PERFECT MEAL: The three Cataplanas served with olives and Nando’s signature sauces. Right: Cataplana Algrave, the Peri-Peri Chicken thighs grilled with peppers, chickpeas and parsley on spicy rice. Photos by Umer Nangiana
By Umer Nangiana
If you have not tried it yet, you have been missing out on food of some heavenly taste and flavour. All you chicken lovers out there, you cannot miss out on this Portuguese speciality made further Portuguese-ish by the people who know best how to do chicken just right, Nando’s.
Next time you head to Nando’s, ask for Cataplana (remember, it’s not on the menu). In all three varieties, Originale, Algarve and Porto, this dish is based features the same Peri-Peri chicken (thighs) with the variations coming in the form of vegetables, chickpeas and olives with black mushrooms.
And you can of course order it with your favourite sauce.
It is, they say, a dish that goes back centuries to trace its origins to Portugal, where it was once a household creation. At Nando’s, they gave it their own twist, adding some Peri-Peri joy to it.
The Cataplana is a traditional Portuguese dish, made of flame grilled chicken thighs, tossed with spicy rice, peppers and a dash of parsley in your choice of lemon and herb, mild, hot or extra hot Peri-Peri sauce. At Nando’s, it is served in an authentic copper dish.
“Nothing is new here. [However,] some of the dishes have not been on the menu for quite some time, maybe a couple of years, like the Cataplana Porto, which is olive and mushrooms with rice and Cataplana sauce,” Beatrice Vercuiel, Branch Manager Nando’s Financial Square, C Ring Road, told Community in a recent review of the Cataplana.
“And also try the Cataplana Algrave — with mixed pepper, chickpeas and parsley on spicy rice, the sauce in it is tomato-based. [All varieties feature] chicken thighs, and the only difference comes from the vegetables. The Originale has carrot, corn, pepper and red onion. You can always choose your spice level,” said Beatrice.
In Qatar, Nando’s is now a household name, building greater affinity and value through offering a great set of mouth-watering flame grilled dishes.
People have been loving Cataplana at Nando’s, as per Beatrice’s verdict. “Obviously it is not on the menu card, so we have to introduce it to the customers and they have loved it. What happens at Nando’s is that you have one dish and it is so hot that you are not convinced on taking anything else. It is like, oh it sounds really good, may be next time,” says the manager, laughing.
Nando’s is famous for its legendary butterfly cut, Peri-Peri chicken, which is marinated for 24-hours before being flame-grilled and basted in your choice of Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce.
“We are famous for the Espatada. And also we have the Espatada Carnival with chicken thigh stuffed with feta and parsley. We started it for the world cup. It has a kind of Brazilian twist to it,” says Beatrice.
“We also have the Rustica, which is chicken thigh on the skew with tomato and red onion. It is very delicious and is my [personal] favourite,” said the Nando’s manager.
Just recently, she said, they re-launched their menu, adding nine sandwiches. From the vegetarian to fillet steak, it is all “really really” delicious, announced Beatrice.
She says Nando’s has a lot of variety for vegetarians with burgers with chickpeas and patties made of vegetables. The taste is authentic Nando’s down to the milligram, she promises, and is prepared by cooks that are continuously trained on all cooking methods.
Give Cataplana a shot. Add some starters to it and complete a savoury meal that is rich in taste and freshness. The Espatada lovers would particularly like it as the two share a number of similarities.
