Moqueca Com Pirao (brazilian Shrimp Stew)

Total Time: 55 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 lbs large shrimp (reserve shells)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons dende oil (or olive oil if you can't find it)
• coconut milk, 100ml
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika (* see note at the end)
• cilantro and chives, chopped

Recipe

• 1 saute onions, garlic and tomatoes in oil, in a clay pan if possible (http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/15240632.jpg). when onions are golden—about 15 minutes—add deveined and cleaned shrimp, and wait until it gets “redâ€?—about 15 more minutes. about 5 minutes after you added the shrimp, add coconut milk and paprika. before serving, mix in cilantro and chives.
• 2 pirao: 700ml water; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt; pepper & salt to taste; reserved shrimp shells; dash of colorau *; 1 cup manioc flour. in a pan with lid, boil all the ingredients for about 15 minutes. drain. put liquid back in pan; when it boils turn to a simmer. slowly add manioc flour, stirring constantly (as for polenta). it is ready when it starts thickening. (it doesn’t harden, but turns kinda gooey.).
• 3 * we actually use “colorauâ€? (made mainly from “urucumâ€? seeds); instead of paprika, a better substitute in my view is annatto seeds (http://www.overmundo.com.br/overblog/nosso-colorau-o-urucum). saute annatto seeds in the dende oil, being very careful not to bun them; remove seeds and use the oil.