Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Mozambique

Portuguese-African coastal cooking: piri-piri seafood and chicken, coconut milk, cassava staples and peanut-rich matapa. That is the short version of what Mozambique cooks. Look for Piri-piri chicken (flame-grilled chicken basted in fiery piri-piri marinade), Matapa (cassava leaves ground with peanuts, garlic and coconut milk) and Molho de piri-piri (bird’s eye chilies crushed with garlic, lemon and oil into a stinging sauce). Portuguese settlers grilled chicken with the small African bird’s eye chili; Mozambican-Portuguese migrants took the recipe to Johannesburg, where Nando’s began in 1987. This atlas has 29 Mozambique dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

29 dishes.

2M2MCrisp pale lager poured with grilled prawns and piri-piri chickenAguardente de cajuAguardente de cajuClear spirit distilled from fermented cashew apples, sharp and fruityArroz de cocoArroz de cocoRice cooked in coconut milk until creamy, served with grilled fishBadjiasBadjiasfried bean fritters often tucked into bread rollsBolo polanaBolo polanarich Maputo cake of ground cashews and mashed potatoCacanaCacanaBitter vine leaves cooked with coconut milk or groundnut as relishCanhuCanhuMarula fruit fermented into a cloudy seasonal wine, drunk in FebruaryCaril de caranguejoCaril de caranguejocrab curry rich with coconut milkChamussasChamussascrisp meat or vegetable samosas, Indian Ocean heritageEspetadaEspetadaChunks of beef threaded on a skewer, salted and grilled over coalsFeijoadaFeijoadaBlack bean and pork stew with rice, orange, greens, farofa; Saturday ritualFrango à cafrealFrango à cafrealChicken marinated in green chili, garlic and coriander, then grilled hardGalinha à zambezianaGalinha à zambezianachicken simmered in coconut milk, lime and piri-piri, Zambezia styleLaurentinaLaurentinaMaputo lager poured cold with grilled prawns, dark and clear versionsMatapaMatapacassava leaves ground with peanuts, garlic and coconut milkMatataMatataClams stewed with young greens and ground peanuts, spooned over ximaMolho de piri-piriMolho de piri-piriBird's eye chilies crushed with garlic, lemon and oil into a stinging sauceMucapataMucapataZambezia rice cooked with mung beans and coconutNipaNipaClear spirit distilled from fermented coconut or cashew sapPeixe secoPeixe secofish and small shark sun-dried on racks, torn into stewsPiri-piri chickenPiri-piri chickenflame-grilled chicken basted in fiery piri-piri marinadePiri-piri prawnsPiri-piri prawnsfamous Mozambican prawns grilled with piri-piri, garlic and limePrego no pãoPrego no pãogarlicky steak sandwich in a Portuguese rollRissóisRissóisHalf-moon pastries of shrimp béchamel, breadcrumbed and friedRum and RaspberryRum and RaspberryTipo Tinto rum topped with raspberry Sparletta soda over iceSuraSurapalm wine tapped and fermented along the coastTihoveTihoveCracked maize simmered slowly with groundnut flour and beansTipo TintoTipo TintoDark overproof rum, drunk mixed rather than neatXimaXimasmooth maize-meal porridge scooping up matapa and curries

  • Feijoada

    Black bean and pork stew with rice, orange, greens, farofa; Saturday ritual. Ready in 45 min plus overnight soaking prep…

  • 2M

    Crisp pale lager poured with grilled prawns and piri-piri chicken. A wine & spirit recipe from Mozambique.

  • Aguardente de caju

    Clear spirit distilled from fermented cashew apples, sharp and fruity. A wine & spirit recipe from Mozambique.

  • Arroz de coco

    Rice cooked in coconut milk until creamy, served with grilled fish. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking.…

  • Badjias

    Fried bean fritters often tucked into bread rolls. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking. About 30 fritters.…

  • Bolo polana

    Rich Maputo cake of ground cashews and mashed potato. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 50 minutes cooking. One cake,…

  • Cacana

    Bitter vine leaves cooked with coconut milk or groundnut as relish. Ready in 20 min prep and 30 min cooking.…

  • Caril de caranguejo

    Crab curry rich with coconut milk. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking. Serves 6. A main recipe…

  • Chamussas

    Crisp meat or vegetable samosas, Indian Ocean heritage. Ready in 1 hour prep and 25 minutes cooking. About 24 pastries.…

  • Espetada

    Chunks of beef threaded on a skewer, salted and grilled over coals. Ready in 15 min prep and 15 min…