This ital stew recipe is a warm and hearty Rastafarian dish that is a medley of vegetables, herbs and spices simmered down in coconut milk.
I'm so excited to share this Jamaican dish with you all called ital stew. It is delicious, filling and definitely good for the soul without a doubt.
The type of stew that you turn to on a cold, winter's day or if you need something to "hold you" as Jamaicans would say (meaning to give you that extra boost).
What is ital stew?
In short ital stew is a one pot plant based dish which derives from the Jamaican Rastafarian movement.
The dish is made with root vegetables, herbs, spices and then simmered down in coconut milk.
There is absolutely no meat included in ital stew is it strictly vegan. Although some Rasta's consume small fish under 12 inches, other types of flesh i.e pork, chicken, beef is prohibited.
You can of course include pulse or beans in this recipe i.e. kidney beans, black eyed peas etc... but meat/poultry would be culturally offensive so I would advise against doing so.
Salt is debatable, strict Rasta's will not use salt and instead overcompensate with additional herbs.
On the other hand, some Rasta's choose to relax a little by using kosher salt, sea salt or pink salt (one that is minimally processed).
Also, the use of freshly squeezed coconut milk is best to compliment the natural/aspect of the recipe too.
Here is a good link to refer to of how make your own coconut milk from a fresh coconut.
The great thing about this Jamaican ital stew is that you can include an abundance of vegetables; carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, breadfruit, dasheen (taro/eddoe), cocoyam, yam (name), cassava (yuca), plantain (plantano), cho cho (christophine/chayote) okra.
You name it and you can make your ital stew according to your vegetarian taste buds.
This stew is delicious just like my Curry Jackfruit Run Down
Ingredients to make ital stew
I like to use a combination of carbohydrate loaded vegetables in my stew and omit the use of pulse/beans.
I also like to add the vegetables in two stages so some of the vegetables breakdown and are used as a means to naturally thicken the stew.
The remaining vegetables are adding towards the latter part of the recipe and add that bulkiness/volume.
- Pumpkin
- Carrot
- Sweet potato
- Plantain
- Dasheen (Taro/Eddoe)
- Cho cho (Christophine/Chayote)
- Coconut milk
- Thyme
- Coriander/cilantro
- Onion
- Scallion
- Tomato
- Bay leaves
- Black pepper
- Turmeric
- Pimento berries (allspice)
- Scotch bonnet
How to make ital stew
- Pour the water and coconut milk into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Once the liquid has reached boiling point reduce the heat to medium then add the scallion, tomato, thyme, coriander/cilantro, onion, garlic. pimento berries and bay leaves.
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Add the sweet potato, dasheen, carrots along with 1 cup of pumpkin and 1 plantain while stirring the saucepan
- Add the spices - turmeric, black pepper, pink salt (if you are using it) and stir once more.
- Bring the saucepan to a final rolling boil before reducing the flame to medium/low.
- Toss a scotch bonnet into the saucepan (prick it if you want heat)
- Cover the saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes. After this time you will notice the stew thicken from the vegetables breaking down
- Fold in the remaining plantain, pumpkin and cho cho so they cook evenly.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid again and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes until soft
- Remove the thyme stems, scotch bonnet, pimento berries, scallion and bay leaves before serving
Notes and tips for making ital stew
- Only burst the scotch bonnet if you want a fiery heat. By adding the whole scotch bonnet (not pricked) will simply yield flavour NOT heat.
- If you cannot obtain scotch bonnet, fresh chilli or habanero pepper works too.
- Don't worry if you cannot obtain ALL of the root vegetables - use butternut squash in place of pumpkin, regualr potato if sweet potato isn't available. Use green banana if plantain isn't to hand and swap cassava for dasheen or another root vegetable .i.e different type of potato.
- Feel free to include pulse or beans, meat is a NO NO it won't be ital if meat is included (you were warned).
- If using salt do not use processed white salt, clean salt such a kosher, sea or pink salt is suitable.
- To keep the recipe ital use fresh herbs, thyme, coriander etc... are preferred.
- Pimento berries are known as allspice
More vegan Caribbean recipes you may like
- Vegan Caribbean plantain curry
- Caribbean curried bean butters
- Belizean inspired stew beans
- Slow cooker black beans
- Caribbean potato curry
- Jamaican steamed cabbage
- Red pea soup
Don't forget to check out this Caribbean style vegan roundup of my favourite vegan recipes right here.
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Ital Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cups of water (400ml)
- 2 cups of coconut milk (400ml)
- 2 scallion ends removed
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme
- ¼ cup of coriander/cilantro (5g) chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 6 pimento berries allspice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium sweet potato chopped
- 1 small dasheen chopped
- 1 medium sized carrot chopped
- 2 cups pumpkin (260g) chopped
- 2 yellow plantains chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (1g)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (2g)
- pink salt if using to taste, or any unrefined salt i.e kosher, sea salt
- 1 cup of cho cho (130g)
Instructions
- Pour the water and coconut milk into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Once the liquid has reached boiling point reduce the heat to medium then add the scallion, tomato, thyme, coriander/cilantro, onion, garlic. pimento berries and bay leaves.
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Add the sweet potato, dasheen, carrots along with 1 cup of pumpkin and 1 plantain while stirring the saucepan
- Add the spices - turmeric, black pepper, pink salt (if you are using it) and stir once more.
- Bring the saucepan to a final rolling boil before reducing the flame to medium/low.
- Toss a scotch bonnet into the saucepan (prick it if you want heat)
- Cover the saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes. After this time you will notice the stew thicken from the vegetables breaking down
- Fold in the remaining plantain, pumpkin and cho cho so they cook evenly.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid again and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes until soft
- Remove the thyme stems, scotch bonnet, scallion and bay leaves before serving
Notes
- Only burst the scotch bonnet if you want a fiery heat. By adding the whole scotch bonnet (not pricked) will simply yield flavour NOT heat.
- If you cannot obtain scotch bonnet, fresh chilli or habanero pepper works too.
- Don't worry if you cannot obtain ALL of the root vegetables - use butternut squash in place of pumpkin, regular potato if sweet potato isn't available. Use green banana if plantain isn't to hand and swap cassava for dasheen or another root vegetable .i.e different type of potato.
- Feel free to include pulse or beans, meat is a NO NO it won't be ital if meat is included (you were warned).
- If using salt do not use processed white salt, clean salt such as kosher, sea or pink salt is suitable.
- To keep the recipe ital use fresh herbs, thyme, coriander etc... are preferred.
- Pimento berries are known as allspice
Rachel Smith says
Should this be made with regular or unsweetened coconut milk?
Charla says
Unsweetened coconut milk
Ellie says
This was easy to make and absolutely delicious.
One suggestion I have is to take out the scotch bonnet when you add the second lot of vegetables in if it's getting soft.
I cooked my stew a bit longer, keeping it warm for when my husband got in, and when I went to take the pepper out it had completely dissolved into the stew, making it REALLY HOT for my poor little white girl palette and I had to eat it with yogurt which was not ideal. But it was still really delicious so I would definitely make it again!
Charla says
Hi Ellie,
I'm so sorry to hear that the scotch bonnet pepper burst in the stew. Yes, definitely remove it before it wilts, it will lessen the chances of the stew becoming too spicy. I do hope you will make it again to get the true tasty experience without the excess heat.
JuliH says
This was soooo delicious! Exactly what I imagined and wanted. I omitted the plantains and used yellow yam instead of dasheen because that's what I had on hand. OMG, this will now be a staple.
Charla says
Yay! That's what I like to hear. Yellow yam is a great choice since it is a naturally sweet vegetable. Glad it will be a staple in your household 🙂
Lucy says
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I will definitely be making it again. I added some black eye beans as I quite like that texture in a stew. Lovely autumnal dish.
Charla says
Hi Lucy, no problem! Glad you enjoyed the stew and tailored it to suit.
Empress says
My family and I all have colds so I decided to make this. FAM… when I say it cleared our sinuses, throat soothed, nourished is from the inside out. Amazing. This is going to be a staple in our home. Thank you for putting us on, Sis.
Charla says
Hi Empress, this is wonderful news. I'm so glad that the ital stew helped to boost your families immune system. Thank you for your positive feedback.
Oly F says
Made this tonight, with butternut squash, sweet potato, white potato, plantain, fresh sweetcorn from a local farm, carrots and kidney beans. Fresh thyme from my garden. We like our food hot so i pricked the scotch bonnet at the beginning and mashed it up into the stew at the end of cooking. Served with brown basmati rice. DELICIOUS. NUTRITIOUS. ITAL
Charla says
Sounds wonderful! Glad you were able to increase the heat to your preference too, which is a bonus!
Nate says
Very tasty. Thanks for the recipe! I used red potato, sweet potato, squash and carrot. With those veggies, the stew ended up a little bit sweet tasting so I added some extra salt and a bit of lime juice. End result was delicious, will make again!
Charla says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe Nate.
Avis says
I made today for my son
It came out so good and taste delicious
Charla says
Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm pleased to hear that yourself and your son loved the Ital stew 🙂
Kelly Wilson says
Omg simple delicious!!! I usually make Jamaican chicken soup with dumplings but this blew me away. Very rich and thick, I added 1 pack of pumpkin soup mix to mines and used green plantains instead of sweet. Will probably add corn next time.
Charla says
Thanks Kelly. Glad you enjoyed the recipe, your adaptations sound mouthwatering.
Rosa says
I made it for my husband . I’m white and never seen this vegetable but I went to town and find it . Karl will be happy
Charla says
No problem Rosa. I hope your husband likes the stew. I actually have a lot of readers with Caribbean spouses who make my recipes all the time with both parties enjoying my recipes.
Louise lyttle says
Making this for a party of rastas I've tried it and thumbs up
Charla says
I'm sure the rastas will give the thumbs up just like you have.
Jessica says
Love this recipe! I’m Filipino and my husband is Antiguan. I when I make this I chop up everything and split them in two. I chop up the sweet potatoes, dasheen, cassava, plantain, pumpkin… whatever we have on hand. I make him the ital stew which is savoury. Then I make a filipino dish I grew up with which has the coconut milk and all the same things I chopped up but is on the sweeter side. I always ate it for breakfast or a dessert. I make him flour dumplings for the stew and for the other pot I make rice dumplings. Always found it pretty cool. But it was one way we could also use up all the ingredients without waste too.
Charla says
Thank you for sharing that with me Jessica and I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Ali says
Made this after trying some of the others. Also yummy.
Charla says
Thanks Ali
Jackson says
How do you know how much ingredients to use?
Charla says
The recipe card is just above the comments section. If you read through that it tells you how much of each ingredient you need.