Ital stew, a vegetarian recipe from Jamaica

Name: Ital stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Jamaica
Ingredients: 500 g sweet potato, in 3 cm cubes; 2 carrots, in thick rounds; 200 g callaloo or spinach, roughly chopped; 1 onion, sliced; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 3 cm piece of ginger, grated; 400 ml coconut milk; 300 ml water; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 whole scotch bonnet chilli; 2 spring onions, sliced; 2 tbsp coconut oil

Method

Heat the coconut oil in a large casserole and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the sweet potato and carrots and stir for 2 minutes to coat them in the fat and aromatics.
Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the thyme and float the whole chilli on top without piercing it.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until the vegetables give easily to a knife tip.
Crush a few cubes of sweet potato against the side of the pot; the broth will thicken and turn silky.
Add the greens and let them wilt for 5 minutes, then lift out the chilli and the thyme stalks.
Scatter with spring onions and serve with rice or boiled root vegetables.

Ital cooking, tied to the Rastafari movement, traditionally goes without added salt: coconut milk, thyme and ginger carry the dish on their own. Taste before you reach for the salt cellar.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

How do I season it with no added salt?

Ital cooking traditionally goes without salt, and the coconut milk, fresh thyme, ginger and garlic carry the dish. Taste at the end before reaching for the salt; the raw spring onions scattered at the table also lift it.

Why sit the chilli in whole without piercing it?

It perfumes the broth with its fruity note without releasing the full heat of a scotch bonnet, which is considerable. You remove it before serving. If it is pierced or bursts as it cooks, the stew gets much hotter and there is no undoing it.

How do I thicken the broth?

Crush a few cubes of sweet potato against the side of the pot. Their starch binds the coconut milk and water, and the broth turns silky with no flour or cream.

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Ital stew

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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