Frango com quiabo
A chicken long simmered with okra (quiabo), scented with garlic and annatto, served with angu (corn porridge) and rice. The ultimate gathering dish.
A chicken long simmered with okra (quiabo), scented with garlic and annatto, served with angu (corn porridge) and rice. The ultimate gathering dish.
On Sunday, you don't rush anything. You brown the chicken piece by piece, let it take color, then let it simmer until the meat falls off the bone. The quiabo, you have to know how to tame it: you wipe it well, sear it separately so it doesn't get slimy, otherwise it 'dribbles.' You serve it with angu, that cornmeal porridge that fills the stomach. It's the dish of large tables, where you talk loudly and long — and believe me, in my family, we knew how to talk.
- •Free-range chicken, cut into pieces — one whole chicken (main meat)
- •Okra (quiabo) — a good handful (signature vegetable)
- •Annatto (urucum) — a pinch (color and flavor)
- •Garlic, onion, parsley, chives — to taste (aromatics)
- •Cornmeal (fubá) — for the angu (accompaniment)
Frango com quiabo
A chicken long simmered with okra (quiabo), scented with garlic and annatto, served with angu (corn porridge) and rice. The ultimate gathering dish.
Why this dish? Chicken with okra is THE Sunday dish of Minas Gerais, the one prepared to gather the extended family. For a daughter of Minas like Dilma, it is the meal of large tables, slowly simmered on Sunday midday.
On Sunday, you don't rush anything. You brown the chicken piece by piece, let it take color, then let it simmer until the meat falls off the bone. The quiabo, you have to know how to tame it: you wipe it well, sear it separately so it doesn't get slimy, otherwise it 'dribbles.' You serve it with angu, that cornmeal porridge that fills the stomach. It's the dish of large tables, where you talk loudly and long — and believe me, in my family, we knew how to talk.
Ingredients (period version)
- Free-range chicken, cut into pieces — one whole chicken (main meat)
- Okra (quiabo) — a good handful (signature vegetable)
- Annatto (urucum) — a pinch (color and flavor)
- Garlic, onion, parsley, chives — to taste (aromatics)
- Cornmeal (fubá) — for the angu (accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks — 1.2 kg (main meat)
- Fresh okra — 300 g (signature vegetable)
- Annatto powder (or mild paprika if unavailable) — 1 teaspoon (color and flavor)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (aromatic)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Lime — 1 (to deglaze okra)
- Fine cornmeal (fubá) — 200 g (for angu) (accompaniment)
- Parsley and chives — 1 bunch (finishing)
Method
- Marinate the chicken with garlic, salt, annatto and a little lime juice for 30 minutes.
- Brown the chicken pieces on all sides in a pot, remove, then sweat the onion.
- Return the chicken, add water to cover, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Wash the okra, dry thoroughly, cut and sear separately over high heat with a splash of lime juice to reduce sliminess.
- Add the okra to the chicken at the end of cooking, simmer another 15 minutes.
- Prepare the angu: whisk cornmeal into cold water, cook stirring until a smooth, thick porridge.
- Sprinkle with parsley and chives, serve with angu and white rice.
How it was made : Frango com quiabo is one of the most emblematic dishes of Minas, born from the crossing of Portuguese techniques (stews), African okra brought by the slave trade, and indigenous corn for angu. Annatto colored dishes long before imported saffron.
The contemporary twist : Some Belo Horizonte chefs fry the okra in tempura batter to place crispy on the chicken, playing contrast with the simmered sauce.
Dilma Rousseff · Charactorium