Shrimp with Tucupi

This recipe, which features tucupi, or juice from the wild manioc root, comes from D.O.M. Rediscovering Brazilian Ingredients by Brazilian chef Alex Atala.

WORDS BY: Alex Atala
PUBLISHED: February 19, 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Sergio Coimbra

Staying true to his focus on ingredients, Atala’s shrimp dish utilizes two indigenous Brazilian flavors: jambu, a flowering herb, and tucupi, which is a fermented juice extracted from the wild manioc plant. Jambu, from the paracress family, is sometimes called the toothache plant or electric flower as it gives off a numbing, electric-like sensation, similar to a Szechuan pepper. Manioc juice is high in cyanidric acid, a toxic substance. However, this ancestral process of fermentation, a fundamental element of Amazonian culinary culture, causes the acid to evaporate. – Editor’s Note

Click here to purchase your own copy of Alex Atala’s cookbook D.O.M.: Rediscovering Brazilian Ingredients published by Phaidon.

INGREDIENTS

500 grams dried shrimp
300 grams jambu leaves
500 grams cassava starch
black salt
chives

Tucupi Broth

2 liters tucupi
10 grams basil, leaves torn
2 spicy aromatic peppers, chopped

Serves 4

PREPARATION

Soak shrimp for 4 hours in cold water, then drain.
Cook the shrimp in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.
Use the shrimp cooking water to blanch the jambu leaves for 2 minutes. Remove the jambu from the pan and immediately submerge in ice water. Set aside.
Place the tucupi, basil, coriander, garlic, and peppers in a large saucepan and heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, set aside and keep warm.
Next, dissolve the cassava starch in 200 ml water. Set aside. Heat 400 ml water in a medium pan until boiling. Add the starch mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until translucent and thick.
To finish, place a ladleful of cassava into a bowl. Add a ladleful of the tucupi broth and top with 4 shrimps and a sprig of jambu. Serve.

Alex Atala

Alex Atala is the chef/owner of the restaurants D.O.M. and Dalva e Dito, among others, in São Paulo, Brazil. He is also the founder of the ATÁ Institute.

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