Hispanic Heritage · Venezuela

El Zulia

Maracaibo · San Francisco · Cabimas · Ciudad Ojeda · Lagunillas · Santa Rita

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Chivo en coco

Descubre

Zulia’s chivo en coco brings goat and coconut into one savory stew. Warm spices, garlic, peppers, and the coconut sauce create a different flavor profile from the goat dishes elsewhere on the map.

La Gente

Allow the meat to simmer until tender, then watch the sauce as it concentrates. Coconut brings richness and a gentle sweetness; seasoning and a careful final taste keep the finished dish balanced.

Sabor

Coconut sweetness against cumin and garlic, onoto for color, ají dulce for the perfume, and enough salt to stand up to the heat. Sweet and savory in the same dish is normal here, and fried is a compliment.

Spice DNA · Sweet high · Herb medium · Smoke low · Heat low · Acid low

Seasonings to explore

Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. In the sofrito under the goat. Adds a savory garlic base.
Cumin, ground. Zulia uses more of it than the capital does.
Sazón with Coriander and Annatto. The closest jar to onoto. This is the sunset color.
Onion Powder. With the fresh onion.
Black Pepper, ground. In the pot.
Oregano, whole. A pinch.
Bay leaves, whole. One in the goat.

From your market: two pounds of bone-in goat (a Latin or halal butcher; lamb shoulder if you cannot), two cans of full-fat coconut milk, ají dulce if you can find it (a red bell pepper stands in, and a Zulian would sigh), a white onion, ripe tomatoes, cilantro, plantains, and rice. Badia does not sell the coconut. Fresh milk from a grated coconut is better and the Guajira would say so.

Cocina

Chivo en coco

Goat in coconut milk, the Zulian way. Slow, orange, a little sweet, and served with more starch than seems necessary.

Serves 6

2 lb bone-in goat, cut for stew
Juice of 2 limes
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp Badia Cumin, ground
½ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
3 tbsp oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped, or 5 ají dulce, minced
2 tbsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil, or 5 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp Badia Onion Powder
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Badia Sazón with Coriander and Annatto
¼ tsp Badia Oregano, whole
1 Badia Bay Leaf, whole
2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Season the goat. Toss the meat with the lime juice, salt, cumin, and pepper. Let it sit 30 minutes, or overnight if the goat is strong.
Brown. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Brown the goat in batches, taking your time, and set it aside.
Sofrito. Lower the heat. Cook the onion and pepper in the same pot until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion powder, and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes collapse. Add the sazón, oregano, and bay leaf and stir until everything is stained orange.
Coconut. Return the goat. Pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then lower to a bare simmer. Cover and cook 1½ to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the meat pulls from the bone and the sauce has thickened and darkened to a deep orange. If it thins, uncover for the last 20 minutes. Taste for salt. A Zulian would add a pinch of sugar here. You may.
Finish. Remove the bay leaf. Cilantro over the top.
Serve with white rice, fried ripe plantain, and an arepa on the side. All three. It is Maracaibo.

Pueblos del Zulia

Maracaibo · San Francisco · Cabimas · Ciudad Ojeda · Lagunillas · Santa Rita · Los Puertos de Altagracia · La Cañada de Urdaneta · Machiques · Villa del Rosario · La Concepción · Santa Bárbara del Zulia · El Vigía · El Moján · Sinamaica · Paraguaipoa