Recipes With... Miss Jamaica!

Making those hunger pangs 'G'weh!' 'Recipes With...' took my tastebuds on a flight to 'Miss Jamaica' after 'Miss Poland's' recent 'food' journey! When life gets much too much, music and food allows me to forget about the world. Making me some 'Rum Punch' and then some more drink with a 'Guinness Punch' because I could! 'Jerk Chicken' and then a 'Coconut Curry?' Yes! 

Beginning with something from the freezer had me switching things up, those packet Jamaican style patties deserved the perfect accompaniment! Spicing up the shop bought coleslaw with various spices, barbecue sauce and peppercorns had me tasting something way more flavourful! Seasoning once again, my sweet potato home-fries had a certain amount of spice for sure! I had originally wanted to make my own patties but with some already in the freezer it allowed me the chance to buy extra ingredients. My Jamaican style Friday night meal tasted on-point with a better tasting coleslaw, there was no way I would be eating that unseasoned shop bought mess without any intervention, no! Baking my sweet potatoes allowed me to leave any frying out of that meal, using less oil was my priority for that 'Miss Jamaica' homemade recipe! Exercising restraint, I made the spiced up coleslaw last a few more days, over facing myself wasn't the mood that evening, I needed space! 'Miss Jamaica' had me trying new preparation styles! Spice it up! 

What would I have to drink? 'Miss Jamaica' had me making my own rum punch, I would not be responsible for how much rum that would be poured that evening! Not a living chance, no! I wanted to drink some of the famous 'Wray & Nephew' white rum but my budget wasn't going to stretch that far! Making do with ALDI's own white rum, pineapple juice, fresh lemon juice and some ginger pieces. I did not have any of red syrup, of course I made sure to consult authentic Jamaican YouTube 'Rum Punch Tutorials' for an honest 'Miss Jamaica' recipe. Instead of that island made red syrup, I used some cordial instead so I could achieve the vibrant colours that so many of the 'tutorials' had shown me. As a pair, the meal made definitely blended well with the rum punch! With that Saturday hangover wiping out my weekend, there was no doubt in my mind that 'Miss Jamaica's' other instalments would also feature their own drink! Opening the door to a whole new country, 'Miss Jamaica' served a delicious first meal and drink! Enough, J! 

'Miss Jamaica' did not want me to be cooking all day in-preparation for the second instalment of my Caribbean food takeover! I focussed more on the drink during that second meal concept, Guinness but served cold with condensed milk? Yes! Connecting to a not so distant memory, I made the all important trip to ASDA because I was about to make a Guinness punch! Four bottles of Guinness would be needed? Listen, I had a few more bottles for another night, that's forward planning! Mixing two bottles of ice cold Guinness into a large plastic bowl started my second alcoholic 'Miss Jamaica' drink! In went the condensed milk, a generous shake of some ground cinnamon and nutmeg to add a kick before a drop of vanilla essence was added into the punch to be! Had I forgotten to add anything? Ah, the two cans of Nurishment added into the mix, that finished my stout based punch! Allowing the punch some time to rest wasn't going to happen! I wanted to try some! No dessert? Something savoury?  Jamaica, oh just wait and see! 

Slicing three pieces of Jamaican Spice Bun, my cheese cutting skills were about to fail me! Seriously, what is it with cheese!? Not admitting defeat, I style out the small pieces of mature cheddar cheese without any shame. Of course, I knew exactly what 'Bun & Cheese' tasted like but I had never enjoyed with a glass of Guinness punch and I wanted to know how the combination would taste together? A resounding success for sure, I loved that stout based sweet punch with bun and cheese without question! It wasn't exactly a dessert as such but it was a savoury and sweet treat all at one time! The Guinness punch was really easy to make, I found all of the ingredients at my local ASDA in the 'World Foods' aisle. Being the reason, most if not all of the ingredients were really easy to find in my local area as a whole. Such convenience allowed 'Miss Jamaica' to thrive and to serve up just the right amount of flavour! Definitely, I would make Guinness punch again in a heartbeat with a plate of 'Bun & Cheese' to hand! More Guinness, J? 

My full plate meal was about to be cooked, I wanted to get the mix for my Jerk seasoning just right! That local supermarket came through once again, 'browning seasoning' was found again on the World Foods aisle. Using 'all purpose jerk seasoning', 'browning seasoning;, 'jerk marinate' but would it be too spicy for me? There would only be one way to find out, preparing the chicken before marinating it saw me wash it and in my household we never wash chicken. That was something new to me, but a hack that I would carry on using, after 'Miss Jamaica's' completion. Plantain, maybe more oil could have been used in the pan but they turned out nice and crispy, certainly no reason to turn my nose up at them! Mixing the Jamaican 'Callaloo' with black beans and rice, that created some other kind of rice. Remembering 'Jamie Oliver's abysmal attempt at 'Jerk Rice', my own combination trumped his uninformed 'caucasian' mess. 'Miss Jamaica' had me cooking something different, appreciating different cultures is a done thing! 

Baking my Jerk chicken was the right decision for me, after marinating the chicken thighs for a respectable amount of time, I placed them into a hot oven for 30 minutes to start with. Making use of the extra marinate, 30 minutes into the cooking process I coated the chicken with the final drops of the marinate. Accompanied by the plantain, callaloo bean rice, the chicken pieces married that situation together. Packing an almighty punch, the chicken nearly had me tapping out! Absolutely, the meal punched like a vibrant carnival, like a party in my mouth with the best Dancehall & Bashment playing! I won't lie, the final chicken thigh had my mouth on fire! The third instalment of 'Miss Jamaica' certainly packed a whole lot of flavour for sure! The callaloo bean rice actually worked well, it absorbed three ingredients into one easy to eat scoop. Having a bottle of Guinness left from when I made my second round of punch, I enjoyed that lonely looking bottle of stout! Would part four of 'Miss Jamaica' also include an alcoholic drink? Sure! 

The fourth and final instalment of 'Miss Jamaica' had to be a serving of my homemade 'Coconut Curry!' I was originally going for a 'Saturday Soup' kind of vibe, with a sachet of 'Cock Flavour Mix' in the seasoning draw found. Transitioning from a soup or stew episode, I thought a curry would be easier to make in the oven without much fuss. Adding two cans of 'coconut milk', chopped sweet potatoes', 'one diced onion' and a handful of seasonings liberally added into the mix, I had the base of my curry. Along with a dash of 'All Purpose' seasoning and more spice added to the pot, my Jamaican style curry would pack a spiced coconut punch for sure! Calling upon 'Festival', I needed that 'dumpling' hook up! Come through! Making those cheat dumplings with ease, they were then added to the bubbling curry to stew. The preparation took a little longer but every moment was worth it because the taste test would be a winner! Searching high and low, I found those 'Red Stripe' cans with thanks to my Auntie, Shell! Pour me another, Jah! 

I had that rice covered and precooked, resting in the pan it was ready for the curry to finish cooking. Like clockwork, the dumplings had settled into the bubbling curry consistency with all of that coconut flavour. Yes, I had for the first time messed with chillis, to tell you the truth, the added spice was a winner! Plating up in a deep bowl had me in a food paradise, the piping hot curry had a smooth yet fierce flavouring with the soft dumplings adding to that desired full feeling. 100%, next time I will cook this curry on the hob first to make the sauce thicker, I'd add maybe some fresh cream and another can of coconut milk. The learning process as I muddled my way through this 'Miss Jamacia' experience has really inspired me to be more daring with these 'Miss World' food blogs! Until next time, it was a pleasure cooking with another far-flung country. The tastes that 'Miss Jamaica' served were truly amazing! 'Miss India', you best be ready for an April 2022 cooking journey! Patties, punch, jerk chicken and curry, go on 'Miss J!' 

Island Vibes In March? Yes! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure