Doritos are the tiny plastic horn of the snack food. They’re everywhere, and you always see some jackass with one in his hand. Don’t be that jackass this World Cup. Fill out your party food lineup like a real fodão with these authentic Brazilian street food recipes.
Pamonha
Think tamale but with fresh corn instead of corn flour. Here’s one of our favorite pamonha recipes.
Ingredients:
- 12 large ears of corn with husks
- 1 cup of warm olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- Slice of cheese
- 6 ounces Chorizo chopped into bits
Directions:
1.) Husk the corn carefully to preserve the leaves and make small envelopes with them that you can close and tie shut.
2.) Grate the corn in a large bowl then add the salt and oil.
3.) Fill the envelopes with this paste, add the chorizo, and put a slice of cheese on top.
4.) Tie shut and place in a large pan.
5.) Completely cover with boiling water and simmer on medium heat for about 1 hour.
6.) Serve while hot, enjoy!
Empadinha
Are your pastries boring? Are they full of nothing but empty dreams? Then put some chicken in there!
Ingredients:
- 1 (about 250g) chicken breast fillet
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 10g butter
- 80g rindless bacon, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
- 60ml (1/4 cup) white wine
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh continental parsley
- 5 sheets (25 x 25cm) frozen puff pastry, just thawed
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
Directions:
1.) Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Discard the remaining poaching liquid. Finely shred the chicken.
2.) Heat the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan until foaming. Cook the bacon and onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Add the chicken and nutmeg. Season with pepper. Stir in the parsley. Transfer to a bowl. Add reserved poaching liquid. Set aside to cool.
3.) Preheat oven to 220°C. Use a 7cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from pastry. Line twenty-four 40ml (2-tablespoon) capacity patty pans with pastry discs. Divide the chicken mixture among pastry cases. Use a 5.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from the remaining pastry. Top each pastry with a pastry disc. Use a fork to press edges to seal. Brush tops with the egg.
4.) Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden.
Acarajé
Everybody loves street balls, so put in the effort and make these delicious fried fritters that are also known as “Jesus balls.”
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 cup small shrimp, fresh or frozen, shelled and de-veined
- 2 tablespoons palm oil or olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Fritters:
- 2 cans black-eyed peas
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 small chili pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Palm oil and/or vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
1.) Make filling: Slice the onion very thinly. Place the sliced onions in a skillet with the olive oil or palm oil, sprinkle with salt and chile powder, and cook on low heat until they are soft and golden brown (about 15 minutes).
2.) Add the shrimp and sauté until shrimp are pink. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3.) Make the fritters: Thoroughly drain the black-eyed peas and place them in the food processor. Roughly chop the onion and garlic, and add it to the peas.
4.) Remove the seeds and white parts from the inside of the chile pepper and add to the processor.
5.) Process mixture just until very well-blended, adding a tablespoon or two of water or broth if needed.
6.) Add flour by the tablespoon, until the mixture is stiff enough to hold a shape. Divide into 15 pieces, and shape into balls or ovals with the palms of your hand.
7.) Heat 2 inches palm oil and/or vegetable oil in a pot on medium high heat. Fry several fritters at a time until browned on all sides. Drain fritters on a plate lined with paper towels. Fritters can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven.
8.) Split fritters in half and fill with a spoonful of the onion and shrimp mixture. Serve warm.
Churrasco with Molho Campanha
Brazilians don’t need no stinkin’ tortilla chips. Instead, they dip meat into salsa…and they’re still some of the sexiest people in the world! Maybe they’re onto something here.
Ingredients:
- 6 clove(s) garlic, minced
- 1/2 small hot pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano, minced
- 2 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
- 2 pound(s) flank steak
- 1 can(s) hearts of palm, drained, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup(s) chopped red onion
- 1/2 small hot pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano, minced
- 1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon(s) red-wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
Directions:
1.) Preheat grill to high.
2.) To prepare churrasco: Combine garlic, hot pepper, oil and salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture on both sides of steak.
3.) To prepare molho campanha: Combine hearts of palm, tomatoes, onion, hot pepper, cilantro, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl.
4.) Reduce grill heat to medium and grill the steak 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak across the grain into thin pieces. Serve with the molho campanha.
Coxinha
Everyone in the universe loves fried chicken, and Brazilians are no exception. Try these little fried chicken balls for a finger food everyone will love.
Ingredients:
- 1 carrot
- 2 onions
- 480ml chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 750g chicken breast
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 225g cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 360g plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 350g breadcrumbs
- palm oil, for frying
Directions:
1.) Finely chop the carrot and one onion and sweat in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the cold chicken stock, bay leaves and chicken breasts, then bring to the boil and simmer. Cook the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through, then remove from the liquor to cool. Sieve the liquid to remove the vegetables, then discard them and put the liquor to one side.
2.) Once cooled, shred the chicken by hand, then mix with the lemon juice and cream cheese. Finely dice the second onion, then in a small frying pan, add the butter and sweat off the onion for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile slice the garlic and ad dit to the pan to sweat for 1-2 minutes. Once cooked, add this to the chicken mix.
3.) Measure out 360ml of the stock (top up with water if you don’t have enough), bring it to the boil, then gradually stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring vigorously all the time. The mixture will become a stiff dough which you need to cook for a further 5 minutes, moving all the time around the pan. Remove from the pan and chill in the fridge for an hour.
4.) When you’re ready to go, whisk the eggs together in a bowl and place the breadcrumbs in another large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
5.) To shape the Coxinhas, flour your hands and take a piece of the dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll it into a ball, then hollow out the middle for the filling. Press 1½ teaspoons the chicken mix inside the dough ball, and press the dough closed around the filling and shape it into the chicken leg shape. Next, dip the coxinhas in the egg and roll them in the breadcrumbs to fully coat them. Put them on a plate and leave to chill in the fridge for about an hour.
6.) Finally, in a large pan, heat the palm oil to 160°C/340°F and deep fry the coxinhas until deep golden brown. Serve warm in the middle of the table (and preferably in front of the football) for everyone to dig in.
