Escondidinho de carne seca

Name: Escondidinho de carne seca
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 1575 min
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 600 g Carne seca or Beef, cut into 5 cm chunks; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 large Onion, sliced; 3 clove Garlic, crushed; 2 medium Tomato, chopped; 1 handful Coriander, fresh leaves, chopped; 2 piece Spring onion, sliced; 1 kg Manioc, peeled, fresh or frozen; 50 g Butter; 200 ml Milk, warm; 1 tsp Salt; 150 g Mozzarella or Queijo coalho, grated; 30 g Parmesan cheese, grated

Shredded salt-dried beef fried with onion and tomato, hidden under manioc purée, topped with cheese and baked until golden.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Rest: 24 hr
Total: 26 hr 15 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: No chilli
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

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About

Escondidinho means little hidden one, and what is hidden is the meat. Carne seca, salt-dried beef, is soaked for a day to draw out the salt, pressure-cooked until it falls apart, shredded and fried with onion, garlic and tomato. It goes into a baking dish between layers of manioc purée, mashed hot with butter and milk, and the top is covered in cheese and baked until brown and bubbling. The purée should be smooth and soft but not runny. Mash it by hand or with a ricer; a blender turns manioc to glue. Shredded slow-cooked beef works if you cannot find carne seca.

What you'll need

13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 13 ready

6 servings

Filling
Purée
Topping

Ingredients

Servings

Filling

Choose one
Carne seca, cut into 5 cm chunks600 g
Neutral oil30 ml
Onion, sliced1 large
Garlic, crushed3 clove
Tomato, chopped2 medium
Coriander, fresh leaves, chopped1 handful
Spring onion, sliced2

Purée

Manioc, peeled, fresh or frozen1 kg
Butter50 g
Milk, warm200 ml
Salt4.9 ml

Topping

Choose one
Mozzarella, grated150 g
Parmesan cheese, grated30 g

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Rinse the carne seca and put the chunks in a large bowl of cold water in the fridge for 24 hours, changing the water three or four times. Taste a corner at the end: it should be pleasantly salty, not harsh.
10 min
Tip: In a hurry, boil it for 10 minutes, drain and repeat twice. It works, but the meat ends up drier.
Step 2
Put the drained meat in a pressure cooker, cover with fresh water and cook for 35 to 40 minutes once it reaches pressure, or simmer in a covered pot for about 2 hours. It is ready when it pulls apart easily. Drain, cool a little and shred into fine threads, discarding any hard fat.
45 min
Watch: Fill the pressure cooker no more than two-thirds full and let the pressure drop completely before you open it.
Step 3
Meanwhile boil the manioc in salted water for 25 to 30 minutes until very soft and starting to split. Drain, pull out the woody core, and mash it hot with the butter, warm milk and salt to a smooth, soft purée.
35 min
Tip: Do not use a blender or food processor. Worked manioc goes gluey.
Watch: Manioc must be cooked until completely soft all the way through. Never eat it raw or underdone.
Step 4
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until golden, then the garlic for a minute. Add the shredded meat and fry for 5 minutes until it catches at the edges, then the tomato for another 5. Stir in the coriander and spring onion.
15 min
Step 5
Heat the oven to 200°C. Spread half the purée in a 20 by 30 cm baking dish, cover with the meat, then spread the rest of the purée over the top to seal it in. Scatter with the cheeses.
10 min200°C
Step 6
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with rice and salad.
25 min200°C

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 769 kcal
Protein: 34.6 g
Carbs: 70.6 g
Fat: 38.8 g
Saturated fat: 18.2 g
Fibre: 4.1 g
Sugar: 7 g
Sodium: 6353 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Milk

Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Carne seca → Beef chuck or brisket, slow-cooked and shredded
Skip the soaking, cook it with salt, and season the filling well. Milder, but the dish still works.

Tips

Frozen peeled manioc from Latin American or Asian shops is good here and saves the peeling.
Assemble it the day before, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it for about 35 minutes from cold.
A layer of requeijão or cream cheese between the meat and the purée is a popular restaurant addition.

History & culture

It is usually traced to North-Eastern home cooking and is now on the menu of botecos and lunch restaurants across Brazil, often baked in single clay dishes. At home it is a Sunday or party dish that can be built a day ahead. It comes to the table with white rice, a green salad and pepper sauce. Chicken and prawn versions are common too.

Both halves are old. Manioc was the staple of the Indigenous peoples of Brazil long before the Portuguese arrived, and salt-dried beef fed the cattle country of the sertão, where meat had to keep without ice. The layered, baked dish with a cheese top is more recent, and probably spread south through bars and restaurants in the late twentieth century.

Traditional — In the North-East the topping is often grated queijo coalho, and the meat may be carne de sol, a lighter cure. Elsewhere mozzarella and parmesan are standard. Both are given as options.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Escondidinho de carne seca take?

26 hr 15 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 45 min cook, 24 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Mixing bowl, Pressure cooker, Saucepan, Frying pan, Oven.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Carne seca → Beef chuck or brisket, slow-cooked and shredded. Skip the soaking, cook it with salt, and season the filling well. Milder, but the dish still works.

What should I watch for?

Fill the pressure cooker no more than two-thirds full and let the pressure drop completely before you open it. Manioc must be cooked until completely soft all the way through. Never eat it raw or underdone.

Any tips from this recipe?

Frozen peeled manioc from Latin American or Asian shops is good here and saves the peeling. Assemble it the day before, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it for about 35 minutes from cold. A layer of requeijão or cream cheese between the meat and the purée is a popular restaurant addition.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.