August 30, 2021

Caribbean coconut rice and fried plantains 

Since we are all missing the Notting Hill Carnival this year, we want to give you a Caribbean themed recipe. Caribbean food is full of flavour; bits of spicy in the sweet, a little creamy but packs a punch, something steamed with something fried. It sounds awfully complicated to replicate at home but we’ve done our best to give you a straightforward fix.

Ingredients

Jerk jackfruit:

2 tins of Young Jack fruit (drain and remove the seeds)

1 shallot or red onion (chopped fine)

2cm stump of ginger (chopped fine)

2 cloves of garlic (chopped fine)

½ scotch bonnet chilli (chopped fine)

1 yellow pepper (chopped to match the jackfruit)

1 tbs dry Jamaican Jerk seasoning (Sainsbury’s, Tescos, Bart’s)

1 tbs Soya Sauce

1 tbs Coconut sugar

1 cup Pineapple Juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lime wedge and sprigs of Coriander to garnish

 

Coconut rice:

1 cup of Grain Guru Sushi rice (washed and drained)

1 tin Coconut Milk

1 cup vegetable stock

Thyme (dried or fresh)

Salt and Pepper

 

Fried plantains:

2 large plantains (cut into 2cm discs on the bias)

2 tbs Coconut sugar

Salt and Pepper

Coconut oil to fry in

 

Instructions

Jerk Jackfruit:

1. In a skillet or sauté pan, heat up some vegetable or coconut oil and fry up the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and peppers for 3 minutes.
2. Add the Jerk Spice seasoning and let the spices bloom in the oil.
3. Add the Jackfruit in and coat it with the mix. Sizzle for 3 minutes.
4. Add the coconut sugar, soya sauce and pineapple juice. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Close the lid and let it steam and simmer at lowest heat until the rice is done. So about 20 minutes.

 

Coconut rice:

1. Wash the rice three to four times. Place it in a pot with a lid.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Mix it into the raw rice. This is the liquid that we are going to cook the rice in. The rice will soak up all the fluid and become flavoured.
3. There is an option to add half a cup of peas at this stage or half a cup of tinned kidney beans or some sweet corn kernels, if you want that realness.
4. Add a small pinch of salt, pepper and thyme.
5. Bring to a medium boil for 5 minutes with the lid on.
6. Lower the heat to second lowest and let it cook for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, do not open the pot until service.

 

Fried plantains:

1. Peel and cut the plantains to a 2cm thick disks (or halves if you like the drama).
2. Heat up a non-stick pan and melt some coconut oil.
3. Spread the plantains all over the pan and brown them on both sides.
4. Sprinkle the coconut sugar on the brown sides.
5. Remove the pan off the heat and let the plantains finish in the residual heat.

 

Assemble the jerk, rice and plantains and garnish some coriander. Serve it with little side salad for your 5-a-day. This is a great time for a drizzle of lime for that extra brightness. Happy Carnival!

 How did it go? Tag us @grainguru.uk

Get the Grain!

---

Also in Recipe Repository