COPPERFeijoada recipe
São Tomé's feijoada à moda da terra simmers red beans with smoked fish, palm oil, micocó leaves, ossame and pepper stick.
Ingredients
- 500 g dried red beans
- 600 g smoked fish
- 80 ml palm oil
- 1 bunch micocó leaves and dried flowers
- 2 ossame
- 1 pepper stick (pau-pimenta)
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 malagueta chili
- 1 tbsp wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
How to make Feijoada
- Soak 500 g dried red beans (or feijão manteiga butter beans) overnight, then cook them in fresh water until tender, 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Cut 600 g smoked fish (tuna, andala or flying fish) into pieces, removing skin and bones.
- In another pot, heat 80 ml palm oil and soften 1 chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves, then add 3 chopped tomatoes, a handful of micocó leaves, 2 ossame halved and seeded, and 1 pepper stick. Add the smoked fish and let it stew gently for 10 minutes.
- Pour this mixture into the beans, add water to taste and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Dissolve 1 tbsp wheat flour in a little water and stir it in to thicken. Pound the dried micocó flowers with 1 malagueta chili in a mortar and add them to the pot.
- Season with salt, let the sauce thicken a few more minutes and serve with white rice. Without micocó the dish loses its signature aroma.
What is Feijoada?
Feijoada is a traditional dish from Sao Tome and Principe, simmered in one pot, and takes about 14 hours and 30 minutes from start to finish. It is built around smoked fish, dried red beans and palm oil. The recipe below uses 12 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Feijoada take?
At 870 minutes it is slower than 89% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 9 dishes built on smoked fish. The method runs to 6 steps, the longest being 30 minutes.
Any tips for making Feijoada?
Stew the smoked fish gently with the palm oil, micocó leaves and ossame before pouring it into the beans: without micocó the dish loses its aroma.
How Feijoada compares
Hard to find elsewhere: dried red beans (1), ossame (2) and malagueta chili (2).
Cooked with the same thing elsewhere
Other traditional dishes built on malagueta chili, from other countries.
- Arroz de marisco 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde
- Pastel com diabo dentro 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde
Copper documents Sao Tome and Principe alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.