← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 3 ripe but firm plantains (yellow with some black spots), peeled and cut into 2 cm coins
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, sliced into rings
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into rings
• 2 Tomato, sliced into rounds
• 1 Red chilli, thinly sliced
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 200 ml Water
• 2 tbsp Dendê (red palm) oil
• 1 Lime, zest in one strip, plus juice
• 1 bunch Coriander (cilantro), chopped, stalks and leaves
• 1 can Hearts of palm (tinned), drained and sliced (optional)
• Salt

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat and brown the plantain coins for 2 minutes per side, until golden. Lift out.
2. Add the rest of the oil and cook the onion over medium heat for 5 min, until soft. Stir in the garlic and half the coriander stalks for 1 minute.
3. Layer the peppers, tomatoes and chilli over the onions, then tuck the plantain (and hearts of palm, if using) between them. Season with salt.
4. Pour over the coconut milk and water, add the strip of lime zest, cover and simmer gently for 15 min, until the plantain is tender but holding its shape.
5. Drizzle in the dendê oil and simmer uncovered for 5 min more, until the sauce turns a sunny orange and thickens a little. Add a squeeze of lime, taste for salt and scatter with the remaining coriander. Serve with rice and farofa.

Tips

• Plantains that are too ripe turn mushy; pick ones that are yellow but still firm.
• Dendê (red palm) oil gives the real Bahian flavour; paprika in olive oil is a stand-in.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Panelinha The New Baguette