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Stew with spoon
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Ital Stew

Delicious one pot Jamaican style ital stew is wholesome, plant based and filling.
Course Main Entree
Cuisine Jamaican
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 673kcal
Author Charla

Ingredients

  • 2 cups pumpkin chopped (260g)
  • 1 medium sized carrot chopped
  • 1 medium sweet potato chopped
  • 2 yellow plantains chopped
  • 1 small dasheen chopped
  • 1 cup of cho cho 130g
  • 2 cups of coconut milk 400ml
  • 2 cups of water 400ml
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • ¼ cup of coriander/cilantro chopped (5g)
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 scallion ends removed
  • 1 large tomato chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 6 pimento berries allspice
  • Pink salt if using to taste, or any unrefined salt i.e kosher, sea salt

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, pimento berries, 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, 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

Nutrition

Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 44g | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 1553mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 11595IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 5mg