Vegan Feijoada

I like to take traditional recipes from my country, Brazil, and ‘veganize’ them. Feijoada is a black bean stew, with the consistency of a thick sauce. Black beans are a great source of protein and vitamin B6. This vegan feijoada is a nutritious and well-balanced meal…

Method

• Fry the onions and garlic in oil in a big pan for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, and then add the chopped vegetables.

• After a couple of minutes , add the black beans still in their cooking liquid, stock, and paprika. Leave to cook for 10 minutes. Check the feijoada occasionally to make sure all  the liquid hasn’t evaporated, and to give it a quick stir.

• Add the tofu cubes if using, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Be careful not to stir too much at this point, otherwise the tofu cubes can break up.

• While the tofu is cooking (in the feijoada) you can make the farofa. Put the onion and garlic in hot oil. When the onion and garlic are golden, add the farofa flour and cook for approximately 5 minutes, mixing all the time.

• To serve put a few spoonfuls of feijoada on a plate, cover with finely chopped spring onions and the farofa. Serve with some of the vinaigrette and orange segments. Traditionally feijoada is also served with rice.