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Arroz de cuxá
Arroz de cuxá: São Luís rice with sour roselle leaves, dried shrimp, toasted sesame and cassava flour
BrazilianGreen-flecked, sharp and nutty, arroz de cuxá is the signature rice of São Luís, served in Maranhão homes and seafood restaurants with fried fish, torta de camarão or a simple fried egg. The sourness comes from vinagreira, the leaves of the roselle hibiscus, cooked down into a thick cuxá sauce with dried shrimp, toasted sesame and a little cassava flour, then stirred into fluffy white rice. Roselle leaves are sold as gongura in Indian grocers and as sorrel leaves in Caribbean shops; spinach with lime juice is a mild stand-in. The common error is under-cooking the leaves, which leaves them stringy; they should collapse into a dark, soft purée. For a vegetarian version, leave out the shrimp and add a spoonful more sesame. Chef's tip: toast the sesame until it just turns gold and starts to pop, then grind it while warm so it releases its oil into the sauce.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the rice
For the cuxá
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat, fry 1 ½ cloves garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in 14 oz long-grain white rice until glossy. Add 3 ¼ cups boiling water and 1 tsp salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Leave covered.
17 minStep 2: Meanwhile, blanch 10 ½ oz roselle (vinagreira) leaves in boiling water for 5 minutes until dark and soft. Drain, squeeze out the water and chop finely.
6 minStep 3: Toast 1 ¾ oz sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until golden and starting to pop. Grind in a mortar or spice grinder with 3 ½ oz dried shrimp to a coarse powder.
3 minStep 4: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion and the rest of 1 ½ cloves garlic for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Add the chopped leaves and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they collapse into a dark green paste.
5 minStep 6: Stir in the sesame-shrimp mix, then sprinkle in 2 ⅛ oz farinha de mandioca a spoonful at a time, stirring, until the cuxá is thick and holds together, about 2 minutes. Add 1 malagueta or bird's eye chilli if you like.
2 minStep 7: Fork the cuxá through the hot rice until evenly green-speckled and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz de cuxá take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of long-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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