Caruru Baiano

Ingredients

• 700 g okra, small firm pods
• 200 g smoked dried shrimp, heads and shells removed
• 100 g raw cashew nuts
• 80 g roasted peanuts, skins rubbed off
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves
• 20 g fresh ginger
• 120 ml dende (red palm oil)
• 400 ml hot water
• 3 malagueta chillies
• 1 lime
• 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
• Salt to taste

Before you cook

• Rinse the okra and dry every pod completely with a cloth, because any water left on them makes the stew slimy.
• Trim the caps and slice the okra into thin rounds.
• Cover the dried shrimp with warm water and leave them for 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze them dry.
• Blitz two thirds of the shrimp with the cashews and peanuts to a coarse sandy meal.
• Blend the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies with a splash of water to a rough paste.

Steps

1. Warm the dende in a wide pan over medium heat for about one minute, until it thins and loosens.
2. Stir in the onion paste and cook it for five minutes, until the raw garlic smell has gone.
3. Add the whole dried shrimp and fry them for two minutes.
4. Tip in the sliced okra and stir until every piece is coated in the red oil.
5. Cook the okra for ten minutes over medium heat without adding any liquid, stirring often, until the slippery threads disappear.
6. Pour in the hot water and bring the pan to a gentle simmer.
7. Stir in the ground shrimp, cashew and peanut meal a spoonful at a time so it does not clump.
8. Simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the stew is thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
9. Season with salt and a squeeze of lime, then taste and adjust.
10. Scatter the coriander over the top and take the pan off the heat.
11. Serve hot with white rice and acaraje alongside.