TASTE BRAZIL - THE WORLD IN ONE KITCHEN SPONSORED BY 1 STORIES So here we are, in the colourful world of Brazil, happy and unwashed from our 23-hour flight. A land of traditional charm and culinary creativity. It’s easy to be a tourist and traipse around with a cam- era and a smile. But truly, no travel memory is ever complete without stories. And so we set off to gather her stories, from her people, from her food. Together with the good folks from Sadia and SATS- BRF, we bring to you - Taste Brazil, From Our Kitchen To You. Tell me, how do you act around a chef whom you are meeting for THE the first time, but whose wise words and rise-to-fame story you have memorised like the alphabet because you are such a great CHEF’S fan of his? Flailing with excitement, we literally skipped into Mo- STORY: cotó, a casual restaurant in the north of São Paulo, a 50-min car ride from where we were. Out came Chef Rodrigo Oliveira, tower- ing above everybody else with his lanky frame. One of the most CHEF RODRIGO celebrated young chefs in Brazil, his accolades can be intimidat- OLIVEIRA ing to any fledgling restaurateur or chef. But for all the success he has today, you will find no airs, just humility and passion. 2 CARNE-DE-SOL ASSADA ESCONDIDINHO DE CARNE-SECA (SALT CURED BEEF) At Mocotó, ingredients are pared down to the basics, but blended with the intense flavours of Brazilian cooking and con- temporary concepts. Tradition in evolution is innovation, and his deft updating of time-honoured recipes has proven to be a roar- ing hit. We particularly love his traditional lamb stew, the Atolado de bode, a style from north-east Brazil where his father was from. BAIO-DE-DOIS (DISH OF TWO) The greatness in his food lies in his ability to stay true to his roots, yet bringing a masterful balance of surprise and tradition that draws food-lovers to the lesser known cuisine of the north-east. I showed him the ingredients I brought over from Singapore - bunga kantan (torch ginger flower), petai, tempeh and my signa- ture ginger scallion and chilli sauces. As his team gathered to test these ingredients, we also learned about local Amazonian products and their regional influences. Over dishes and pots of Mocotó’s offerings, we spent a languid afternoon centred around food. We are inspired by his use of cassava in the dishes, and can’t wait to try it back in Singapore! Imagine my delight when I realised we share the same love for ‘one-pot’ food! And he emphasised the beauty of eating as a so- 3 MANIOC (TAPIOCA) CHIPS EXPERIENCING BUNGA KANTAN (TORCHED GINGER FLOWER) FIRST TASTE OF TEMPEH (FERMENTED SOY BEAN) GULA MELAKA cial act that helps to cement a connection of When Chef Rodrigo speaks, you can’t help but shared moments spent around the table. Indeed, be inspired and feel all fuzzed up inside. He’s a there is so much more joy in digging into big firm believer that food is a common language pots and ladling the goodness on plates around that connects people and creates an inclusive the table, than to work on an elaborate individual environment that sets prejudice aside. This is a dish placed in front of you that isn’t designed for chef who does away with mise en place. “Too sharing. Nothing against fine dining, but simplic- much work,” he said. No pretentious, fancy cook- ity is luxurious, as I have come to realise from his ing, just food that evokes memories and con- words. nects people. 4 CHEF RODRIGO OLIVEIRA “COMFORT FOOD IS SUBJECTIVE. IT’S ABOUT SMELLS, SIGHTS AND TASTES. RECIPES THAT HIT THE SOFT, WARM, FUZZY SPOT, EVOKING MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD, TRAVELS, EMOTIONS. THIS WARM FUZZY FEELING CREATES A WELL-STOCKED LARDER OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS.” ________________________________ “FOOD FORMS A NARRATIVE OF OUR LIVES. WE ARE NOT SO MUCH WHAT WE EAT, BUT WHAT WE REMEMBER WE HAVE EATEN.” ________________________________ “COOK WITH PASSION. FOOD WILL TASTE BETTER.” SHARING STORIES WITH FUTURE YOUNG CHEFS VIEW OUTSIDE MOCOTO On the ride back from Mocotó, my heart was When food is cooked with love and passion, peo- stirred by my exchange with Chef Rodrigo. I ple are happy eating it. That same food served think about how recipes are gradually altered again in future is likely to draw up that same feel- over time to accommodate new trends, changing ing of joy, and that’s why we cook. For others. For practices, seasonal ingredients, new technology that connection that goes beyond boundaries. and even emerging cooking utensils of the mod- Today, share a meal with someone. Share memo- ern world. But why we cook shouldn’t change. ries at the table. Share your thoughts far beyond We cook to preserve time and traditions. We the taste on your plate. Let your love for others cook to preserve a link with where we came be the ingredient that makes up the meal of their from, and our sense of identity. We cook be- lifetime. Thank you Chef Rodrigo for this re- cause food is the language everyone speaks. minder. 6 PICTURED FROM TOP (LEFT TO RIGHT): ALEXANDRE, GABRIEL, CHAD (TARTINE BAKERY, SF), VALERIA, SOUPERCHEF ANNA, RODRIGO, THAIS Sobremesa - “An elusive feeling of relaxation and pleasure after sharing a meal with friends, family or a potential love interest, when words flow, laughter reigns, and memories are made.” 7 PASTEL SENAGA AT NEIGHBOURHOOD MARKET FAIR (FEIRA), ALAMEDA LORENA (SAO PAULO) Feiras, meaning street markets or market fairs, dot the São Paulo STREET city weekly from early morning till about 2pm on predetermined streets with old-fashioned snacks, casual cheap eats, and colour- FOOD OF ful personalities. Despite the sprawl of modernisation throughout BRAZIL Brazil, street markets have held their own, almost defiantly keep- ing firm to what has made Brazil, Brazil. There is something uniquely upbeat about walking down the streets here. You can eat your way down the street, back up, and you will still want to saunter down again, if not for more snacks, then for the carniva- lesque atmosphere the street markets proudly exude. Let’s dig in. 8 PASTEIS (TOP) AND COXINHAS (BOTTOM) CHICKEN AND CATUPIRY CREAM CHEESE PASTEIS TOPPED WITH SALSA PASTEIS FRIED FRESH ON THE SPOT These pasteis (pronounced as pah-stays) were zarella, heart of palm, Catupiry cream cheese, sold at one of the 900 feiras in São Paulo. In Bra- chicken and small shrimps. Best served with ga- zil, pastel (singular of pasteis) is a typical fast- rapa, a sugarcane juice that is divine with lemon food dish and serves as an anytime treat at the and loads of ice. beach or on the streets, as a mid-meal snack or Coxinha (foreground in top left pic) is the other even as a simple and quick lunch. famous street snack food, essentially shredded To make pasteis, thin pastry envelopes are chicken and Catupiry cream cheese croquettes wrapped around assorted fillings, then deep- covered in dough and is traditionally made to fried in vegetable oil to produce an enticingly shape like a chicken thigh. They remind me crispy and golden-brown pastry. The most com- though of a cross between our local samosa and mon fillings are ground meat (usually beef), moz- a plump curry puff! 9 VENDOR LUCIMERO TENDING TO HIS QUEBRA QUEIXO COCONUT SNACK STALL Singapore and Brazil share a fondness for coconut-based dishes, and we fell in love with doce de coco, a coconut snack we tried at Mercado de São José in Recife. These are coconut pieces coated with caramelised sugar and fried to a satisfying crunch. It has to be one of our favourite street foods here! At the same street stall tended by this young chap Lucimero DOCE DE COCO (more on him later), you will find this quebra queixo, also known CHURROS as the ‘jawbreaker’. From a distance, we thought it was pancake, but as he saw through the sheets, we realised it was a coconut- based hard candy, tasting very much like toffee! At the beach, it always felt right to have a churro in hand. Every- one was doing so! Fried-dough pastry, covered with sugar and cinnamon with an indulgent dip. We’ve never really liked churros, but this was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Look- ing back, it occurred to us that our hands were never really free - we were always holding one snack food or another. And honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. 10 SWEET CORN SOUP SOPA (SOUP) STALL SOPA DE MOCOTO Like coconut, corn is commonplace in Brazilian At Mercado in Recife, our hosts gaily brought us street food scene. Just a few stalls down from Lu- to sample yet another popular soup-based cimero’s was a nondescript stall selling cold corn snack - sopa de feijão. I love how versatile this soup (sopa is Portuguese for soup). Sweetish to soup is! Commonly cooked with potatoes, cumin taste, this is very much like corn chowder but re- and salt, locals enjoy it with offals too with vari- freshingly cold, to be topped with cinnamon pow- ous toppings. der or almost any desired toppings. We heard Soup is amazing that way. There is something so that corn and coconut chowder is a popular Bra- healing and inclusive about soup that connects zilian home dish, and it certainly resonated with all. Every culture, every country has a soup.