Caruru, Bahian Okra with Peanuts and Cashews
Caruru is a cornerstone of Bahian cooking, an Afro-Brazilian okra stew carried across the Atlantic from West Africa and tied to the offerings of Candomble. The restaurant version is built on dende, the deep-orange palm oil of Bahia, along with dried shrimp and roasted cashews and peanuts. Take away the oil and the shrimp and the dish still holds, because the ground nuts do the real thickening and the okra does the rest. Okra is a natural thickener, and here that is the point rather than a problem, though you still want to tame the slime with high heat, an open pan, and the acid of the tomato and lime. Slice the okra thin so it cooks fast, toast the peanuts before grinding for a deeper flavor, and serve it the Bahian way, spooned over rice next to beans. It is naturally coconut-free, unlike the moqueca it often sits beside.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Okra, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 Yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup Peanuts, raw, toasted
- 1/3 cup Raw cashews
- 1 Fresno, minced
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Toast the peanuts in a dry pan until fragrant and golden, then grind them with the cashews and a cup (240 ml) of water into a rough paste. Ground nuts are what thicken caruru into something silky, the job the palm oil and dried shrimp do in the traditional pot.
- Sweat the onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water until soft, about 6 minutes. Water softens the aromatics into the base without the dende oil this dish usually starts with.
- Add the tomato and the minced fresno and cook until the tomato breaks down, about 5 minutes. The tomato's acid is the first defense against okra's slippery texture.
- Stir in the sliced okra and cook uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Leaving the lid off and keeping the heat up lets the moisture that carries the slime cook away instead of pooling.
- Pour in the nut paste and a splash more water and simmer gently until the sauce is thick and glossy and coats a spoon, about 8 minutes. Do not let it boil hard or the nuts can turn grainy.
- Finish with lime and cilantro off the heat. The lime tightens the okra a final time and does the seasoning that salt would. Serve over brown rice or alongside beans and greens.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 140 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g fiber, 20 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
