News Americas, ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Fri. Aug. 26, 2011: The cuisine of Antigua and Barbuda has become an eclectic mix over time with international dishes added to local island fare.
The national dish in Antigua & Barbuda is fungie (pronounced “foon-jee”) and pepper pot. Fungie is a dish that’s similar to Italian Polenta, made mostly with cornmeal. Try this at home.
Fungee & Pepperpot
Ingredients
For Corn Meal Fungee
4 cups water
6 okras, cut into small pieces
1 tsp salt to taste
2 cups corn meal
For Pepper Pot
4 fresh green eddo leaves
1 lb antrobers (eggplant), peeled & cut
1 lb okras, chopped
1/2 lb pumpkin, peeled & cut
1 lb salt beef, chopped
1 lb pig snout (optional), cut
1 lb green papaw, cut
3 small squash, cut
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Vegetable oil
meat scraps (pieces of meat, bones & skin)
4 cloves, cut
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp margarine
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch chive
1 lb spinach, chopped
2 cups fresh greenpeas
Instructions
Corn Meal Fungee Preparation
Place water, okra and salt in a pan. Bring to boil until okras are cooked. Remove half the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. The corn meal is mixed to a pasty batter by adding cold water then stirring & mixing this.
Add wet corn meal. Reduce the heat, stir continuously with a wooden spoon until mixture becomes fairly stiff. When the mixture breaks away cleanly from the pan (i.e it does not stick), the fungee is ready.
Butter a bowl, turn the mixture into the bowl, shaking it into the shape of the bowl, then turn it out into a serving dish.
Serve hot with Pepper Pot, boiled fish or stew.
Pepper Pot Preparation
Wash all leaves and vegetables in salted water. Place cut vegetables; eggplant, squash and leaves to soak in fresh water.
Cook salted meat in water with no salt for 10 minutes. Remove and drain. Heat vegetable cooking oil. Add salt meats. Fry for about 15 minutes, add onions and fresh meats. Fry for another 5 minutes. Add all vegetables, except peas. Stir. Add just enough water to cover and cook the vegetables till tender. When the vegetables and meat are cooked, add the peas along with all seasonings. Allow all ingredients to simmer under low fire for approximately 15 minutes or until thick. Serve with okra fungee rolled in butter or margarine.
If you’re vegetarian or do not eat red meats, you may omit the meats from your preparation.
