News Americas, Managua, Nicaragua, Fri. Dec. 16, 2011: Say Nicaraguan cuisine and almost immediately, Nicaraguan beef, plantains and yuca steamed in banana leaves will stand out.
That’s because baho, or vaho, is one of the cornerstones of Nicaraguan cuisine. Beef, plantains and yuca (cassava) are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed over water in a large pot and is usually served on Sundays. Try making it at home in your kitchen and really bring home the “vaho” or mist of Nicaragua.
Ingredients
• Beef brisket, cut into large strips — 4 pounds
• Tomatoes, seeded and chopped — 3
• Green peppers, seeded and thinly sliced — 2
• Onions, thinly sliced — 3
• Garlic, chopped — 8 to 10 cloves
• Orange juice — 1 cup
• Lime juice — 1 cup
• Salt — 4 tablespoons
• Green plantains, peeled and halved crosswise — 4
• Ripe plantains or bananas, peeled and halved crosswise — 4
• Yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into large pieces — 2 pounds
• Banana leaves
• Repollo cabbage slaw — 1 recipe
Method
1. In a large non-reactive bowl, mix the beef with the tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, orange juice, lime juice and salt. Cover, refrigerate and marinate overnight.
2. Add about 4 inches of water to a tamalera or large (5-gallon) pot. (You may have to use two pots if you don’t have one big enough to hold the baho in one batch.) Place a rack in the bottom of the pot, or toss in enough wadded up aluminum foil to hold the ingredients out of the water. Place a plate on top of the rack or aluminum foil.
3. Line the plate and the sides of the pot with banana leaves, letting the leaves hang over the edge of the pot. Make sure the pot is fully lined with leaves, with no openings.
4. Lay the green and ripe plantains on the bed of banana leaves. Remove the meat from its marinade and layer it over the plantains. Top the beef with a layer of yuca. Finally, pour the meat marinade and vegetables over the yuca.
5. Take the banana leaves hanging over the edge of the pot and fold them over to completely cover the ingredients in the pot. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.
6. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high flame. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 4 hours. Add a water as necessary to keep it from all evaporating.
7. Baho is traditionally served on a banana leaf. Each diner gets a piece of ripe plantain, a piece of green plantain, a piece of cassava and a portion of meat. This is all topped with a healthy portion of repollo cabbage slaw.
Servings: 8 to 10
