makanandcomida

No I’m not eating all the time and I’m not off to eat in restaurants all the time either, but I am keen to find new and nice places that serve something a bit different from the brazilian daily staple of rice, black beans and meat.

The other day while strolling through Ipanema, I found a great place, hidden in a backyard away from the noise and buzz of the main shopping streat Rua Visconde de Pirajá. The restaurant is called Market Ipanema and serves a large variety of healthy fresh food, served with freshly baked buns ranging from lemon risotto with baked fish to salmon tartar or organic chicken on a bed of quinoa salad.

I think I had never tried quinoa before, a grain similar to be used as couscous or buckwheat in a salad or rice in a risotto, originating from the Andean region. Traditionally it has been widely incorporated in Peruvian and Colombian cooking. Today it is becoming increasingly popular  around the world due to its health benefits such as a high protein content, good source of dietary fiber and high iron and magnesium. Quinoa is also gluten-free and easy to digest and can be found in health stores around the world.

Quinoa Feta salad for 4

• 1.5 cups of Quinoa
• 3 cups of vegetable stock or water
• 200g Feta cheese crumbled
• 3-4 spring onions sliced
• handful of black olives pitted and halved
• 100g of baby tomatoes halved
• 1 small cucumber diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• bunch of fresh coriander and/or parsley
• olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• salt and pepper

Rinse the quinoa and bring to the boil in stock or water, cover and simmer for around 15 minutes until water absorbed. Ratio quinoa to liquid is always 1 to 2.

Place the quinoa into a large serving bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients. Dress with juice of lemon and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve it as part of a barbecue, accompanied with a steak or grilled fish or as a vegetarian light lunch. It is becoming a regular in my family and adds variety to the usual rice, potato, pasta family of staples.

Now I finally know where all the Brazilian girls and women go to buy their bikinis and questionable training outfits. I followed today a recommendation and checked out Santa Clara 33 in Copacabana – it is a 12 story building with hundreds of tiny shops mainly selling bikinis, surfwear, underwear and sports clothes in all shapes and forms.

Sports fashion especially for women here definitely is something that needs getting used to. Whereas I’m used to the traditional large sports brands selling mostly unicolored often black trousers, tops and t-shirts, here in Brazil you get the wildest prints and cuts very much reminding of the 80s but mostly even topping the 80s look! I’m sure I would not be able to find any of those outfits anywhere in Germany but should any of you feel the need to own and dress something like that let me know! Sure that would leave some mouths open next time you hit the Gym!

Even though I do not have plans to fit into the tiniest bikinis nor hitting the Gym in the butterfly outfit today its time for a light dish!

Cucumbers filled with Feta Recipe (Starter or light lunch for 4)

• 2 large cucumbers
• 250g of Feta crumbled
• handful of black pitted and halved olives
• Juice of one lemon
• dried oregano
• fresh parsley, salt and pepper
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 2 cloves of pressed garlic
• 200g Greek yogurt
• Pita bread

Peel, half and deseed cucumbers and fill halves with feta, olives, lemon juice, oregano and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Fry cucumbers in olive oil for a couple of minutes, add stock and simmer in closed pan for 10minutes. Mix yogurt and garlic, season with salt and pepper and serve together with cucumbers and Pita bread.

After the curry nightmare on Saturday, yesterday we ventured trying a South-East Asian restaurant to kill our culinary craving for good Asian food. Mekong restaurant in Leblon surprised us with a variety of dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, China and India.

We started with really good Thai fishcakes, Chinese dumplings and Vietnamese fresh rice rolls:

Afterwards it was Chicken curry, Pad Thai chicken noodles and Vietnamese noodle soup. Here comes the recipe for this one:

Pho Bo – Vietnames Noodle Soup for 4

• 1.5l chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts (or leftover cooked chicken, beef or pork finely shredded)
• 3 cloves pressed garlic
• 5cm piece of ginger finely diced
• 400g of fresh bean sprouts
• 400g of fresh or 200g of dried rice noodles soaked
• 3tbs fish sauce
• 1tbs soy sauce
• juice of 1-2 limes
• fresh coriander, Thai basil and mint
• red chili chopped (optional)

Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add ginger, garlic and chicken breasts. When chicken is done, finely shred it and add it back to stock together with the bean sprouts and noodles. Season with fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve immediately – Asia at its best!

Today myself and the kids went to see the India exhibition currently showing at the Centro Cultural do Banco de Brasil – a gorgeous exhibition space sponsored by the Bank of Brazil hosted in its first headquarter building with a changing display of art and culture – all for free.

The India exhibition is showing a mix of historic indian artefacts, traditional objects, photos and modern art with showpieces having been brought together from museum collections in Berlin, Zürich, Leiden, Rio, Recife as well as from private collections in India.

Afterwards we went for some Indian food, prepared at a French restaurant La Coccinelle Bistro – we should have known. Maybe good for French food but the Indian fare, besides taking ages to arrive, tasted just like “Airplane food” as my daughter commented. Surely she knows as she has had her fair share of airplane food by now.

And we had so much looked forward for killing our Malaysian culinary losses with good Indian food! So it is back to the stove – for a very easy Indian vegetarian curry:

Red Lentil and Roasted Butternut Curry (for 4)

• 500-700 butternut or other pumpkin diced
• 4 shallots chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1tbs garam masala
• 4 curry leaves
• 1 red chili deseeded and finely chopped
• 300ml coconut milk
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 300g red lentils
• butter, olive oil, salt and pepper
• 150ml of fresh natural yogurt (optional)
• fresh coriander for garnish

Today I went to the Feira da Providência, an annual fair selling national and international crafts and food with beautiful things from around Latin America but as well the Middle East and Aisa. There was no German stand selling anything from Kuckucks clocks to nutcrackers or whatever is typical. But there was a German food stall or at least something remotely looking like a German sausage joint decorated with German flags.

Having not had a single German sausage in the last 4 month, I thought I will give my country man some support and order from them. But not a single German around, all Brazilian staff and none of them even remotely new anything about Germany, German food or language. I had to spell and translate the German words on their menu, such as “Knoblauchwürstchen” meaning little garlic sausages and we had a good laugh together trying the right pronunciation! Unfortunately the culinary experience was less fortunate – I think my sausage roll must have been the worst ever.

But its Friday – time for another Latin American favorite drink, the Peruvian Pisco Sour for 2

• 150-200 ml Peruvian Pisco liquor
• 60ml lime juice
• 2 tbs white sugar
• 1 very fresh egg white
• 15-20 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until ice is crushed and the egg white has developed into a nice foam at the top. Distribute into two glasses.

I also very much like the Pisco Maracuja where you replace the lime juice for passion fruit juice and pulp and blend it the same way.

Or if your are very serious about your cocktail you go the way these Brazilian girls went – a large maracuja vodka! We used to share large ice creams this way! Unfortunately I did not witness them finishing it!

Yesterday evening we were off to a German stand up poetry slam performance at the German school. But before we did indulge into some petiscos – brazilian finger food and a good passion fruit caipirinha at one of Rio’s favorite bars – Joaquina at the Cobal of Botafogo/Humaitá.

As there is such a large amount of finger food found on the brazilian menus, we slowly eat our way through, trying something new every time. Last night we had grilled queijo coalho – something quite similar to grilled greek haloumi cheese and fried polenta with mushroom sauce. Obviously our all-time favorite bolinhos de bacalhau – fried codfish cakes needed to be ordered as well.

Bolinhos de bacalhau and fried cheese (queijo coalho)

Fried polenta with mushroom sauce

Passion Fruit dessert (for 6)

My friend Carolin shared this one with me – thanks. I prepared it just now as we have guests for dinner.

• 100ml of fresh cream
• 200ml of condensed sweetened milk
• juice and pulp of 5-6 passion fruits depending on size
• 100ml of unsweetened natural yogurt (optional)

Beat the cream until fluffy. Sieve the passion fruit to separate juice and pulp. Mix the juice with the condensed milk and slowly fold in the cream and natural yogurt. Distribute into nice glasses and decorate with passion fruit seeds. Cool for some hours in the fridge before serving. Enjoy!