Vegan Moqueca – Brazilian Favourites

Moqueca is a popular dish in Brazil, usually made with salt water fish. We had sampled a vegan version in Las Iguanas where heart of palm had been used instead. I decided to try a spin on this myself after reading a Brazilian cookery book that had used Tofu instead. I did a little bit of swapping around and didn’t follow the recipe verbatim as I didn’t have everything required to hand.

The result was impressive and was very simple to make. The tofu had been pressed overnight in the Tofuture we have, but you can do this between two plates and weights resting on the top. This ensures there’s no water left in it that will make it bland. We followed a similar process for making Sweet & Sour Tofu, which you can read about here. You could use a number of vegetable combinations instead of the Tofu. I personally think aubergine and mushroom would also work well with this creamy sauce.

Vegan Moqueca (Serves 3 hungry people)

2 tbsp. lime juice
1 large white onion
1 red pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder (or deseeded, finely sliced chilli)
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
3 tomatoes, chopped (or 2 large)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 block of tofu, drained and pressed
1 courgette, cut into quarters
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve with white rice and/or salad

• Heat a little oil in large pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper for 5 minutes, ensuring they don’t brown.
• Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli powder (or fresh). Cook these spices off for around a minute.
• Add to the pan the coconut milk, chopped tomato, courgette and tomato paste. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
• Chop the tofu into cubes and add to the pan. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
• Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes.
• Serve with chopped fresh coriander and rice and/or salad.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. Canny

Like our Brazilian recipes? Check out the classic Feijoada as it gets a ‘veganised’ here.