Moqueca de Palmito e Cogumelos (Brazilian coconut-heart-of-palm stew)

Name: Moqueca de Palmito e Cogumelos (Brazilian coconut-heart-of-palm stew)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp dendê (palm) oil; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 large yellow onion; 4 clove garlic; 1 tsp ground cumin; 300 g mushrooms; 400 g hearts of palm; 2 bell peppers; 3 ripe tomatoes; 1 fresh malagueta or small red chile; 400 ml canned full-fat coconut milk; 250 ml vegetable stock; 1 tbsp lime juice; 1 bunch cilantro (coentro); 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 300 g white rice or parboiled rice; 150 g farofa (cassava/manioc flour); 1 piece lime

A Bahian-style vegetable moqueca that uses hearts of palm and meaty mushrooms in a bright coconut-and-dendê broth — richly flavored and filling enough that nobody will miss the meat.

AI image

1 hr

start to finish

20 min

hands on

Some skill

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

To serve

300 g white rice or parboiled ricecooked according to package
150 g farofa (cassava/manioc flour)store-bought or quick sautéed with a little butter/oil; optional(optional)

Garnish

1 piece limecut into wedges, optional

Contains tree-nut. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

360 kcal9g protein20g carbs28g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Prepare ingredients: slice onion, peppers, mushrooms; halve hearts of palm lengthwise; chop tomatoes, mince garlic, chop cilantro.
Heat a wide, heavy skillet or shallow Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add neutral oil; when hot, add sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt and sauté until nicely browned, about 6 minutes.
Push mushrooms to the side, add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and sauté together until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add minced garlic, ground cumin (if using) and chopped chile; sauté 30–40 seconds until fragrant.
Stir in the bell peppers and chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom.
Add the hearts of palm, coconut milk and dendê oil; stir gently to combine and bring to a low simmer.
Reduce heat so the stew is at a gentle simmer, partially cover and simmer until flavors meld and sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and lime juice; stir in chopped cilantro and finish with a tablespoon of neutral oil if desired for sheen.
Serve the moqueca hot over rice with farofa on the side and lime wedges for squeezing.

Worth knowing

Dendê oil is central to the Bahian flavor; if you can't find it, use extra-virgin olive oil with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika for color and a touch of smokiness, but the taste will change.
Use a mix of mushrooms (shiitake + cremini) for the meatiest texture.
If you prefer a richer sauce, stir in 2 tbsp of canned coconut cream during the last 5 minutes.
Moqueca keeps well in the fridge for 3 days and the flavors intensify, making it good for meal prep.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

VegetarianMeal prepKid friendly

More Brazilian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Brazilian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian as listed.