Baho

Ingredients

Beef

• 1.5 kgbeef brisket or flank, in large pieces
• juice of 4 bitter oranges, or 3 oranges plus 1 lime
• 1large onion, sliced
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspachiote paste
• 1 tbspground cumin
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper

The layers

• 4green plantains, peeled and halved
• 3ripe plantains, peeled and halved
• 1 kgyuca (cassava), peeled and in large chunks
• 2onions, sliced into rings
• 2tomatoes, sliced
• 1green pepper, sliced

To assemble

• banana leaves, softened over a flame
• 500 mlwater or beef stock

To serve

• cabbage salad with vinegar (ensalada de repollo)

Directions

1. Marinate the beef overnight in the bitter orange juice with the onion, garlic, achiote, cumin, salt and pepper.
2. Line a large heavy pot with overlapping banana leaves, letting them hang well over the sides — you will fold them over the top at the end, and short leaves are the commonest mistake.
3. Build the layers from the bottom up: yuca first, because it takes longest and sits nearest the heat, then the green plantains.
4. Add the marinated beef with all its marinade, then the onion, tomato and pepper, and finally the ripe plantains on top, where they steam gently rather than collapsing.
5. Pour in the water, fold the overhanging leaves over the top to seal, cover with more leaves and put the lid on tightly.
6. Cook over low heat for 3 hr 30 min to 4 hr. Do not open it for the first three hours — baho steams in its own trapped moisture and every look lets it out.
7. Check the beef pulls apart and the yuca is soft. If the pot has run dry, add a little boiling water down the side.
8. Serve straight from the pot onto the leaves, with everything together and the vinegary cabbage salad on the side to cut it.

Technique

• Order matters: yuca at the bottom, ripe plantain at the top. Reversed, the yuca stays hard and the ripe plantain turns to purée.
• Bitter orange (naranja agria) is the traditional marinade. Orange plus lime is a fair approximation.
• Traditionally cooked over wood, and the leaves scent the food as much as they contain it.

Substitutions

• Foil or a tight lid where banana leaves are unavailable, though you lose the aroma.
• Pork instead of beef, or a mixture, which some families prefer.

Variations

• A version with pork ribs layered in with the beef.
• Vaho, the same dish under its more common Nicaraguan spelling.

History

Beef, plantain and cassava steamed for hours in plantain leaves; the name comes from vaho, the steam that cooks it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Baho?

Baho is a main from Nicaragua: beef, plantains, and yuca steamed in banana leaves. Beef, plantain and cassava steamed for hours in plantain leaves; the name comes from vaho, the steam that cooks it.

How long does Baho take to make?

Baho takes 40 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Baho?

Yes, within limits. Foil or a tight lid where banana leaves are unavailable, though you lose the aroma. Pork instead of beef, or a mixture, which some families prefer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Baho?

Add the marinated beef with all its marinade, then the onion, tomato and pepper, and finally the ripe plantains on top, where they steam gently rather than collapsing.