajé
- 450g of black-eyed beans
- 450g of white onion, roughly chopped
- salt
- 360g of dende oil
- 360g of vegetable oil
Vatapá
- 300g of dried shrimp
- 330g of bread, day-old, roughly chopped
- 85g of cashew nuts, unsalted
- 85g of peanuts, unsalted
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 840g of coconut milk, unsweetened
- 1 tomato, large, roughly chopped
- 1 handful of coriander, roughly chopped
- 250g of crab meat, cooked
- 20g of dende oil
- salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Method
1
First, make the acarajé. Add the beans to a large bowl, cover with water and leave to soak overnight (or for 24 hours)
- 450g of black-eyed beans
2
While the beans are soaking, gently rub them between your hands – the outer skins should come away and float to the surface. Remove the skins and discard, then drain the water
3
Cover the beans with water again – more skins should float up to the surface. Discard and leave the beans to finish soaking
4
After soaking, drain the beans and add to a food processor with the raw onions (do this in batches if necessary)
- 450g of white onion, roughly chopped
5
Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl and season with salt. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for a few minutes, until light and fluffy
6
Heat the dende oil and the vegetable oil in a large, deep pan. Form balls of the batter with a wooden spoon and carefully drop into the hot oil in small batches, cooking for approximately 6 minutes (or 3–4 minutes on each side). They are cooked when they turn a nice bright orange colour and are crisp on the outside
- 360g of dende oil
- 360g of vegetable oil
7
Once they are cooked, drain and set aside on some kitchen towel
8
While the cakes are cooling slightly, make the vatapa filling. Add the shrimp to a food processor, blitz to a pulp then remove and set aside. Add the bread to the food processor, blitz until smooth then add the cashews and peanuts. Blitz for a further 2 minutes, then remove and set aside
- 300g of dried shrimp
- 330g of bread, day-old, roughly chopped
- 85g of cashew nuts, unsalted
- 85g of peanuts, unsalted
9
Add the dende oil to a large pan and place over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies and sweat for 2–3 minutes until tender but not coloured
- 20g of dende oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
10
Add the pulped shrimp, coconut milk, tomato and breadcrumb mixture. Cook for a further 5 minutes
- 840g of coconut milk, unsweetened
- 1 tomato, large, roughly chopped
11
Add salt and pepper to season, then add the crab meat at the last minute to warm through. Stir through the coriander and set aside
- 1 handful of coriander, roughly chopped
- 250g of crab meat, cooked
- salt
- black pepper
12
Carefully cut a slit across the longest side of the acaraje and spoon some of the vatapa into each one. Serve immediately
First published in 2015
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