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Fungee and pepperpot
Antigua and Barbuda's national dish: okra cornmeal fungee with a thick beef and vegetable pepperpot
Antiguans eat fungee and pepperpot on Saturdays and on holidays like Independence Day in November, and grandmothers still turn the fungee with a flat wooden 'fungee stick'. Pepperpot is a thick stew of beef, spinach, aubergine, okra and squash cooked down until the vegetables melt together; many cooks also add salted pig tail, which is left out here. The fungee is a smooth cornmeal and okra mash, shaped into balls with a buttered bowl and served beside the stew. The mistake people make is tipping the cornmeal in all at once, which makes lumpy fungee; add it in a slow stream while stirring hard. Chef's tip: pour off half the okra water before adding the cornmeal and keep it hot; you can work it back in if the fungee gets too stiff.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pepperpot
For the fungee
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Season 1 ⅓ lb beef stewing steak with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches for 5 minutes each, until dark on all sides.
10 minStep 2: Return all the beef, add 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic and 4 sprigs fresh thyme and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in 4 ¼ cups water, add 1 Scotch bonnet chilli whole, cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beef is nearly tender.
77 minStep 3: Add 1 aubergine, 10 ½ oz butternut squash, 7 oz okra and 2 tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft.
25 minStep 4: Add 10 ½ oz spinach and 5 ½ oz green peas or pigeon peas and cook for 10 minutes. Mash some of the vegetables against the pot with a wooden spoon so the stew turns thick and almost green. Lift out the Scotch bonnet and the thyme stalks. The beef should be fork-tender.
10 minStep 5: While the vegetables cook, make the fungee. Boil 6 okra in 4 ¼ cups water with 1 tsp salt for 5 minutes. Pour half the okra water into a jug and keep it hot.
5 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low. Pour 9 oz fine yellow cornmeal into the pot in a slow, steady stream, stirring hard with a wooden spoon the whole time so no lumps form.
Step 7: Keep stirring and pressing for 10–12 minutes, adding hot okra water a spoonful at a time if it gets too stiff, until the fungee is smooth, thick and pulls away from the side of the pot. Beat in ⅔ oz butter.
12 minStep 8: Butter a small bowl, add a large spoonful of fungee, swirl it round to form a ball and turn it out onto a plate. Serve with a ladle of pepperpot beside it. Pepperpot keeps in the fridge for 3 days and tastes even better the next day; reheat until bubbling.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fungee and pepperpot take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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