Being lovers of spice and big flavours, we have enjoyed quite a few homemade dishes from from the Original Flava Caribbean Recipes From Home by Craig and Shaun McAnuff – full of authentic, delicious Caribbean recipes. The book is packed with comforting dishes for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. Be prepared for meals with a kick with this one 🙂

Recipes brought to you by two brothers born & bred in South London that have enjoyed exploring their family’s homeland of Jamaica, bringing together a book that encapsulates the authentic flavours of Jamaican street food going by their motto of EAT: Easy, Accessible & Tasty – pretty much my motto too!

Pepper Steak Recipe

The first recipe we tried was Pepper Steak, a rich, mouth-watering meal with a fiery kick that I just had to share with you! Just to note (because I often make the mistake of not reading recipes fully until I come to make something!) – you should marinate the steak either overnight or at least for an hour or so. There were a few ingredients I couldn’t get, but used alternatives and the dish was still VERY good!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 450g of Steak, cut into strips
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp All-purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (I used 2 normal chillies), finely chopped
• 2 peppers, sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce/browning
• 1 tbsp of corn-starch/cornflour (I mixed 1 tbsp plain flour with water to form a little paste as I didn’t have any cornflour)
• 125ml beef stock
• 1 tsp pimento seeds/all spice (I had to leave this out as I couldn’t find any)
• 1 tbsp olive oil/cooking oil
• Rice to serve (I used the Tilda Caribbean microwave rice)

Method:

1. In a bowl, season the beef with the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, all-purpose seasoning and soy sauce/browning. Marinate over night in the fridge (or for at least a few hours if possible).
2. Then use a frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat and fry the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper/chillies (all chopped) for 3-5 mins. Once softened, spoon into a bowl and set aside.
3. Brown the marinated steak in the same pan for 1-2 minutes on each side.
4. Add the pimento seeds/all spice, beef stock, a little extra soy sauce and the onion mixture to the beef in the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the peppers, spring onions and carrots. Mix the cornflour/flour with cold water to make a paste, then add to the pan and mix well.
6. Lease to simmer for 5 – 10 minutes until the meat is tender and the carrots are softened.

Curry Tofu Recipe

I do love a curry, and I am not opposed to a meat-free one! This spicy tofu curry went down a real treat and I would happily devour this again and again (infact we froze leftovers and I have already had those too). It really is so easy and quick to make!

Ingredients (serves 4);

• 280g firm tofu
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, de-seeded and diced
• Large handful fresh thyme
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 x 400ml coconut milk
• Olive oil

Method;

1. Open the packet of tofu, drain off any liquid and pat it with some kitchen paper. If the tofu you have is fairly soft, leave it covered between 2 plates in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. When ready to cook, cut the tofu into 2-3cm cubes.
3. In a large frying pan, heat some olive oil and the onion and garlic and cook down for 5-7 minutes over a medium-high heat until soft.
4. Dash in the curry powder, along with the black pepper and ginger. Cook until browned, then add the scotch bonnet, thyme, spring onions and tomatoes and stir everything. Add the coconut milk and give another stir.
5. Add the cubed tofu to the pan and simmer for 10 minute before serving.

Other recipes we have tried and liked from this recipe book are; Jerk-spiced Lentil Bolognese (pictured below) Chicken Fried Rice, Da Jerk Burger, and Curry Prawns. A really refreshing and enjoyable cookbook that I would recommend to any Caribbean/spicy food lovers. Check out Original Flava’s website here for more too!

For more of my cookbook reviews (need to do more of these), click here. Please hit like if you enjoyed this review and let me know of any other cookbooks or comforting recipes you think I should try.

Happy munching!

Jen

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