Olivia Davis is right here immediately bringing a hearty dish from Barbados to the ‘Recipes Across the World‘ sequence!
The aroma of a hearty, scrumptious Hen Stew stuffed my family rising up in Barbados, and nonetheless does immediately. My mom and aunt discovered methods to make this Caribbean meal from my grandfather and now I’ve lastly perfected methods to make it as nicely!
For those who ask my husband what his favourite meal is that I prepare dinner, he’ll say Hen Stew. It’s also my favourite meal to make as a result of I prepare dinner it with such ease and it’s tremendous tasty and filling. I really like that it makes leftovers each time, and the flavors really intensify when it sits within the fridge in a single day.
Right here’s the recipe for methods to make Caribbean Hen Stew from Barbados at house!
Cultural Context
This dish cooked all through the Caribbean certain is tasty in case you are within the temper for good consolation meals. Hen Stew will be present in Barbados at native meals vans or deli’s, nevertheless, one of the simplest ways to have it, in my view, is at house candy house, made with love.
Historically, it’s paired with a starch, similar to rice or mashed potatoes. I all the time get pleasure from mine with basmati rice.
Elements
Serving dimension: four individuals
- four skinless, bone-in hen thighs seasoned (The bone helps to maintain the meat tender when cooking)
- 1 medium-size onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- A bunch of thyme sprigs
- three carrots, sliced
- four small mushrooms, chopped
- three English potatoes, chopped
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 ½ cups of hen inventory (I used unsalted)
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon of browning (optionally available)
- 1 teaspoon of Worchester sauce
- four stage tablespoons of flour
- ¼ cup of water
- Salt and pepper to style
Recipe + Preparation
- Season the hen with thyme, Worchester sauce, salt & pepper. Refrigerate for an hour and even in a single day to permit the hen to marinate and absorb the flavors of the herbs and sauce.
- In a medium-size pot, on a excessive flame, warmth the oil for five minutes, or till extremely popular. Add the brown sugar, and wait a couple of minutes till it appears to be like bubbly and darkish brown. As soon as the sugar is effervescent, and virtually trying burnt, add your hen and flip so all sides will get coated. The hen will flip a pleasant brown shade, caramelized by the sugar. If you need, at this level you can too add the browning which is able to add some extra additional brown shade in order for you the stew to be darker. That is optionally available!
- Add the chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms and carrots and provides a stir. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. As soon as combined, add the hen inventory. Then, add the chopped potatoes. Let bubble for a couple of minutes on a excessive warmth, stir after which cowl with a lid. Flip the warmth all the way down to low for 20 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas to the pot.
- Uncover and switch the warmth to excessive so the stew is effervescent once more. Add flour to a measuring cup, then pour within the water and blend with a spoon. It ought to make a thick, easy paste, with no chunks (sort of like pancake batter consistency). Pour slowly into the pot, and stir till it thickens. If the stew thickens earlier than all of the paste is used, cease including.
- Flip the warmth off, and take away the sticks leftover from the thyme. You possibly can then make your rice or different starchy goodness to pair it with!
- As soon as plated, I like so as to add a bit of scorching sauce on high of my stew, for an additional kick. Eat up, and revel in!
Suggestions and Tips From My Grandfather
Be certain the sugar is effervescent, as this helps so as to add a caramelized taste for the hen and the stew. The trick is to have the oil extremely popular in order that the sugar can caramelize rapidly. The objective is to keep away from utilizing the extra browning.
Including the flour paste on the finish is essential, in order that the gravy within the stew thickens. When you’re consuming it along with your rice or mash potato it soaks all of it up when it’s good and thick! Whether it is too liquidy it received’t be as pleasant!
Random cooking tip from Olivia: When cooking with mushrooms, I wish to peel the mushrooms and discard the pores and skin and the stem, earlier than I chop them! That method they’re much cleaner.
Wish to discover different scrumptious meals from world wide to make? Take a look at these recipes!
