Bowl of Vegetable Stew Ital
(click to enlarge)

Veggie Stew Ital


Jamaica    
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6#
***
3 hrs
Yes		 An outstanding Ital (Rastafarian) vegetarian stew. Don't let the strange ingredients scare you, see Notes. See also Comments.




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"Split Yellow Peas" (1)
-- Base
Onion
Garlic
Celery
Scallions
Water
-- Provisions
"Pumpkin" (2)
Eddoes (3)
Sweet Potato (4)
Potatoes (5)
Plantain (half ripe 6)  
Carrot
Scotch Bonnet (7)
-- Seasonings
Coconut Milk
Ginger Root
Thyme sprig
Oregano fresh
Pepper, black
Salt (opt. 8)
-- Finals
Okra, medium
Callaloo (9)
-- Serve With
Steamed Rice (10)  
Base   -   (15 min)
  1. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin crosswise. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Trim CELERY dice about 1/4 inch. Slice SCALLIONS crosswise about 1/4 inch. Mix all.
Veggie mix   -   (35 min)
  1. Peel all Veggie Mix items except Scotch Bonnet. cut into about 1 inch chunks. Slice CARROT about 1/2 inch crosswise. Mix all.
  2. SCOTCH BONNET. For barely detectable heat, split in half and scrape out core and all veins. For modest heat, split it in half lengthwise and remove seed mass but not veins. For nice and hot, split in half and leave seed mass in. Add to Provisions Mix.
Seasonings   -   (10 min)
  1. Shake up COCONUT MILK and pour into a bowl.
  2. Slice GINGER ROOT crosswise very thin. Cut slices into threads and chop fine. Add to Coconut Milk.
  3. You can tie the HERB SPRIGS together for easy removal before serving. Add to Coconut Milk.
  4. Add BLACK PEPPER and SALT (IF using) to the Coconut Milk.
Finals   -   (10 min)
  1. Cap OKRA and slice crosswise about 1/2 inch.
  2. Remove thick stems from CALLALOO and tear into about 1-1/2 inch pieces. Measure is after tearing moderately packed.
Run   -   (1-3/4 hr)
  1. In a soup pot (4 quart) place 8 cups Water and Split Peas. Bring to a boil and stir in Base Mix. Simmer until Peas are soft and starting to break up (about 45 minutes).
  2. Stir in Provisions mix and Seasonings mix. Make sure you have enough liquid to just cover the Veggies. Add more Water or Coconut Milk if you need to. Bring to a boil, set to a simmer, and simmer until Veggies are just tender.
  3. Stir in Okra and Callaloo. Simmer until Callaloo is tender but not mushy.
  4. Serve hot with steamed Long Grain Rice.
NOTES:

  1. "Split Yellow Peas":

      [Chana Dal]   Again the Indian influence. These are peeled and split Desi Chickpeas, easily found in North America as "Chana Dal" wherever there is a significant Indian community. "Split Yellow Peas" sold by Middle Eastern specialists like Sadaf are probably this type. For details see our Chickpeas (Bengal / Desi type) page.

  2. "Pumpkin":

      In Jamaica (and in all the world except North America) "Pumpkin" is a squash very similar to Kabocha. Castile Pumpkin and other Winter Squash can be used instead, but not Summer Squash. For details see our Squash page.

  3. Eddoes:

      These look like and are very closely related to Taro "roots" (Dasheen in Jamaica) which are quite common here in North America, so use them instead. For details see our Arums page.

  4. Sweet Potato:

      This should be a White Sweet Potato, not the orange one called "Yam" in North America, nor a purple one.

  5. Potatoes:

      White Rose or Red Potatoes work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they quickly turn to mush with long cooking or reheating. For details see our Potatoes page.

  6. Plantain:

      Sold as Macho Banana in Mexican oriented markets, a "half ripe" Plantain will be yellow and may have a few spots of black. They are all black when fully ripe. For details see our Plantains page.

  7. Scotch Bonnet Chili

      These are extremely scarce in most of North America, but here in California we have the common Orange Habanero, which makes a very suitable substitute, though there may be a few Jamaicans who can tell the difference in taste.

  8. Salt:

      A strict Ital (Rastafarian) diet does not allow salt, though some Rastafarians allow natural Sea Salt. Non-Rastafarian vegetarians and omnivours can use any salt they want.

  9. Callaloo:

      [Spinach]   A variable title. In Jamaica "Callaloo" is Green Amaranth (Amaranthus viridis). Here in Southern California, Asian markets carry Amaranthus dubius, A. tricolor which is similar, but has some red coloration in the leaves. Recipes usually suggest American Spinach as a substitute but it's flavor is very different and it instantly turns to mush. For similar cooking properties and closer flavor, and in recognition of the very strong influence from India in Jamaica, I suggest White Stem Swiss Chard. This is very similar to and very closely related to the greens called "Spinach" in India, and is in the same plant family as Amaranth. For details see our Amaranth Family page.
  10. Rice:   This should be Long Grain rice. Thai Jasmine is fine, Jamaca even imports some when other sources (Guyana and Suriname) run short. Some US long grain rice is also sometimes imported.

  11. Comments

      This stew shows considerable influence from India, as many Jamaican dishes do, and also adheres closely to the Rastafarian Ital diet. Rastafari has no central doctrine and Rastas are encouraged to interpret religious sources for themselves, so the diet does vary some. Overall, the diet is Vegetarian. All meats are disallowed as they are "dead", and some adherents are Vegan. All food should come directly from the earth with no processing or artificial ingredients. Even caned and dried foods are rejected by the most strict Rasta. Salt is also refused by most, especially iodized salt, though some Rasta allow natural sea salt. A few Rasta allow Fish, as in northeastern India, where they are called "Fruits of the Sea". My personal non-Rastafarian opinion is that fish are neither fruits nor vegetables. We descend directly from lobe finned fish.
  12. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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