4
Soups and Stews

The stews in this book are high in protein and can be paired with some of the sides in chapter 6 or any carbohydrate of your choice.

Soups

Caribbean Green Split Pea Soup

I’ve veganized this classic bean soup with the help of Holiday “Ham”. It is terrific with crusty bread.

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1¼ cups (250 g) dried green split peas, soaked overnight or quick-soaked (see Island Tips)

2 teaspoons Bajan Seasoning

4½ cups (1.1 L) water

¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or a pinch of dried

¼ teaspoon minced fresh basil, or ⅛ teaspoon dried

¼ Scotch bonnet pepper, minced

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup (100 g) chopped Holiday “Ham” or smoky vegan sausage

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt, or to taste

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, onion, garlic, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the split peas, Bajan Seasoning, and 2 cups (480 ml) of the water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add the thyme, basil, Scotch bonnet, nutritional yeast, seasoning salt, onion powder, chili powder, and black pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Add another 2 cups (480 ml) of the water. Mix the vegan ham and liquid smoke together, then add it to the soup. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 40 minutes, until the peas are tender. Let the soup cool slightly.
Working in batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and process until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) of water. Taste, adjust the salt, and add a few more drops of liquid smoke if you like. Heat the soup back up and serve it hot.

ISLAND TIPS

To quick-soak the split peas, add enough boiling water to cover by about 2 inches (5 cm) and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

The vegan ham can be blended in the soup, or for a chunkier version, add it after you’ve pureed the soup. And if you like chunky soups, you don’t have to blend the soup at all.

Ackee Bisque

Shown with Breadfruit Chips

Jamaican ackee has the texture of scrambled eggs or egg yolk. With its slight starchiness, it is the perfect ingredient for this velvety soup.

SERVES 2

1 tablespoon vegan margarine

One 19-ounce (540 g) can Jamaican ackee, drained and gently rinsed

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 green onions, finely minced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 heaping teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon seasoning salt or Magical Moringa Spice Blend

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Leaves of 2 thyme sprigs

2 cups (480 ml) coconut milk

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Croutons or Breadfruit Chips, for garnish

Melt the margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the ackee, yellow onion, and garlic and sauté about 3 minutes, until the onions start to get slightly soft. Add the green onions, mustard, curry, seasoning salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix well to combine and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the coconut milk, bring to a low simmer, and let cook about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and the soup ingredients start to meld. Add the nutmeg and stir.
Blend the soup in the saucepan with an immersion blender, or, if using a standing blender, let the soup cool for 30 minutes before pouring it in and blending on high until smooth, then return the soup to the saucepan to reheat over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with croutons.

In the West Indies, pumpkin soup is usually of a spicy nature, but some restaurants offer a milder soup like this one. Calabaza squash is another name for West Indian pumpkin, but you can use kabocha squash if you can’t find calabaza.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon vegan margarine or olive oil

12 ounces (340 g) calabaza (West Indian) squash, kabocha squash, or any other winter squash, chopped

7 ounces (200 g) orange-fleshed sweet potato, chopped

½ onion, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups (720 ml) water

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground ginger or minced fresh ginger

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried

½ cup (120 ml) unsalted vegetable stock

⅓ cup (80 ml) nondairy creamer or unsweetened nondairy milk

1 teaspoon agave nectar

Heat the margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the squash, sweet potato, onion, and half of the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, rosemary, salt, pepper, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Let the soup cool slightly.
Stir in the remaining garlic, the thyme, and the stock. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Heat the soup back up and taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the nondairy creamer and agave nectar and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot.

Bajan Soup with Dumplings

In the Caribbean, soup isn’t reserved for rainy days. It can be served anytime, even on the most scorching of days. Women with makeshift restaurants cook up huge pots of this and sell it on the streets or in mobile restaurants, and even children get excited about this midweek soup. This recipe uses white sweet potatoes and pigeon peas as the base. Served with hearty spiced dumplings, this will please most soup lovers—and big appetites. Barbadians always say, “A soup without dumplings is not a soup.” I don’t entirely agree with that, but the dumplings do really work well with this soup.

SERVES 4

SOUP

1 heaping tablespoon vegan margarine

1 onion, finely chopped

½ cup (85 g) fresh, frozen, or canned pigeon peas

½ bell pepper, any color, finely chopped

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, sliced

4 okra pods, thinly sliced

11 ounces (310 g) white sweet potato, chopped

9 ounces (250 g) calabaza squash, kabocha squash, or any other winter squash, chopped

5¼ cups (1.25 L) water

1 teaspoon adobo seasoning

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt

½ teaspoon celery salt

1 Scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce

Bouquet garni made with 2 green onions, a few sprigs each of fresh thyme and marjoram, and a few stems of parsley

¼ cup chopped (50 g) Holiday “Ham”, optional

DUMPLINGS

1¼ cups (160 g) whole wheat flour (see Island Tips)

½ teaspoon pink or sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or cassia

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons vegan margarine

1¼ cups (300 ml) unsweetened nondairy milk

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

To make the soup, heat the margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peas, bell pepper, carrot, celery, and okra and sauté for a few minutes, until the vegetables are slightly tender. Add the sweet potato and squash, then stir in the water, adobo seasoning, salt, and celery salt. Add the Scotch bonnet, garlic, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and pepper sauce, then add the bouquet garni and stir gently. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Add the margarine and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. Stir in the nondairy milk, sugar, and baking powder until well incorporated into the flour mixture. Form the dough into 8 round dumplings. Add the dumplings to the soup and cook the soup for 15 minutes more. The soup should be yellowish in color, and the texture should be slightly thick, not thin like a broth. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Serve the soup hot, being sure to divide the dumplings evenly among the servings.

ISLAND TIPS

Add cubes of seitan or another meat substitute to make the soup a complete meal.

You can make the dumplings with unbleached all-purpose flour if you like.

Stews

Fat-Free Black-Eyed Pea Stew

A fat-free stew is just what you need when you are getting over a cold, and this dish is also the perfect thing to make when you want to put something extra nutritious into your body. But bean stews, especially fat-free versions, have a tendency to just taste like bean if you don’t use the right herbs and spices. Black-eyed peas have a distinct flavor that I love, and if you love it, too, don’t rinse the beans too much, or you will lose that flavor.

SERVES 4

One 15.5-ounce can (439 ml) black-eyed peas, drained (see Island Tip)

1 cup (240 ml) water

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 carrot, diced small

3 tomatoes, chopped

2 green onions, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons Bajan Seasoning

1 to 2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon mild paprika

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt

1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Angostura bitters, optional

½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ⅛ teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce, optional

Put all of the ingredients in a pot or pressure cooker and stir them together. Cook in a pot over low heat for 35 minutes, or in the pressure cooker, covered, at medium-low pressure for 35 minutes. Serve hot.

ISLAND TIP

If you use dried black-eyed peas in this dish, make sure you soak them for a full day before cooking them, changing the water periodically.

Lentil Stew

Lentil stew is already a classic in most vegan and vegetarian kitchens but mine is a little different. I’ve spiced it up with Caribbean seasonings and colored it dark brown with Caribbean Caramel. A side of rice would be the perfect accompaniment.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon mild paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ cup (150 g) dried brown lentils, soaked overnight or quick-soaked (see Island Tips), and drained

3 cups (720 ml) water, or more as needed

3 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 heaping tablespoon Bajan Seasoning

½ teaspoon Caribbean Caramel or browning

Pink or sea salt

Black pepper

Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the curry powder, paprika, and cumin, then stir in the lentils, water, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, Bajan Seasoning, and Caribbean Caramel. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add extra water if the stew gets too dry or starts to stick.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

ISLAND TIPS

To quick-soak the lentils, add enough boiling water to cover by about 2 inches (5 cm) and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

You can make a lentil version of shepherd’s pie with this stew. Just spread it in an even layer in a baking pan, top with mashed potatoes, and bake at 400°F (200°C) until the dish is heated through and the potatoes are lightly browned.

Yellow Split Pea Dal

You have made dal, but there’s a good chance you haven’t made it this way. The split peas are tossed with oil, baking powder (which helps speed up cooking time), and turmeric, then boiled. Spices, onions, and hot peppers are added halfway through the cooking, then sautéed garlic and cumin seeds are added at the end of cooking. The result is a creamy, hearty dal that’s full of flavor. Serve it on plain basmati rice or with Buss-Up-Shut Roti.

SERVES 6

6¼ cups (1.5 L) water

1½ cups (300 g) dried yellow or green split peas, picked over and rinsed (see Island Tip)

2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 onion, finely chopped

3 green onions, minced

½ Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and minced

1½ teaspoons pink or sea salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Bring 3¾ cups (900 ml) of the water to a boil in a soup pot. Combine the peas, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the baking powder, and turmeric. Add the mixture to the boiling water. Turn the heat down to medium, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Stir in the curry powder, ground cumin, and garam masala, then stir in 2 more cups (480 ml) of the water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in the onion, green onions, Scotch bonnet, and salt, then stir in the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 15 minutes. If at this stage the dal looks a little too thick, add in an extra ½ cup (120 ml) of water.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and sauté for 3 minutes, until the garlic is slightly brown. Scrape the contents of the pan into the dal. Stir well. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

ISLAND TIP

Green split peas have a more robust flavor. I prefer the delicate flavor of yellow, so that’s what I call for here. If you have green split peas, you can use them, but eventually try it both ways to see which you like best. You can also mix green and yellow split peas, but in my experience the green tend to cook faster, so keep that in mind.

Creole Red Bean Stew

Creole beans are served as a side dish in the French West Indies. Sometimes the dish is made with beurre rouge (French for “red butter”) for more color. Although classic beurre rouge is made with butter and red wine, in the French West Indies this preparation is vegan, as it applies to oil heated with annatto seeds to infuse it with color. Because this recipe uses canned beans, it comes together quickly.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion, chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ green bell pepper, chopped

One 15.5-ounce (439 g) can red beans, drained and rinsed

One 8-ounce (227 g) can tomato sauce, preferably Spanish-style (see Island Tip)

½ cup (120 ml) water

1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

1 tablespoon Bajan Seasoning or Trinidadian Green Seasoning

1 teaspoon American-style prepared mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon chili powder

2 small mild chile peppers, such as Hungarian wax peppers, chopped, optional

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, green onions, garlic, and bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes, until vegetables are slightly tender. Stir in the beans, tomato sauce, water, liquid aminos, Bajan Seasoning, mustard, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and optional mild chiles. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

ISLAND TIPS

For the best flavor in this dish, use a Spanish-style tomato sauce. I like Goya brand.

If you venture to the French West Indies, keep in mind that Creole beans are usually cooked with smoked meat, so clarify that before you order the dish.

Chickpea Curry

Shown with Spinach Rice

This bold, spicy curry is quick and easy to make, so it is a good choice for busy afternoons and evenings. For a colorful presentation, serve it with Spinach Rice. It is also an excellent filling for or accompaniment with Dal Puri Roti or Buss-Up-Shut Roti.

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, diced small

2 tablespoons Colombo or Madras curry powder

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

Two 15.5-ounce (439 g) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2½ cups (600 ml) water, or more as needed

1½ teaspoons tomato paste

1½ teaspoons American-style prepared mustard

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce, or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon mild paprika

¼ teaspoon garam masala

3 or 4 garlic cloves, pressed

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, curry powder, and cumin and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is slightly translucent. Stir in the chickpeas and water and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, salt, turmeric, pepper sauce, pepper, paprika, and garam masala. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the garlic and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 5 to 7 minutes, until thick. Add a bit more water if the stew gets too thick. Serve hot.

ISLAND TIP

Do not worry about the tomato paste ruining the color of your curry. At the end of its slow cooking, the curry is not red at all—it is bright orange.

Mixed Bean Stew

Recently, I learned that Ital food, eaten by Rastafarians, is based on using organic ingredients and foods in their natural state. Some Rastafarians avoid using salt and rely only on herbs, spices, and aromatic vegetables to flavor the food. The juice from celery is a good replacement for salt. I’ve made this dish salt-free. You can salt it if you like, but taste it without salt first, because it is full of flavor from the spices and fresh herbs. I developed this recipe using a combination of pigeon peas, lentils, black-eyed peas, split peas, and red beans, but you can use whatever dried beans you have on hand. To decrease the cooking time and make the beans more tender, it’s a good idea to soak them overnight, so plan ahead.

SERVES 8

2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tomato, coarsely chopped

½ cup (15 g) minced mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, marjoram, parsley, or thyme), green onions, or a combination

4 green onions, finely chopped

1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

1 carrot, diced small

2 tablespoons chopped mild chile peppers, such as Hungarian wax peppers

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons Madras curry powder

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon garam masala

3¼ cups (780 ml) water

1 cup (240 ml) tomato sauce

1 cup (about 200 g) mixed dried beans, soaked overnight and drained (see Island Tip)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon mild paprika

1 bay leaf, optional

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, tomato, herbs, green onion, celery, carrot, mild chiles, curry powder, cumin, ginger, black pepper, and garam masala and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomato sauce, beans, parsley, Scotch bonnet, pepper sauce, rosemary, paprika, and optional bay leaf. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until the beans are soft. Add a little water if necessary near the end of the cooking time, if the stew has become too thick. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

ISLAND TIP

Dried red beans and black-eyed peas are quite hard and need to be soaked well before using them in this stew. If you’re short on time, use softer beans and peas, such as pigeon peas, lentils, and split peas, which cook well after a quick soak.

Eggplant, Hearts of Palm, and Spinach Stew

This stew goes well with Boil and Fry, other cooked root vegetables, or any rice dish. The nori gives the dish a slight seaweed flavor. If that doesn’t appeal to you, leave it out.

SERVES 4

7 ounces (200 g) eggplant

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt, plus more to taste

4 ounces (115 g) hearts of palm, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1 tablespoon Bajan Seasoning or Trinidadian Green Seasoning

½ Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 nori sheet, toasted and crumbled, optional

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon Madras curry powder

½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon mild paprika

1 tablespoon vegan margarine or olive oil

1 cup (30 g) chopped spinach

½ cup (120 ml) water

⅓ cup (80 ml) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

Peel and cut the eggplant into medium-size strips or medium cubes. Sprinkle the eggplant with the salt and let it sit for 20 minutes to draw out any bitterness. Squeeze the eggplant and rinse it lightly.
Place eggplant in a bowl and add the hearts of palm, green onion, Bajan Seasoning, Scotch bonnet, garlic, optional nori, thyme, curry powder, black pepper, and paprika. Heat the margarine in a large skillet over low heat and add the vegetable mixture and spinach. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly browned. Stir in the water, tomato sauce, and ketchup, raise the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is cooked through. Season with salt to taste, and add more black pepper if you like. Serve hot.

Creole Ratatouille

This dish is the French Caribbean’s version of the popular French recipe. In Guadeloupe, they tend to grow a lot of cucumbers, hence cucumbers are a component of this dish. The difference between this version and regular ratatouille is the cucumbers, the christophene (chayote), and the hot peppers.

SERVES 6

9 ounces (250 g) eggplant, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium-large onion, coarsely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 large cucumber, coarsely chopped

1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 christophene (chayote), peeled, seed removed, and coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, including leaves, chopped

3 green onions, minced

1½ cups (360 ml) water

1 cup (200 g) chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon finely chopped Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper

¼ cup (15 g) finely chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Sprinkle the eggplant with the salt and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw out any bitterness. Gently rinse off the salt.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and brown sugar, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, bell peppers, christophene, celery, green onions, water, tomatoes, tomato paste, and Scotch bonnet. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.
Stir in the parsley, black pepper, and thyme, and season with salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the vegetables are well cooked. Serve hot.

ISLAND TIP

If you like your ratatouille thick, like I do, after cooking leave the dish at room temperature, covered, for about 1½ hours to thicken the sauce. Reheat when you are ready to serve.

Bajan “Beef” Stew

On some islands, the meat version of this stew is made on Sundays or special occasions. It’s also sometimes offered as a street food. The TVP can be marinated overnight to save time, and marinating overnight gives a more flavorful stew. If you have leftovers, keep in mind that the liquid will be absorbed into the TVP, so you may want to add some water when reheating.

SERVES 6

1½ cups (360 ml) boiling water

1½ cups (225 g) textured vegetable protein (TVP) chunks

2 heaping tablespoons Bajan Seasoning, plus 1 teaspoon, optional

1 tablespoon Marmite or Vegemite

2 tablespoons oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced small

1 potato, diced small

½ teaspoon mild paprika

½ teaspoon black pepper

4¼ cups (1 L) water

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 to 2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Caribbean Caramel or browning

1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 garlic clove, pressed

¼ teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce, optional

Pour just enough boiling water over the TVP to cover it. Let the TVP hydrate for 5 to 10 minutes.
If any liquid remains, drain most of it off. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of Bajan Seasoning, stir well, then add the Marmite. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, or as long as overnight.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and potato and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Stir in the TVP, paprika, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the water. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in the ketchup, liquid aminos, tomato paste, Caribbean Caramel, and Worcestershire sauce, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir the cornstarch into a bit of water, then add it to the pot, along with the garlic. Increase the heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until thick. If using the optional pepper sauce and additional teaspoon Bajan Seasoning, stir them in and cook for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the saltiness by adding more liquid aminos, if you like.

Curried TVP Stew

This flavorful stew can be served as a main course alongside a rice dish. You can also use it as a filling for roti, following the method in Dal Puri Roti and Buss-Up-Shut Roti. If you like, you can use about 1 cup (227 g) of a meat substitute in place of the TVP. Just chop it into chunks and marinate it as you would the TVP. This stew freezes well.

SERVES 4 IF ACCOMPANIED BY RICE, OR 6 IF USED AS ROTI FILLING

½ cup (75 g) textured vegetable protein (TVP) chunks

2 tablespoons Bajan Seasoning

2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 tablespoon Marmite or Vegemite

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons Madras curry powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 onion, chopped

One 15.5-ounce (439 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup (240 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) tomato sauce or ketchup

1 teaspoon pink or sea salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon mild paprika

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon Bajan Pepper Sauce

Hydrate TVP with just enough hot water to cover the TVP. Let this stand for 10 to 15 minutes before using. If any liquid remains, drain most of it off. Mix the Bajan Seasoning, liquid aminos, and Marmite together in a shallow pan. Add the TVP and marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, then add the onion and stir to coat with the spiced oil. Stir in the TVP, along with its marinade, then add the chickpeas and water. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, salt, thyme, paprika, pepper, and pepper sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a slightly thick dark sauce clinging to the TVP.
Serve hot on starches like rice or potatoes.