This recipe was inspired by Raiz Phillips’ beautiful book, West Winds: Recipes, History, and Tales from Jamaica.

I came across her book when I was shopping at my local independent book store. I have always been curious about Jamaican food and the way they wield spices. Take this recipe for example, I use habaneros, garlic, ginger, and allspice berries to make a rough paste for the marinade under Phillips’ influence. The aromatics are rubbed into the chicken with curry powder, a remnant from indentured Indian servants that were brought to work in the British colony at the end of slavery. I love that the heat from the habanero peppers transferred into the stew, giving it a sneaky heat in the back of your throat. Phillips writes that this iconic dish can vary dramatically. Some people keep their’s thick as stew; others make it as thin as soup. Regardless of the consistency, this dish should always be served with rice or better still, rice and pigeon peas.

When my grandparents retired, their Chinese restaurant became a Jamaican restaurant called Sunrise Caribbean Gourmet. I remember visiting years ago and had a short conversation with the owner. When I told her my grandparents operated in the same space for 40 years, she exclaimed with joy, “I remember your grandparents. They are very sweet people.” Then, she sent me on my way with a pipping hot beef patty. I hope she is doing well. A common thread between Chinese and Jamaican folks is that they pass down their recipes through oral traditions and stories. I admire Phillips’ for working diligently to document these precious recipes to showcase a particular time and place in history. If you want more of an insightful look into the perspective of the Jamaican diaspora, I highly recommend reading Phillips’ book.

Serves 6

Ingredients for the Marinade

• 2 habanero peppers, chopped*

• 8-10 allspice berries aka pimento seeds

• 1 yellow or red onion, chopped

• 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

• 2 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk seasoning

• 3 tablespoons curry powder

• 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or sherry)

* I like the spice of the habaneros so I chose not to deseed mine. If you cannot tolerate as much heat, feel free to remove them!

Ingredients for the Curry Chicken

• 2-2.5 lbs chicken drumsticks

• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

• 2 teaspoons ground tumeric

• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or sherry)

• 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced into large chunks

• 1 large potato, peeled and sliced into large chunks

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas

• One, 8 oz can coconut milk

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 tablespoon browning*, Kitchen Bouquet brand

• Kosher salt to taste

* Browning is an essential ingredient in the Jamaican pantry. It’s essentially brown sugar that has been cooked down into a thick sauce with other seasonings.

Directions for the Marinade

1. Using a traditional mortar and pestle, grind up the haberno peppers, garlic, ginger, and allspice berries into a rough paste. Mix together with the dark soy sauce, diced onions, curry powder, and Jerk seasoning. Slather onto the chicken pieces. Cover and let marinate for at least an hour if not overnight in the fridge.

Directions for Stew

1. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Preheat a Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Brown each piece of chicken for a few minutes on each side. Remember to reserve the marinade as that will go back into the stew later. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and set aside.

2. Add another splash of cooking oil and toast the dried thyme, cumin seeds and turmeric for a minute. Next, deglaze the pan with the sherry before adding the seared chicken, potatoes, carrots, reserved marinade, coconut milk, chicken stock, and browning to the Dutch oven. Bring to a roiling boil and then drop the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The chicken should be falling off the bone.

3. Within the last 15 minutes of cooking, add your peas. Adding earlier will cause them to lose their beautiful green color.

4. Serve with heaps of turmeric rice and plantains as I did in the photo above! Enjoy! Special thank you to Raiz Phillips for writing such a cool book.