Give your prawns a Brazilian twist with this spicy prawn coconut milk stew, Moqueca. Moqueca (pronounced “mo-keh-kah”) is a stew, native to the northern state of Bahia in Brazil. It is made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, red peppers and coconut milk.

Most of the places situated in the coastline has their own versions of seafood stews/ gravies/ curries. For example, Swahili fish stew is an east African staple, bouillabaisse is a French fish stew, the Portuguese fish chowder and yeah fish mollie native to my native place Kerala, India.

Now back to our Moqueca, this curry as exotic as it sounds it is very simple to make, with ingredients that you will be probably having in your pantry. The only ingredient that would be a little difficult to get hold of would be palm oil, so i used coconut oil instead.

This fish gravy, is very thick and with very strong amazing flavors. It resembles our Indian curries a lot. Me and my family loved it, im sure you all will like it too. So here goes the recipe. Enjooy!

Ingredients

• 250 g prawns

For marination:

• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne/ red chilli powder
• Salt to taste

For gravy:

• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut oil
• 5 garlic cloves minced/ 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/2 of red bell pepper/capsicum cut lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne/ red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tomatoes pureed
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• Cilantro/ coriander leaves

NOTES:

✔️ You can make this with any firm white fish.

✔️ If you like the flavor of fish stock, go ahead and replace vegetable stock with it.

✔️ If you want more gravy, add 1/2 cup of water while cooking with prawns.

Method:

1.   Marinate prawns with the ingredients listed under marination and keep for 1/2 an hour.
2. Shallow fry in coconut oil and keep aside.
3. To make gravy, add more oil to the same pan in which you fried the prawns and put in the chopped onions.
4. Once the onions turn nicely soft and brown, add in the garlic. Sauté for a minute.
5. Add in the red bell pepper, stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Put in the cumin, paprika, red chilli/ cayenne powder and sugar. Sauté for a minute under low flame.
7.   Pour in the tomato puree. Cook for 5 minutes till oil separates from it.
8. Pour the vegetable stock to it.
9. Add in the prawns and salt. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
10. Pour in the thick coconut milk and bring it to a boil.
11. Add in chopped coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and drizzle a tsp of coconut oil on top of the curry.

Brazilian Prawn Stew/ Moqueca

Moqueca is a stew, native to the northern state of Bahia in Brazil. It is made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, red peppers and coconut milk.

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g prawns

For marination

• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne/ red chilli powder
• Salt to taste

For gravy

• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp coconut oil
• 5 garlic cloves minced/ 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/2 of red bell pepper/capsicum cut lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne/ red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 to matoes pureed
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• Cilantro/ coriander leaves

Instructions

 

DIRECTIONS

• Marinate prawns with the ingredients listed under marination and keep for 1/2 an hour.
• Shallow fry in coconut oil and keep aside.
• To make gravy, add more oil to the same pan in which you fried the prawns and put in the chopped onions.
• Once the onions turn nicely soft and brown, add in the garlic. Sauté for a minute.
• Add in the red bell pepper, stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
• Put in the cumin, paprika, red chilli/ cayenne powder and sugar. Sauté for a minute under low flame.
• Pour in the tomato puree. Cook for 5 minutes till oil separates from it.
• Pour the vegetable stock to it.
• Add in the prawns and salt. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the thick coconut milk and bring it to a boil.
• Add in chopped coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and drizzle a tsp of coconut oil on top of the curry.

Notes

NOTES:
* You can make this with any firm white fish.
* If you like the flavor of fish stock, go ahead and replace vegetable stock with it.
* If you want more gravy, add 1/2 cup of water while cooking with prawns.