| COUNTRY | JAMAICA |
| Dishes | Goat Curry, Pineapple Upside-down Cake (vegan) |
| Time | 1.30 hrs |
| Effort | 5/10 |
| Rough cost | £6 |
| COUNTRY | JAMAICA |
| Capital | Kingston |
| Population | 2,726,667 (141st largest) |
| Land mass | 10,991 km2 (160th largest) |
| Languages | English, Jamaican Patois |
| Religions | 68.9% Christianity |
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It has been a long long time but the Grubtrotters are back and our hiatus has left us hungry! We are kicking things back off with magical Caribbean nation of Jamaica!
Jamaica is the third largest island in the region, after Cuba and Hispaniola. The island was originally populated by the indigenous Taino peoples. Sadly, their culture was wiped out by centuries of Spanish, and subsequently British, colonial tyranny and slavery. The island achieved independence from the British Empire in 1962 and this period saw a mass emigration of Jamaicans all around the world to seek new opportunities, meaning there is a large Jamaican diaspora community especially in the US, UK and Canada.
Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae music and the Rastafari religion, as well as being very prominent on the world stage in sporting events such as cricket and track and field. In fact, Jamaica is widely considered the world’s ‘least populous cultural superpower’. And when it comes to cuisine, the same is true. Jamaican cooking is famous for its use of ‘jerk’ spice and staple ingredients such as rice, peas, curries and fish.
Mwara cooked a goat curry as curry dishes are quite traditional for Jamaica as in the wake of slave abolition, 40,000 people migrated to the islands from India bringing with them their delicious curry recipes. Goat curry is a must-have Jamaican variation on such recipes. We also made a more loosely Jamaican not-so-traditional Pineapple Upside-down cake!
p.s., Apologies for the lapse in commitment and we ARE getting back on track!
RECIPES
Goat Curry
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lbs goat meat, cubed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 5-6 tbsp curry powder
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 large sprig of thyme
- (another) 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 tbsp ketchup
METHOD
- Start by marinating the goat meat by mixing the cubed meat together with the top 6 ingredients. Leave in the fridge for at least 5 hours to marinade. Once this is done, remove the onion and pepper and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium high heat and brown the goat meat to seal in the juices. Then add in the thyme and 2 cups of boiling water, cover and lower to a medium-low heat. Simmer this for an hour.
- After an hour, add in the additional chopped onion as well as the sliced onion and chilli from the marinade. Add in a further 2 cups of boiling water and bring the mix to a boil.
- Add more curry powder and salt / pepper to taste.
- Then add in the potatoes and ketchup and mix well. Simmer on a low heat with the lid off for 30 minutes until the meat is super soft and some of the liquid has reduced. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Pineapple Upside-down Cake *vegan
INGREDIENTS
- 220g plain flour
- 200g white sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- a pinch of salt
- 180ml soy milk
- 60ml pineapple juice (reserved from the can of slices)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 80ml veg oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Topping: 50g vegan butter, 100g brown sugar, 10 slices pineapple, 15 cherries (maraschino or glacé)
METHOD
- Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and/not paper and preheat the oven to 180 celsius.
- Melt the vegan butter and then pour it out into the bottom of the cake pan evenly. Do the same with the brown sugar. Then layer the pineapple slices along the bottom (you may need to cut some slices in half to go along the sides). Place the cherries nicely where you find a gap.
- To prepare the cake batter, sift the flour into a bowl and mix in the white sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Into the same bowl, add in the wet ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Pour the batter over the pineapple slices and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Bring it out after 30 minutes and cover with foil then return to the oven to prevent over-browning. Remove the cake from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out onto a plate. Allow the cake tin to remain on for a few seconds so the sticky caramelized brown sugar can run down over the sides of the cake. Eventually lift it off to reveal the pretty pattern, slice the cake and ENJOY!
Tanks and see you in Japan! M + B x
Internoshnal Grubtrotters 