That sounds really good, Bob. I've been meaning to make a moqueca recipe for months now and I might finally have an opportunity to do it later this week. I saw it on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives several months ago. The recipe isn't available online, but they seemed to go into a lot of the detail and I've got it recorded, so I should be able to recreate it reasonably. One thing I've been hung up on is what fish to use - they used mako which is not always available here. I'm not crazy about swordfish but mahi-mahi might be a good option. I'll post again after I make it.

I've edited the above to add the red curry paste I used for a bit of heat, I think the recipe generally includes fresh cilantro, but I wanted to write the above to capture the recipe as-made. It was a big hit at the party, and was gone 15 minutes after we arrived.

Sometimes I've used talapia, or even cod filets. They have a tendency to break into smaller pieces, but it still tasted good.

I'll be interested to hear whether the recipe on the show used dende oil (aka palm oil), which I have been unable to find at any of the local stores, including Whole Foods, where I had read that they carry it. I even went to the local Brazilian restaurant to see where they buy it, and they said they don't use it because it is too hard to find.

The irony is that if you read the labels, palm oil is in everything, you just can't buy it straight.

-Bob

Well you had me "go to the tape" for that question, in fact I needed to turn on closed captioning to understand what he said. At first when he's sauteing the garlic and veggies he uses "blended oil" whatever that may be.

Later on he adds annato oil which takes the place of your turmeric as far as color goes. I don't know what type of oil he used to make that, in fact I posted a question about that recently.

In the end I wonder how much it really matters. Unless palm oil has a really pronounced flavor (a la toasted sesame oil) I'm thinking there are a several strong flavors going on that would probably mask the nuances of any particular oil.

Tonight while driving to dinner I saw a small store in a strip mall with a sign saying "African Market". I stopped there on the way home from the restaurant and I found they carry red palm oil in sizes ranging from 1 pint to 2 gallon jugs. I bought one of the smallest sizes and will try to make moqueca using it sometime soon, and will report back whether it makes a difference.

Ok I just read up on dende oil and I'm going to make a small effort to find it and use it in place of the annato oil. Sounds like this red oil is unrefined, as opposed to the palm oil that is in "everything." Oh and apparently Dr Oz named it a miracle oil just this year.

Bob - My order of Azeite de Dende just arrived. It has a very distinct flavor, very familiar but I can't place it for some reason. I'll definitely be using it in my moquecas.

Opah is a good substitute for Mahi Mahi and is easier to find (here at least) than Mahi Mahi.

That recipe looks interesting (except for the coconut milk), and I might try it without the milk. I've had good success in altering Thai recipes this way. I will look for the oil, however.

Lars

I ordered dende oil from the link below, along with a few other items to make the shipping cost worth it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brazilian eStore

This post was edited by publickman on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 17:22

My dende oil arrived today, and now I have to find a Moqueca recipe that I think I will like. I do not like coconut milk, and I may have trouble finding one that does not include that. I may just look for African recipes.

The oil definintely has a distinctive flavor, but it may be an acquired taste. I wish I could have gotten some that was fresher - my bottle was produced August 30, 2011, and it is supposed to be good for two years, but I would have preferred a 2012 vintage.

I also bought some Biscoito de Polvilho ("Yuca Snacks", which I confused with yucca - unrelated) made with Cassava flour, vegetable fat, eggs, salt, milk whey powder, and soy flour - gluten free. They taste a bit like Cheetos without the cheese, and I was hoping that they would have yucca root in them, but that is a very different plant from cassava. They also remind me of sembei crackers from Japan.

Lars

I just checked my bottles - 2/5/12, and also states it's good for two years.

It's ridiculous that I still haven't made this as it's been on my mind since Fall and it's really quite simple. I'm putting it on my to-do list for Friday.

I made a batch this past weekend using my new red palm oil (about 1.5 Tbsps). I don't know that the taste added from the oil is distinctive enough to say it is a required ingredient. I also used a fresh orange bell pepper rather than the pickled banana peppers, and swordfish instead of tile fish (because swordfish was on sale).

I think that I didn't cook the peppers and onions enough before before adding the other ingredients, because it was not quite as good as the last time.

Bob, the recipe I'm copying had a solid "spin" of oil added to the sauce - and this was for a single serving - and not a whole lot more coconut milk so the ratio is a lot greater and will probably stand out more. I'll post it when I make it. And I think Lars could easily sub cream for the coconut given the amount.

I think cream is a good idea for a sub - I do not like the sweetness of the coconut milk, but cream would not have that effect. I am dubious about the oil making that much of a difference - it's a lot less distinctive than, say, mustard oil, which is used in some Indian recipes, or toasted sesame oil, which I think really has no substitute.

Anyway, I want to find out!

Lars

Six months later, finally got to it. Decided to do a test run since my wife is away, but then I seemed to buy too much seafood for one serving...

...so I invited a friend over. We both loved it. Definitely worthy of being recreated for my wife.

That looks so good I just might have to make it myself.

~Ann