At our first Oca Brunch on the Sat 8th Nov , we served something close to my heart Caldinho de Feijão, a creamy, vegan black-bean broth that’s warming, grounding and full of Brazilian comfort.
It’s the kind of food that hugs you from the inside out.

Caldinho is simple, humble, and full of flavour a dish shared everywhere in Brazil, from beach bars to family gatherings. And at Oca, we’ve given it our own plant-based twist: smoky Chinese tea for depth, smoked tofu for texture, and toasted cassava flour (farofa) for that perfect crunch.

It’s earthy, nourishing, winter-friendly… the kind of bowl that makes people close their eyes on the first spoonful and go: “hmmmmm… this hits.”
Watching our brunch guests warm up, laugh, and share moments over this dish felt like pure magic food as community, food as connection, food as comfort.

Will we ever share the full Oca recipe?

Well… we kind of already did. (And maybe one day we’ll launch the Oca Cookbook. Who knows? Manifesting… 😅)

So here it is, straight from our kitchen to yours:

Oca Caldinho de Feijão

Serves 4–6 Ready in ~40/60 min

Ingredients

2 cups cooked black beans
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaf
1 tbsp olive oil
1–2 cups vegetable broth
150–200g smoked tofu, diced
1 strong cup of smoky Chinese tea (Lapsang Souchong is perfect)
Salt & pepper
Squeeze of lime
Fresh coriander or spring onion
Chili flakes (optional)
Toasted cassava flour (farofa) to finish

Method

Sauté the aromatics
Heat olive oil in a pot, add onion until soft, then garlic for 1–2 minutes.
Add smoked tofu
Let it sauté for a few minutes to warm through and release flavour.
Build the broth
Add black beans, bay leaf, salt, pepper, vegetable broth, and ½ cup of the smoky tea.
Blend
Remove bay leaf → blend until smooth and creamy and then add the tofu.
Add more broth or extra tea depending on how thick or smoky you like it.
Adjust
Return to the pot, warm through, taste, and add lime, salt, pepper as needed.
Serve
Top with fresh coriander or spring onion, chili flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and a generous spoon of toasted cassava flour for crunch and warmth.