South America
1 oz dende` (palm oil, use vegetable instead)
12 oz onions, sliced thin
1 oz garlic, minced
3 oz green onions
2 oz ginger, grated
1 oz Manzano chili, minced
8 oz bell pepper, sliced thin
1 lb tomato, concasse`
Salt & pepper to taste
½ bunch cilantro
Dash of fish seasoning (if available)
28 oz coconut milk
6 oz peanuts, roasted, ground
2 oz lime juice
1 cup day-old bread, soaked in 1 cup water and pureed
2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined
Rice (cook separately)
1 lb masarepa
1.5 tsp salt
4 cups warm water (you may need to adjust the amount)
The Vatapa was incredibly delicious, I would make it again many times. There would be no changes made if I were to make it again. The arepas tasted good, though not traditional, and were closer to fried polenta than the traditional texture of arepas.
Vatapa Spiced Shrimp & Coconut Stew
Heat a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients over medium-low and add the oil
Once the oil is hot, add onions, garlic, green onions, ginger, chili and bell pepper: sweat over medium-low until soft, 15-20 min.
Add tomatoes, increase heat, and stew the tomato liquid about 5 min, or until it appears to dry again
Add cilantro, season, and add a little fish seasoning blend if available. Stir to combine
Add coconut milk, and remove mixture from heat
Transfer mixture to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot.
Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, then stir in peanuts, lime juice, and soaked/pureed bread. Allow all ingredients to cook while stirring to thicken. If it gets too thick, add a little water
Once Vatapa` begins to thicken, add shrimp and continue to stir until shrimp are cooked, about 3 minutes
Remove from heat, adjust seasoning, add more cilantro and serve over rice.
Arepas
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt; mix thoroughly. Add the warm water to the flour, and work with clean hands until a smooth, soft dough forms.
If the dough is too dry, it will crack around the edges when pressed into a disk. If it feels too dry at this point, wet your hands with warm water and continue kneading the dough until the dough no longer cracks when pressed into a disk.
Pan fry into arepa.