Food and Culture: Jamaica

Getting ready to sail to Booby Cay Island, Jamaica (yes I got the name right)

A couple of years ago, my husband and I went to Negril, Jamaica. We did not stay at a resort and had to venture out for dinner each night. One night we went to a quiet cafe to have dinner. I was a little skeptical becuase we were the only people there, but then again, most other tourists eat at resorts. 

There was no menu, the choices were jerk chicken or salt fish and ackee. Hmmmm...I could handle salt fish but what the heck is ackee?

The chef explained that it tastes like scrambled eggs, but it's a fruit. A fruit!!? We were lucky to be in town while the ackee was being harvested. There was an actual ackee tree next to his restaurant. He generously showed us how the fruit is picked and then prepped. Watch out for the seeds, they are poisonous. As you can see in the first video, Salt Fish and Ackee is the national dish of Jamaica, and not only is it available for breakfast, but all day.

Another night we went to a roadside stand for Ital food, similar to the Healthy Ways place in the video. We also had a dish of rice and beans with soy "meat." Unfortunately there are few authentic Ital food stands on the coast of Jamaica (at least in Negril). Locals told us that many Rastafarians have moved inland of the island.

Carnivore to Herbivore: Tofu Taco "meat"

There were many staple foods I missed when I became a vegetarian in the late 1990s. Rated amongst the top were tacos. As a newbie Californian vegetarian, I was still not a huge bean fan (now I can't get enough) and I had no idea how to cook tofu. Thank goodness I had some fabulous friends living in Los Angeles who taught me how to master tofu tacos (thanks Amber and Jeremy!).

My taco bar tonight with roasted potatoes, tofu, beet horseradish, guacamole, salsa, white cheddar cheese, lettuce, whole wheat tortillas and hard shell corn tortillas

I had to make some changes to their original recipe due to my recent intolerance to nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant..etc.). If you are looking for nightshade free meatless taco recipe, look no further. If you can have nightshades I included some tips on how.

Ingredients

2 packages of extra firm tofu
1 onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 ounces of beer (I like IPAs and any beer or no beer is fine)
4 ounces of water (8 ounces if you skip the beer)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 Tbsp fresh
3 Tbsp Tamari or soy sauce

Directions

Open the tofu containers and drain the water. "Stand" tofu in container (see picture below) and let sit while moving to next step.

Draining the water helps the tofu develop a firmer texture as it cooks

Dice the onion and sauté in a non-stick pan until transparent. Once the onions are done, place them aside in a bowl.

Big girls don't cry when chopping onions

Drain the excess water from the tofu containers and pat dry the tofu with paper towel (reuse the paper towels for cleaning the counter later).  Dice the tofu in cubes, similar to the size of a dime. Put the tofu in the nonstick pan that was used for the onions. Don't clean it, the onions and leftover oil adds to the flavor of the tofu. Sauté the tofu until golden brown (see pictures below).

Pat dry tofu with clean paper towel

I like to dice the tofu for tacos, however, you can also mash it or cut into thinner strips (like thick matches)

This part of the recipe can be a base for any meatless entree, simply add the seasonings you desire. For example,  add miso, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice and garlic for an Asian inspired dish. Add coconut milk, lime juice, turmeric, ginger, garlic and black pepper if you are in the mood for Indian inspired cuisine.

Once the tofu is done, add the onions and the rest of the ingredients. Stir occasionally until the liquid is absorbed by the tofu. Serve with your favorite taco bar items! Some of my favorites are shredded white cheddar cheese, tahini, beet horseradish, romaine lettuce, black beans, roasted potatoes, black olives, limes, salsa and tomatoes (for those who can eat nightshades) and of course, it wouldn't be complete without guacamole.

Voila!

TIP 1: If you can eat nightshades, add cayenne, paprika and sautéed peppers.
TIP 2: Save time and substitute taco seasoning mix instead of the spices in this recipe. Add half the liquid as instructed in recipe from package.