Brazilian · side

Caruru de Camarão Seco

Caruru de Camarão Seco reads umami 6.3, nutty 5.2 and salinity 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Brazilian side, about 1 hr 2 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Nutty 5.2 · Salinity 5.1 · Marine & Briny 4.9 · Richness 4.5 · Allium 4.2 · Herbaceous 2.9 · Sweetness 2.4 · Heat 2.3 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Earthy 1.8 · Funk & Ferment 1.6 · Bitterness 1.2 · Floral 0.8 · Fruity 0.8

What's in it (12)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 2 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 93.9 kcal, 8.6 g protein, 3.7 g fat, 7.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

  1. Caruru is a Candomblé dish before it is a restaurant one — it is cooked for the Ibeji, the twin orixás, and served on 27 September to seven children. It also sits on any Bahian plate beside acarajé and vatapá, and it is the best argument in world cooking that okra slime is a texture and not a defect.
  2. Wash the okra whole and dry it completely, then top and tail and slice it in 5 mm rounds. Wet okra and a wet knife both make it slippery. If you want less viscosity, slice it and let it sit 20 minutes exposed to air before cooking; if you want the full traditional texture, cook it straight away.
  3. Toast the cashews and peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until golden and grind them with the dried shrimp to a coarse meal.
  4. Warm 2 tbsp of the dendê in a heavy pan over medium heat and soften the onion for 6 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and malagueta and cook 2 minutes until fragrant. Use unrefined red palm oil only — the refined, deodorised white palm oil sold as shortening has none of the colour or the flavour, and the two are not the same ingredient.
  5. Add the ground shrimp and nuts and fry 3 minutes, stirring constantly so nothing catches.
  6. Add the okra and the stock, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the okra has given up its body and the whole thing is thick, glossy and dark green-orange. It should fall from a spoon in a slow sheet.
  7. Season with the salt, stir in the last tablespoon of dendê off the heat for colour, and finish with the cilantro. Serve warm, not hot, with rice or beside acarajé.
  8. Substitutions: light fish stock can stand in for the shrimp stock.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.