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1
Desalt and Shred the Carne Seca
20 Mins
Boiling water, ~100°C (212°F)
After its overnight soak, put the carne seca in a pot, cover with fresh cold water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain, let it cool until you can handle it, then shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks or your fingers. Taste a piece — it should be pleasantly salty, never harsh.
If the first boil is still very salty, boil it once more in fresh water for 10 minutes.
Done when: The meat is tender, shreds easily and tastes seasoned, not salty.
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2
Cook the Black-Eyed Peas
30 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Put the soaked, drained peas in a large heavy pot with 600 ml of the water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until the peas are tender but still whole. Do not drain — the cooking liquid is the base of the dish.
Do not salt the peas while they cook — salt toughens their skins.
Done when: A pea crushes easily between two fingers but still holds its shape.
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3
Fry the Sausage and the Onion Base
8 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
While the peas cook, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the linguiça coins for 3 minutes until browned at the edges. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic and tomato and cook for 2 more minutes until the tomato softens.
Frying the sausage first renders a little fat that carries the onion and garlic flavours through the whole pot.
Done when: The sausage is browned and the onion is soft and pale.
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4
Cook the Rice in the Same Pot
20 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Stir the rinsed rice, the shredded carne seca and the sausage mixture into the pot with the peas and their cooking liquid, and add the remaining 300 ml of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest simmer, cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
Do not stir the rice once the lid is on — stirring makes it gluey.
Done when: The rice is tender, the water is absorbed, and small steam holes dot the surface.
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5
Fold in the Cheese and Rest
10 Mins
Off the heat (pot ~90°C / 194°F)
Take the pot off the heat and scatter the queijo coalho cubes over the hot rice. Put the lid back on and leave it for 10 minutes — the cheese softens and half-melts into the rice without disappearing. Taste and add the salt only if the pot needs it, then fluff gently with a fork.
The pot should be well above 74°C (165°F) when the cheese goes in, so the cheese warms through safely.
Done when: The cheese is soft and creamy at the edges, and the rice is fluffy and flecked with meat and beans.
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6
Finish and Serve
5 Mins
Warm, ~60°C (140°F)
Fold in the spring onions and coriander, spoon the baiao into a wide serving bowl and serve at once, with farofa and a green salad on the side.
Serve it hot and moist — baiao firms up as it cools, so do not leave it waiting.
Done when: Every spoonful has rice, beans, meat and a little melted cheese.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the hot baiao into a wide bowl, fluff it once with a fork so the cheese, meat and beans are evenly mixed, and scatter the spring onions and coriander over the top. Serve at once with farofa on the side.
Brazil
1h 5m
