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  • Food and Drink

Prawn moqueca

28 May 2010
BRA_Prawn Moqueca_Free_shutterstock_191025290

We've used prawns as the main ingredient here, but this dish is equally suited to fish, mixed seafood or even lobster.

  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Cook: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Recipe serves: 5

Ingredients

  • 1kg of shelled prawns
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons crushed almonds or cashew nuts
  • 1 bunch coriander, chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons dendê oil (or use vegetable oil coloured with anatto or paprika as a substitute)
    Salt to taste
  • Juice of one lemon
  • White rice

Instructions

  1. Heat the vegetable oil and slowly fry the onion, garlic and red pepper on a low heat until soft and tender.
  2. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, coriander and nuts and continue to simmer, gently mashing the mixture with a wooden spoon until well blended.
  3. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes until thick.
  4. Add salt to taste, then lay the prawns on top to cook in the steam for just a minute or two.
  5. Finish with dendê oil to give the dish its characteristic reddish colour before serving over rice.

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