Nicaraguan Eats
This past Sunday the family and I ate at Oye Managua at 30th and Mission in the city. Mmm mmmm mmmmm! It’s not like I don’t eat Nicaraguan food on a regular basis but sometimes it’s nice to give mom a break from the kitchen.
Upon arrival, I found the decor to be rather random and amusing (read: sea life on the walls). But it did feel like being in Nicaragua with the fact that everyone in there was Nicaraguense and the way the tables were set – plastic over the table cloths, serraded knives, placemats, etc. It was like home!
When I opened the menu, I squealed! They had some of my fave dishes like mondongo and nacatamales. What is mondongo you ask? It’s a bowl of awesomeness. It’s a very flavorful soup with tripe, tendon, yucca, veggies and of course, the slice of corn cob. I hadn’t had mondongo in a looooong time because no one wants to make it. You bet I ordered it!
My aunt ordered the nacatamal (think giant tamale, but WAY better) which was excellent.
[Tangent on why nacatamales are better than tamales....nacatamales are 1) larger than a regular, Mexican or even Salvadorean style tamale 2) there's more going on inside: achiote marinated pork, rice, olive, raisin, a little potato, slice of tomato and a giant chunk of pork fat to keep it all most. 3) Since they are steamed in plantain leaf, the masa is everso moist...and yes, the pork fat helps too. A completely satisfying meal in one package!]
My mom ordered the special which was Bajo (or vaho) which is meat cooked with yucca and green plantains in plantain leaves…SO good! It can be eaten with rice and the typical cabbage slaw of Nicaraguan cuisine. My dad ordered the grilled pork plate which came with rice, slaw and queso frito.
We also started with an order of tajadas, fried green plantains, and of course the queso frito. Don’t be scared of the fried cheese, there are much “scarier” items in American food. It’s a hard cheese that is fried…salty and delicious.
The staff was fun and it felt very comfortable being there although I’m sure some of the folks were like, “Where did you people come from?!”
Nicaragua is a very diverse place!
