Vatapá is one of the great dishes of Afro-Brazilian cuisine — a rich, textured paste with roots that connect directly to West African culinary traditions brought to Brazil by enslaved people. Thick, golden-orange, fragrant with dendê oil and coconut milk, it is simultaneously rustic and complex.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
Ingredients
- 200g dried shrimp (camarão seco)
- 150g roasted peanuts, unsalted, skins removed
- 150g raw cashews · 400ml coconut milk
- 200g stale white bread, crusts removed
- 3 tbsp dendê oil
- 1 onion, chopped · 3 garlic cloves · Salt to taste
Method
Soak dried shrimp in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Soak the bread in half the coconut milk for 10 minutes until softened. Blend peanuts and cashews to a fine paste in a food processor. Add drained shrimp, soaked bread, remaining coconut milk, onion, and garlic. Blend to a thick, textured paste. Heat dendê oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the blended paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 20–25 minutes over medium-low heat. The paste will thicken, pulling from the sides of the pan. Add reserved shrimp water gradually to adjust consistency — it should be thick but spreadable. Season with salt. Serve hot.