Recipes from Nicaragua

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The Nicaraguan diet consists mainly of corn, beans and rice. Experience the tantalizing taste experience of this vibrant country with these food recipes from Nicaragua. We are certain you will have a good time cooking and savoring these delicious Nicaraguan recipes.

Nacatamales

Similar to dumplings, nacatamales consist of dough stuffed with rice and meats. The dough is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

For the dough:

1 lb of maize flour
1 cup of butter
1 medium onion
1 green pepper or chilly if you can bear the heat
1 garlic clove
½ cup of orange juice
10 mint leaves

Fry the finely cut onion, garlic and chilly in a little butter and add them to the maize flour. Mix in orange juice and chopped mint leaves. Make a soft paste of the flour with milk and water. Heat the butter in a pot and add the flour mixture to it. Cook with stirring till a soft ball of dough, which leaves the side of the pot clean, is produced

For the Stuffing:

15 strips of bacon (chicken breast strips for the health conscious)
¾ cup raw rice
2 T of vinegar
15 slices of tomatoes
15 slices of green pepper
15 slices of onion
15 mint leaves
1 garlic clove, cumin onion ground to a paste to taste.
Banana leaves

Marinate the chicken strips or bacon in a paste of garlic, onion, cumin and vinegar for two hours. Soak the raw rice for two hours.

Arrange two halves of a banana leaf in a 'T' and place over it a strip of meat, a teaspoon of rice, a slice each of tomato, onion and pepper. Fold the banana leaves over the parcel carefully and tie with a string. Make similar parcels and cook in a pot of water for half an hour. Unwrap the leaves and enjoy!

Gallo Pinto

Gallo Pinto is Nicaragua's most popular dish, eaten at any time of the day.

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lrg onions – thinly sliced
2 cups cooked red beans
¼ cup water
1 cup cooked white rice

Beans: cook 1 cup of dry red beans with 6 crushed cloves of garlic and water in a pressure cooker for 15 to 20 minutes. Sauté the onion in a pot. Add in the cooked beans and water. Cook for 5 minutes at a low heat whilst stirring. The beans must remain whole. Now add the cooked rice and simmer for a further 10 minutes, still stirring.

Maduros

A tasty banana dessert.

4 maduros (sweet bananas) peeled
3 cups milk
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place maduros and milk in a bowl and boil until tender. Add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, boiling for another 5 minutes. Place it in a dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F.

Refried Beans

A popular dish, served as part of a variety of meals.

Uncooked black beans
Garlic
Onion
Vegetable oil
salt
chopped tomato
lemon juice
seasonings

Boil washed beans in a pressure cooker until soft. Add salt, garlic and onion during the cooking process. Sauté onions in a pan. Quickly add beans and left over water. Continuously add more water as it cooks down. This will ensure that the beans get a sweeter and smooth texture. On the last round add the chopped tomato, lemon juice and seasoning. Mash it up.

Fresco De Pina y Arroz

No meal is complete without some refreshment. This chilled pineapple rice drink will definitely cool you down.

Pineapple peel/rind
½ cup uncooked white rice
Water

Boil pineapple rind for 10 minutes in sufficient water to cover the rinds half-way. Add the rice and boil until it splits or puffs. Allow to cool and then strain. Dilute with twice the amount of water. Add sugar as needed.

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