Jerk Cauliflower with Rice and Peas, Jerk Gravy and Slaw
Growing up in Lewisham I have eaten a fair amount of Caribbean food, within a 10 minute radius of my house there are at least 4 Caribbean restaurants. Since becoming vegan jerk chicken is one of those things I'm envious of meat eaters for eating. But no longer shall I mope about not being able to eat jerk because this recipe right here is the solution! Now I can't take all the credit for this one, me and my boyfriend Jamie came up with this recipe together, and I really needed his help as I've never cooked Caribbean inspired food before (despite having eaten it a lot!)
The slaw was a real experiment, we didn't quite know what we were going to make before we made it, but it ended up being a real winner and added some much needed colour to the plate. It contains two types of cabbage, red and savoy, both of which provide high amounts of vitamin C; regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the human body develop resistance against infections, vitamin K; which is integral for bone health, and potent antioxidants; known to help protect against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce blood cholesterol. The vegetables in the slaw are served raw meaning they don't loose any of these vital nutrients during cooking.
The other side, rice and peas, is a mainstay of Caribbean cuisine. The rice is flavoured with thyme, nutmeg and allspice, ingredients that are repeated in the Jerk cauliflower batter. Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean cooking. Rice and peas is traditionally eaten with the Sunday meal, so this is a perfect weekend meal to cook with family.
We double dipped the cauliflower, just like KFC supposedly double dip their chicken, to get a real intensity of flavour. We then roasted it, which is one of the best ways to cook cauliflower in my opinion, it real gets a great flavour from what is a fairly humble vegetable. I'm not a big fan of cauliflower boiled or steamed, but roast it and I'm there!
This recipe was so good, my dad (a meat eater) was raving about the jerk cauliflower all dinner! If like me you miss that Caribbean heat give this a go, you will not be disappointed. This is real food for the soul.
Ingredients
Rice and peas
4 spring onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons all spice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tin of kidney beans
1 tin of coconut rice
1 tablespoon creamed coconut
10g fresh thyme
3 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Jerk Cauliflower
1 cauliflower head
Dry mix
3/4 cup gram flour (or gluten free flour/plain flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons all spice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teasppon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (add more to suit your taste)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Wet mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons all spice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teasppon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (add more to suit your taste)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Juice of 1 lime
2 teasppons soy sauce
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Jerk gravy
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chilli (use a scotch bonnet if you want a lot of spice, I used one green chilli)
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 dried chilli flakes (add more to suit your taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 cups veg stock
4 tablespoons gluten free flour (or plain flour)
Slaw
1/4 savoy cabbage
1/4 red cabbage
2 carrots
10g parsley
10g mint
coconut flakes (optional to serve)
Slaw dressing
8 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Method
1) Cut the Cauliflower into fairly large florets. In a bowl mix together your dry mix, in a second separate bowl mix together the wet mix.
2) Coat your cauliflower florets into the dry mix, making sure to cover them as much as possible, then dip them into the wet mix, and finally back into the dry mix.
3) Place the cauliflower florets on a tray covered with baking paper and place in the oven for around 45 minutes, until the cauliflower has started to crisp a little bit.
4) While the cauliflower is in the oven chop the spring onion and garlic and fry in a small amount of coconut oil (or any vegetable oil) on a low heat for a minute.
5) Add the allspice and nutmeg and keep on a low heat for a further minute.
6) Add the rice. Then add the coconut milk and the kidney beans. Add the water the kidney beans are in too, as this gives the rice it's colour. And the 3 extra cups of water. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme, tied into a bunch.
7) Turn the heat up and bring the rice to the boil, then turn it down and allow the pot to simmer for around 40 minutes, stirring frequently until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
8) To make the jerk gravy, slice the red onion, fresh chilli and garlic and fry in a small amount of coconut oil.
9) Once the onion has softened add the dried spices and fry for a further minute. Add the stock, soy sauce, and lime juice. Bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for around 35 minutes.
10) Place 4 tablespoons of flour in a cup and add a small amount of water. Stir the flour into the water so there is no lumps and then add to the gravy. Stir the gravy it should thicken. If you would like it thicker add more flour.
11) Thinly slice the cabbage, parsley and mint, and grate the carrots.
12) Stir together the sesame oil, cider vinegar and mustard. Pour over the slaw and toss.
13) To serve i added coconut flakes which i lightly toasted in the oven for 10 minutes and tossed over the slaw.