Brazilian recipe
Traditional Feijoada: Authentic Brazilian Black Bean Stew (Feijoada)
Feijoada is a classic, slow-cooked Brazilian staple, featuring earthy black beans and a medley of savoury pork cuts. This rich, hearty stew is the ultimate comfort food for a relaxed family feast.
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Ingredients
70 g pig's trotters, cleaned and chopped
1 kg dried black beans
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
150 g Portuguese-style chorizo (linguiça), chopped
70 g pig's tail, cleaned and chopped
70 g pig's ear, cleaned and chopped
Black pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
Salt to taste
6 cloves garlic, crushed
40 ml cachaça for seasoning
100 g paio sausage, sliced
100 g dried salted beef (carne seca), desalted and shredded
100 g pork riblets, chopped
1 or 2 oranges, sliced
2 large onions, chopped
50 g pork loin, cubed
1 kg dried black beans
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
150 g Portuguese-style chorizo (linguiça), chopped
70 g pig's tail, cleaned and chopped
70 g pig's ear, cleaned and chopped
Black pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
Salt to taste
6 cloves garlic, crushed
40 ml cachaça for seasoning
100 g paio sausage, sliced
100 g dried salted beef (carne seca), desalted and shredded
100 g pork riblets, chopped
1 or 2 oranges, sliced
2 large onions, chopped
50 g pork loin, cubed
Where to find ingredients
Black beans are easily found in the legume aisle of major local supermarkets. For authentic items like 'carne seca' (dried salted beef), 'paio', and 'linguiça', check local artisanal butcheries, Portuguese delicatessens, or specialist import grocers in major urban centres. Cachaça can be sourced from well-stocked liquor retailers or premium bottle stores. If you cannot find 'carne seca', high-quality air-dried or salted beef is your best bet as a substitute, though the traditional cured flavour is unique to the original.
Preparation method
- Soak the meats in water for at least 36 hours, ensuring you change the water frequently, especially on warmer days
- Add ice to the soaking water if needed to keep everything chilled and fresh
- Begin by boiling the tougher cuts like trotters, ears, tail, and riblets in a large, heavy-based pot covered with plenty of water
- Slow-cook these cuts until they start to tenderise, which will take a few hours
- Add the more delicate meats, including the loin, dried beef, paio, and chorizo, to the pot and continue simmering until everything is melt-in-the-mouth tender
- Once the meats are perfectly soft, add the pre-washed black beans to the pot
- Continue cooking until the beans are creamy and tender, adjusting the seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste
- Carefully remove the cooked meats from the stew and set them aside for serving
- Sauté the onions and garlic, then stir them into the bean base along with the bay leaves, black pepper, a splash of cachaça, and salt
- Let the stew bubble gently for a few minutes to allow all the aromatics to meld together perfectly
- Serve the feijoada hot alongside orange slices, garlicky kale, fluffy white rice, farofa, crispy crackling, and extra seasoned broth
Observations
Feijoada is the heart of Brazilian home cooking, a robust and aromatic stew that combines tender black beans with a variety of pork cuts for unmatched depth of flavour. The key is a long, slow simmer that allows the ingredients to meld into a rich, velvety masterpiece. Traditionally served as a proper family-style meal, it pairs best with simple sides like sautéed kale, steaming white rice, fresh orange slices, and crunchy farofa to balance the richness.
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