Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Cookbook. Levi Roots
drain or ladle off the excess.
Serves 4
350g/12oz piece yam, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
350g/12oz sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
2 green bananas, topped, tailed and skin removed
1 ripe plantain, topped, tailed and slit down 1 side
salt
knob of butter
Cook up a mix of filling and slightly sweet vegetables for a traditional Jamaican change to rice or potatoes. They go very well with meats and stews.
Put the yam, sweet potatoes, green bananas and plantain into a large saucepan of salted water Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables are just soft – check by pushing in a fork.
Drain, then peel the bananas and cut into 2 pieces. Peel the plantain and cut into 4 pieces and serve the vegetables topped with the butter.
Serves 4
1/2 breadfruit, peeled and cut into 4 large wedges
salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
To cook the breadfruit, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the breadfruit and boil for 15 minutes until it is almost tender. Drain.
Cut each wedge into 3 pieces to make slices.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the breadfruit slices and fry for a few minutes on each side until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper to get rid of the excess oil. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Serves 4
4 green bananas
salt
Green bananas aren’t regular bananas that haven’t ripened – they’re totally different!
Cut the tops and tails off the green bananas and cut a slit down one side. Peel away the skin.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the green bananas. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the bananas are tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the bananas from the pan and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel away the skin and cut each one into 2–3 chunks.
Serves 4
175g/6oz dried red kidney beans
1 whole coconut or 200g/7oz block creamed coconut, grated
3–4 tsp salt
knob of butter
1 whole Scotch bonnet chilli
1 spring onion, green end only, chopped
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 garlic clove
1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
500g/1lb 2oz pure basmati rice
Peas are what most Jamaicans call red kidney beans. This is one of our most important dishes and we serve it with many different things. It has a subtle coconut flavour that goes well with many dishes. The crucial thing here is to get the perfect proportion of rice and liquid to make free-flowing tender rice.
Rinse the beans in cold water, then put them in a large bowl and cover with 1 litre/13/4 pints cold water. Leave to soak overnight.
Don’t throw the soaking water away! Drain the soaking water into a large pan and bring it to the boil.
Meanwhile, rinse the beans under cold running water and throw any damaged ones away. Add the beans to the boiling water, bring back to the boil, cover and boil vigorously for 10 minutes (you have to do this to get rid of the poisonous toxins). Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 35 minutes until the beans are really soft. To test, squeeze them.
Smash the coconut on the floor (mind your toes), crack open and drain off the coconut liquid, reserving the liquid. Remove the ‘meat’ from the shell carefully with a sharp knife and grate into a bowl. Add the reserved coconut liquid, then pour in 1 litre/13/4 pints hot water and stir well. If you are using the creamed coconut, mix with 2 litres/31/2 pints hot water.
Add the coconut, salt, butter, chilli, spring onion, thyme, garlic and all-purpose seasoning to the pan of beans and boil for 15–20 minutes.
Now, rinse the rice twice under cold running water, drain, then add to the pan. Make sure the liquid is 2.5/1in above the level of the rice. Cook for 20–25 minutes on a really gentle heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. DO NOT LIFT THE LID during cooking because you’ll release all the moisture. When the rice is cooked, put clingfilm or foil over the top to seal and cover.
ROOTS RECOMMENDS:
Basically, you need just over double the amount of liquid to rice. Once the rice is in the pan, never add water because the rice will go cloggy and horrible.
Serves 3 as a side dish
1 large plantain
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Choose a ripe plantain with black pigmentation and make sure it is flexible. Plantain that are unripe are starchy, hard and not sweet.
Cut the plantain in half, then cut off the ends so you check that the plantain is undamaged. Cut a slit down the groove on each piece of plantain and peel off the skin. Slice thickly.
Heat