Prime
Brazilian cuisine rules
Delicacy: Brazilian chicken is a favourite dish at La Cabana Restaurant . COURTESY PHOTO
What you need to know:
- EXOTIC. If you have a love for Brazilian fare, La Cabana Restaurrant is the place to be.
The culture behind Brazilian cuisine is relatively young. In fact it has barely been two decades since the world began appreciating and celebrating the profession of being a chef in Brazil. Prior to that, yucca, dende oil, coconut and beans were seen as proletariat fare.
Brazilian food is akin to ours in Uganda. Food such as cassava, beans, pork, beef, and fish plus fruits; embellish them with herbs and spices and you have an amazing and incredibly versatile and tasty cuisine.
Menu excites
However, the big deal at La Cabana are the churrasco grilled meats which are done on a rotisserie. They offer six meats with chicken drumsticks marinated in beer and herbs, which were followed with chicken thighs laced with garlic. Next is the beef sirloin (rarely served in Uganda yet tastier than the common and expensive beef fillet) and then the most succulent and delectable boneless leg of lamb. Sadly, in Uganda lamb is frowned upon and not so popular among the natives. Finally, the pork. This was done in small but flavourful pork fillets, which were as expected tender and wonderful.
Accompaniment and serving
The food is accompanied with mashed sweet potatoes or sweet potato chips or the regular mash and normal fries as wells as onion rice and fried plantain. The salads are many and include beetroot, grilled baby marrow, pineapple, potato salad and noodles.
The meat is served to each individual on a skewer which is dished directly onto the plate with each diner. Each person is assigned a card that has red on one side and green on the other side. Green means serve all that you can eat and the red card signifies enough!
Dessert
For dessert we were treated to freshly grilled pineapple with sugar and cinnamon and even the most jaded person would be impressed. The secret lies in the interplay between the grilling and the spices.
Lamb stew with yucca and turmeric
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1.5 kg trimmed shoulder of lamb, cut into 4-5 cm pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 yuccas or cassava weighing about 225g a piece
4 tablespoons olive oil
125 ml white wine
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 small carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 celery sticks, cut into large chunks
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1litre chicken or beef stock
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Method
1.Place the meat on a tray and season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with cling film and let sit at room temperature.
2. Wash and peel the cassava and cut into pieces and set aside until ready to cook with the meat.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large heavy based saucepan and swirl to coat the entire base. Add the lamb and cook, in batches, over medium heat until browned. Transfer to a bowl, cover with foil.
4. Add the wine to the pan and bring to full boil, then pour it over the meat and cover the bowl again.
5. Wipe the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions, carrots and celery. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the turmeric and add the lamb with all the juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Add the stock, enough to cover the pieces of meat and vegetables and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low.
6. Add the cassava pieces last and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and cassava is cooked but not mushy.
7. Discard the chunks of carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the fresh cilantro.
