Margarita's International Recipes |
Bahians love their seafood so much that it shows up in all sorts of dishes, like this very traditional chicken stew which calls for both fresh and ground shrimp. The stew also requires palm oil (available at stores selling Caribbean and African food products) and malagueta peppers. These are small, short and fierce peppers, preserved in vinegar. I was able to find a jar of them at a La Plaza Market in LA. If you don't find them you can probably substitute with a (seeded) habanero pepper, or even half a teaspoon or so of ground red pepper. Taste it and see.The stew was good and all my guests liked it, but I thought that while it was well balanced and tasty, it wasn't good enough to justify all the fat. If I made it again I might try skipping the palm oil.
Xinxim is traditionally served with malagueta pepper sauce, vatapa, farofa and white rice.
Xinxim de Galinha
Ingredients
- 7 lb chicken pieces
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled & de-veined
- salt & ground black pepper
- juice from 2 limes
- vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
- 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 malagueta peppers
- 1/4 cup ground cashews
- 1/4 cup ground peanuts
- 1/2 cup ground shrimp
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp. palm oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
Instructions
Wash and dry chicken pieces and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Put chicken pieces in a large bowl, add the juice of 1 lime, toss together and let marinate for 30 minutes. Put shrimp in another bowl, add the juice of 1/2 a lime and marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the shrimp and sautee for a couple of minutes. Remove and reserve.
Add 2 more tbsp. of vegetable oil and when hot add as many chicken pieces in batches. Brown them on both sides, remove from heat and set aside.
Drain the oil from the pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and sautee for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Add the chicken, reduce heat and simmer covered for half an hour, or until the chicken is tender.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add the malagueta peppers, cashews, peanuts, ground shrimp, ginger and salt and pepper to the simmering liquid and stir. Add 1 tbsp. palm oil and stir. Add the chicken and shrimp to the pot. Add the cilantro and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1 tbsp. of palm oil and the coconut milk. Cook for 3 minutes, remove from heat and serve.
Adapted from Brazil: A Cook's Tour