Mojarra and Coconut Rice (Cartagena, Colombia)

There is something wonderfully delicious about the coconut rice served at restaurants in Cartagena. Once a spoonful gets in your mouth, you may just want to chew a little longer to experience the flavor – it changes the longer chewed. Combined with Mojarra, a whitebait fish widely consumed in Cartagena, the taste is even more delicious.

After two days of overindulging on coconut rice, which you can pretty much get at any restaurant, I learned how to cook coconut rice and Mojarra the Cartagena way in a semi-outdoor kitchen at the Life is Good Hostel. In the cooking class, I discovered why the coconut rice was so addictive. Do you want to guess why?

A TON OF SUGAR!

This sugar is in addition to the sweet juice extracted from the flesh of the brown coconut. The salt added balanced the sweetness, creating an irresistible dish that tricks you about the amount of sugar you are eating. My newfound knowledge did not stop me from eating coconut rice in Cartagena. I simply had to practice portion control, because all that sugar was explaining my sleepless nights!

#Colombia

#Cartagena