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- Makes 10 cups
- Serving size: 2½ cups
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Ital stew is a classic one-pot Jamaican dish from the Rastafarian faith, made with root vegetables cooked in coconut milk. This extra-hearty version from Chef Troy Levy includes a medley of four beans, taro root, sweet potato, and calabaza squash. You’ll need to soak the beans overnight, so get those going the night before. It’s customary to use fresh coconut milk in ital cooking, but canned lite coconut milk works here, too. Seasoned with ground turmeric, ginger, allspice, and fresh thyme, this good-for-you-stew has a warm flavor that delights the taste buds. Fresh Scotch bonnet (or habanero) chile adds fiery heat to the dish; leave it out if you’re serving this to children. Serve over quinoa, brown rice, or Chef Troy’s tasty Herbed Quinoa with Kale (as pictured above) for a satisfying meal.
Tips
Calabaza Squash: Calabaza squash, also called Cuban squash or West Indian pumpkin, is a tropical winter squash. If you can’t find it in your store, use kabocha, acorn, or butternut squash instead.
Lima beans: Lima beans are also called butter beans. Use small lima beans for this recipe, as large lima beans will need a longer cooking time.
Gloves: Wearing gloves is advised when cooking with super-hot chiles like Scotch bonnet chile or habaneros, as they contain oils that can irritate your skin and eyes.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
- Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
- Clean-Your-Pantry Lentil-Vegetable Stew
- Roasted Garlic, Delicata Squash, and Farro Stew
- Slow-Cooker Vegan Cassoulet
By Chef Troy Levy,
Ingredients
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup dried small lima beans, soaked overnight (see tip, recipe intro)
- ¼ cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
- ¼ cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
- ¼ cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup coconut milk (fresh or canned lite)
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 3 scallions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh turmeric (or 1 pinch dried)
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 pinch dried)
- 1 cup peeled and finely chopped calabaza squash
- 1 taro root (about 8 oz.), peeled and chopped
- 1 medium white sweet potato (boniato variety), chopped
- 1 fresh Scotch bonnet chile or habanero chile, whole (see tip, recipe intro)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- Sea salt, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- In a 6-quart pot combine the first seven ingredients (through bay leaves). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until beans are tender, adding coconut milk halfway through cooking. Add carrot, scallions, turmeric, and ginger; cook 5 minutes. Add squash, taro root, and sweet potato; cook 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until taro is fork-tender. Remove and discard Scotch bonnet, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves.
- Serve immediately on its own or over Herbed Quinoa with Kale or any cooked whole grain of your choosing.
Per serving (2½ cups): 408 calories, 77 g carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 6 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 421 mg sodium, 14 g fiber, 12 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (3)
(5 from 2 votes)The flavor was very good, but it turned out more like a soup than a stew. I even left the lid off in the final 20 minute step to reduce it, but still was soup- like. I did add extra grated ginger. I only had ground turmeric, but used about a half teaspoon versus a pinch. I think it still could’ve used more of both. I also didn’t get much spice from the pepper (I assume it was just supposed to go in whole since it didn’t say otherwise and you’re supposed to remove it at the end).
Hi Tracy, Thanks so much for your feedback! With the chiles, yes, you're right, they go in whole and are removed in the last step, just before serving.
Great wholesome dishes, filled with whats good for your body. I will certainly cook this dish. I am impressed. Thanks FOK for this article and georgeous photos of the food.