🍽️ Cuisine
Calulu de Peixe
Fish and Vegetable Stew
Ingredients: 200g fresh white fish (grouper, snapper), 100g smoked fish (mackerel), 200g leafy greens (collards, kale), 100g fresh okra (sliced), 1 onion (diced), 3 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tomatoes (chopped), 60ml palm oil (or substitute vegetable oil), 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (whole), 400ml fish stock or water, Salt to taste, Cooked banana or breadfruit for serving.
Preparation: Flake smoked fish, removing any bones. Cut fresh fish into chunks. Heat palm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until golden, add garlic and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes break down. Add smoked fish, stirring to coat with oil and aromatics. Add stock, greens, and okra. Nestle fresh fish pieces and whole pepper into the stew. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until fresh fish is cooked and greens are very tender. The okra will thicken the sauce. Remove pepper before serving. Taste for salt—the smoked fish adds saltiness. Serve over sliced cooked banana or breadfruit, ladling plenty of the rich sauce over everything.
💡 Authentic calulu uses specific local fish and greens. Adjust to what's available—the technique of combining smoked and fresh fish is the key element.
Banana da Terra Frita
Fried Plantains
Ingredients: 2 ripe plantains (yellow with black spots), 60ml vegetable oil, Salt to taste, Optional: cinnamon sugar for sweet version.
Preparation: Peel plantains by cutting off ends and slicing through the skin lengthwise. Remove peel. Cut plantains diagonally into slices about 1cm thick. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add plantain slices in a single layer without crowding. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown with darker caramelized spots. The interior should be soft and creamy. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt for savory version, or dust with cinnamon sugar for sweet. Serve immediately while hot and crisp on the outside.
💡 Plantain ripeness matters—green ones are starchy and suitable for chips, but this recipe needs ripe fruit with plenty of black spots for sweetness.
Chocolate Quente Santomense
São Tomé Hot Chocolate
Ingredients: 100g São Tomé dark chocolate (or other high-quality 70% dark chocolate), 400ml whole milk, 50ml heavy cream, 30g sugar (adjust to taste), 2g ground cinnamon, Pinch of nutmeg, Pinch of cayenne (optional), Whipped cream for topping.
Preparation: Roughly chop the chocolate. Heat milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne if using. Whisk vigorously until chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and slightly frothy. Return to low heat briefly if needed to fully melt chocolate, but don't boil. Taste and adjust sweetness. Pour into warmed mugs and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately. This hot chocolate is rich—small portions are appropriate.
💡 Single-origin São Tomé chocolate is increasingly available from artisan chocolatiers. Its fruit-forward notes make exceptional drinking chocolate.
