RECIPE - Vatapá (Version 2- for Acarajé)

Unlike yesterday's recipe for vatapá, which was an all-purpose, all-meal side dish that can be served in any number of social situations, this version is meant for one specific purpose. One of the essential components of the Afro-Brazilian street food acarajé is a dollop of thick and creamy vatapá, and the recipe below is a close approximation of the recipe used by beautifully-dressed baianas (women in traditional Bahian dress) in public squares and on street corners throughout Salvador, Bahia and elsewhere in Brazil.

Acarajé is a baseball-sized fritter made from ground and mashed black-eyed-peas fried in dendê palm oil. Traditionally, when her hot fritter comes out of the brilliant orange palm oil a baiana will first cut it open through middle without separating the two halves entirely. Then, depending on the customer's desires and tolerance, she will use a small spoon to spread some VERY hot pepper sauce on the warm inner surface of the acarajé. Next a generous smear of vatapá, some optional dried shrimps, and finally something which she (by tradition, all sellers of acarajé are women) calls "salada" but which is in fact chopped tomatoes and onions. Only then is it handed to the customer in a small paper napkin to be eaten on the spot. Acarajé is a dish that definitely does not improve with age, and a cold acarajé is heavy and stodgy. A hot one, strong with the flavors of dendê oil. hot pepper, dried shrimp and vatapá, is street-food heaven.

Here's a recipe, then, for vatapá baiano perfect for acarajé. For a recipe for acarajé itself, click here.
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RECIPE - Vatapá (Version 2- for Acarajé)

1/2 lb (250 gr) dried shrimp*
1 qt (1 liter) canned coconut milk
1/2 cup (75 gr) peanuts, unsalted, roasted, peeled
1/2 cup (75 gr) cashew nuts, unsalted, roasted
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. cilanto, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup dendê oil**
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. grated ginger

*can be purchased at most Asian, African and Latin American markets
**can be purchased at African and Brazilian markets
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In a food processor, process the dried shrimp, peanuts and cashew nuts until you have a homogenous, finely-ground mixture. Dissolve the flour in half of the coconut milk, and stir to completely mix, making sure there are no lumps. In a blender, combine the parsley, cilantro, chopped tomato and onions, and blend completely.

Put the remaining half of the coconut oil in a large, heavy saucepan, and heat over medium heat. When the coconut milk is hot, but not boiling, slowly add the dissolved flour, stirring constantly. Then add the herb/tomato/onion mix and finally the ground shrimp and nuts while still stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes then add the dendê and olive oils, the remaining half of the dried shrimp, salt to taste and the grated ginger. Increase heat and bring to a boil, continuing to stir to make sure the mixture doesn't lump. Reduce heat and cook, constantly stirring, until the mixture is thickened, smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick add additional coconut milk to thin it out; if it's too thin, add a small amount of flour, dissolved in water or coconut milk.

Let cool completely, the use as filling for acarajé.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Brazileira by Ana Paula Oliveira.

RECIPE - Vatapá (Version 1 - as a side-dish)

As mentioned in this post on Flavors of Brazil, there are really two distinct versions of the Bahian classic preparation vatapá - there is the consistent, creamy paste that is used as a filling for acarajé, a fritter made from ground black-eyed-peas, and there is a more substantial and less consistent side dish for buffets and feasts.

Although the list of ingredients for the two recipes is similar, one distinguishing difference between the two style of vatapá is the way in which wheat is introduced into the dish. In vatapá for acarajé some type of wheat flour is normally used, while in the side-dish version, it's more common to use day-old or dried bread. In either case, it is this wheat which gives the dish its consistency, which should be firmer, yet creamy, in vatapá for acarajé and a bit more saucy in the side-dish version.

The following recipe, for the side-dish version makes a perfect, and typical, addition to a Bahian buffet table, or any type of celebratory feast. In Fortaleza, my Brazilian hometown, for example, vatapá is commonly served along with turkey at Christmas dinner. I've also been served the dish at birthday buffets and at weekend barbeques. It's substantial and filling, and with its coconut milk, dried shrimps and dendê oil adds a completely Brazilian touch to any table.
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RECIPE - Vatapá (Version 1 - as a side-dish)
Serves 8

1 lb (450 gr) day-old French or Italian white bread
1 cup canned or homemade coconut milk
1 cup dendê oil*
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup good-quality large dried shrimp, whole**
1/4 cup ground cashew nuts
1/4 cup ground peanuts
1/2 cup good quality small dried shrimp, ground**
salt to taste
1/4 lb (100 gr) cooked and shredded salt cod (bacalhau)
3 cups fish stock
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger

* dendê oil can be purchased at most African or Brazilian markets
** dried shrimp can be purchased at most Asian, African or Latin American markets
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Tear the bread into coarse shreds in a large mixing bowl, pour over the coconut milk, then let stand until the bread is soft. Blend in a blender or food processor. Reserve.

In a large heavy saucepan heat the dendê oil, add the onions and whole shrimp and cook until the onions are transparent but not browned. Add the ground cashews and peanuts, the ground shrimp, then stir to mix in completely. Salt to taste. Add in the bread-coconut mixture, stirring in completely, the salt cod, then the fish stock. Reduce the heat to low, continue to cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the grated ginger, pour into a large serving dish and serve.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brazileira by Abril Editora

A Tale of Two Dishes - Vatapá

"The glory of Bahian cuisine", "The most typical Bahian dish", "Bahia's definitive dish" - These are just a few of the many, many descriptions of the creamy, fragrant and evocative mixture of bread, coconut milk, peanuts or cashew nuts, dried shrimp and an almost-unlimited variety of other ingredients called vatapá. Firmly established as a central component in the Afro-Brazilian cuisine of the Brazilian state of Bahia, vatapá is today enjoyed throughout Brazil though everywhere it continues to be considered a Bahian dish.

Vatapá has long been celebrated as a culinary treasure in Bahia and an integral part of that states culture. In his novel "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" Brazilian author Jorge Amado extols the virtues of vatapá through the words of his cooking-school-teacher heroine Dona Flor speaking to her class, "Let's move to the stove: vatapá made of fish (or chicken) is a dish that requires both care and whimsy, the most most famous dish of Bahian cuisine. Take two whole heads of grouper, add salt, cilantro, garlic and onion, a few tomatoes plus some fresh lime juice..." and from there Amado continues to include an entire recipe for vatapá in his novel. The Bahian singer-songwriter Dorival Caymmi composed a paean to the dish titled, naturally, "Vatapá" which has become a Brazilian standard. They lyrics of his song include a list of essential ingredients for a successful  vatapá, including a Baiana (a black woman from Bahia) who "knows how to stir." Here's a video from YouTube of this marvelous song, as sung by Gal Costa:



The origins of vatapá are unknown, though all culinary historians agree that even if the basic concept came from Africa on board slave ships, it was developed in Bahia itself. The word come from Yoruba, an African language, where it means "a spicy seafood paste", yet the dish isn't part of contemporary African cooking. Most Bahian dishes that came fully developed from Africa are ritual foods in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, but vatapá has no part in the ceremonies of that religion.

The essential ingredients for vatapá, common to almost all recipes include stale bread, coconut milk, ground nuts and dried shrimp. And all recipes use one technique or another to create a thick sauce or paste. Beyond that, the variations are innumerable. However, over time two distinct, and distinctly different, dishes have developed, both called vatapá. One is the fairly thick homogenous paste that is an essential filling for the Bahian bean fritter called acarajé. The other is less homogenous, with chunks and pieces of the various ingredients in a thick sauce. It is served as a side dish in a Bahian meal, or as part of a Bahian buffet. Both are vatapá but they are quite different preparations. The next two posts on Flavors of Brazil will include recipes for both styles of vatapá.