Food brings people together, which is what makes it a great way to start new conversations and connect with a range of Black cultures. This year, we’re celebrating by exploring the roots of African and Caribbean cuisines, along with some recipes you can try for yourself
Feature Kirstie Duhig
Brown stew chicken
“A classic recipe across the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica, brown stew chicken gets its name and colour from the browning, a mix of browned sugar and vegetable stock. This dish means comfort to me and it’s a meal I always come back to.”
PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes (plus at least 4 hours marinating) COOKING TIME 50 minutes SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Savoury Browning
● 400ml vegetable stock ● 50g soft light brown sugar ● 100ml water
For the stew
● 1.5kg whole chicken ● 1½ tsp sea salt ● 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper ● 1 large onion, finely sliced ● 3 garlic cloves, crushed ● 5cm piece of ginger, finely grated ● 3 thyme sprigs
● 1 tbsp ground pimento ● 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning ● 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
● 1 tbsp Savoury Browning ● 3 tbsp vegetable oil ● 1 red pepper, sliced ● 300ml water
● 2 tbsp light brown sugar ● 1 tbsp soy sauce
● 2 tbsp tomato ketchup ● 1 Scotch bonnet pepper ● Rice and Peas, to serve
METHOD 1 For the Savoury Browning, reduce the vegetable stock in a saucepan to around 100ml. Meanwhile, heat the sugar in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat until it starts to liquefy (4-6 minutes). Watch to make sure it doesn’t catch. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring regularly, and once the sugar has fully melted (10-15 minutes), stir continuously until it turns a dark brown and smells of intense caramel. Add 100ml water bit by bit, stirring furiously as you go. The sugar might clump up if the water is too cool, but keep it on the heat and keep stirring and the lumps will dissolve. Once all the water has been incorporated, transfer to a sterilised jar. It'll keep for 6 months.
2 Cut the chicken into small pieces: separate the drumsticks and thighs and cut both in half using a cleaver. Divide each breast, on the bone, into 3-4 pieces. Separate the wings into the drum and flatten. Remove the skin from every piece apart from the wings and freeze it, along with the wing tips and backbone, for stock.
3 Mix the chicken pieces in a bowl with the salt, pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, pimento, all-purpose seasoning, spring onions and Savoury Browning. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge, ideally overnight.
4 Put the oil in a casserole or heavy-based pan. Scrape as much of the marinade off the
