- fromjudyskitchen
Açaí Na Tigela ("Açaí in the Bowl")
I still remember the first time I tried an authentic 'açaí na tigela' ("açaí in the bowl") while visiting Rio de Janeiro, Brasil back in July 2015. I remember that day so clearly, as it was a very hot morning and I was with friends on a walking food tour called Eat Rio. Tom was our witty guide. He brought us to local restaurants and markets and introduced us to the true flavors of Brasil. At one of the stops, we got to try açaí! It an exciting moment for us since açaí was known to be a popular dish from Brasil. Before taking our first bite, Tom warned us that traditional açaí bowls were not sweet and fruity like the ones commonly served back in the U.S. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it in its simple state - just pure, mashed açaí palm fruit.
Since I've been back home, I've rarely been tempted to go buy an açaí bowl. For one, I don't possess a sweet tooth. I usually prefer a hearty plate of eggs and bacon rather than a sugary bowl of anything (like cereal or oatmeal). However, something recently came over me while I was standing in one of the freezer aisles at Whole Foods. I saw that they had pre-made frozen açaí packets that you could easily just blend and serve! I decided to buy some to relive the feeling of being in beautiful Brasil.
See below recipe for my simple, lightly sweetened version.
Açaí Bowl
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Serving: 1
Ingredients:
1 packet of pure açaí berry*
1 tbsp honey
1 banana
1/4 cup of non-dairy milk**
2 ice cubes
Toppings:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Sweet and salty coconut chips
Directions:
Using a blender or Magic Bullet, blend together packet of açaí, honey, banana, milk, and ice cubes. Alternatively, follow instructions from açaí package.
Pour açaí into a bowl. Add berries, coconut shavings or chips, and/or other desired ingredients.
**If you prefer açaí smoothie (rather than bowl), add more milk to the blender.
*Note: For my recipe, I used Sambazon's Organic Acai Berry Smoothie Packs (Pure Unsweetened)
