Mozambican Recipes

Mozambican cooking combines African staples, Indian Ocean spices and Portuguese technique along a coastline of more than 2,000 kilometers. Maize, cassava, rice and beans form the base, and xima, a stiff maize porridge, sits on many tables in the south and center. Coconut milk, peanuts and cassava leaves shape the cooking of the north and the coast, where matapa, leaves pounded and simmered with peanuts and coconut, is the dish most people name. Seafood is abundant, and prawns, crab, clams and fish are grilled, curried or stewed. Piri-piri, the small, fiery chili, appears fresh, in marinades and in a table sauce made with garlic, lemon and oil. Portuguese influence shows in bread rolls, rissóis, feijoada and cakes, while Indian traders left chamuças, curries and pickles. Cashews and coconut are everywhere, and festive tables center on grilled chicken, prawns and big pots of rice.

Staple ingredients

• maize (xima)
• cassava and cassava leaves
• coconut milk
• peanuts and cashews
• prawns and fish
• rice and beans
• piri-piri chilies
• garlic and lemon

• Appetizers 1
• Main Dishes 5
• Side Dishes 1
• Desserts 1
• Snacks 1
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1

Appetizers

• Rissóis de Camarão (Mozambican Shrimp Rissoles)MZ1 h 30 minChallenging

Main Dishes

• Frango à Piri-Piri (Mozambican Grilled Piri-Piri Chicken)MZ1 h 15 minMedium
• Camarão Grelhado com Piri-Piri (Mozambican Grilled Piri-Piri Prawns)MZ28 minEasy
• Caril de Camarão (Mozambican Coconut Prawn Curry)MZ45 minEasy
• Matapa (Mozambican Cassava Leaves with Coconut and Peanuts)MZ1 h 40 minEasy
• Galinha à Zambeziana (Zambezi-Style Coconut Chicken)MZ1 h 35 minMedium

Side Dishes

• Xima (Mozambican Maize Porridge)MZ30 minEasy

Desserts

• Bolo Polana (Mozambican Cashew and Potato Cake)MZ1 h 25 minMedium

Snacks

• Chamuças (Mozambican Spiced Beef Samosas)MZ1 h 25 minMedium

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Molho de Piri-Piri (Mozambican Piri-Piri Sauce)MZ10 minEasy