Life of Spice: Jamaican Cuisine

I've decided to showcase my culture a little more and what better way than through food. Each week (fingers crossed) I will display a Jamaican meal and also define terms and ingredients (if requested)

Rice and Peas 

Brown Stew Chicken with carrots and macaroni

Cauliflower

Briefly-
There are two types of stewing:

1. Stewing
2 Brown stewing

Brown Stewing includes "browning" the meat then proceeding to stew it. This process of browning is completely different than say frying. Fried chicken is dusted with flour while browning the meat just includes placing the meat/poultry into a frying pan with oil over medium to high heat and allowing it to catch colour and get a little crispy. 


Pros 
Beautiful colour due to the browning stage
Little to no oil is needed for stewing

Cons
For those conscious about the fat content:
The chicken may absorb some of the oil so allow the oil to drain on a napkin.
Takes a little more time than Stewing

Stewing, I call this the all in one method. The meat/poultry is seasoned and allowed to marinate. Browning is added to encourage colour. Everything is placed in the pot and it's allowed to steam. During this process it will create its own water. Ketchup or the desired sauce may be added. You can continue checking on the meat and covering the meat in its gravy. Doing this will "stain" the meat giving it colour. (Think about basting)

Pros
Takes a little less time than Brown Stewing

Cons
Uses more oil than Brown Stewing
Absorbs much more oil than the Brown Stewed version

N.B The meal displayed above is a Ginger Wine Brown Stew.


If you want to see more of this, don't be afraid to leave a comment.
Thanks for reading