Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas

 I have to confess that I have never been to Jamaica so i'm not saying that this is authentic, this recipe originally came about from a little left over rum and a craving for the burn of chillies. I'm sure there will be some angry Jamicans who will not be best pleased with my version but I have to say that I think it's perfect. I have to warn you that I have not skimpted on the chillies, it is seriously hot, so if you are not as daring as I am replace the scotch bonnet chillies for a regular red chilli, scotch bonnets are a force not to be reckoned with, as you can see from the photographs I always use rubber gloves to chop these chillies, I learnt this the hard way, the last time I made this dish I spent most of the night with my hands in cold water.

 This is one of the very first dishes I made for my husband, way back in the days when we were friends that dined together, it must have been good as three months later we were engaged. If you prefer pork, this works really well with pork tenderloin or shoulder steaks. This must always be served with rice and peas and works particulaly well with a very hot mango salsa.


For the marinade:
You will need
100ml of dark rum
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbsp of jerk seasoning
1 tsp of all spice
4 tbsp of soft brown sugar
1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp of chopped scotch bonnet
1/4 tsp of hot paprika
25g of chopped garlic
2 finely chopped spring onions
2 tsp of maldon salt
2 tbsp of chopped corriander
1 tsp of white vinegar
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup
the juice of one lime

Add all of the above ingredients into a bowl and combine well, add your chosen meat, I have used 4 chicken fillets. Allow to marinate for at least four hours, overnight is better. Place the meat onto a baking sheet and top with the marinade, place under the grill for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Turn from time to time until the meat is cooked and the outside is starting to char.

For the rice and peas:
You will need

200ml of coconut milk
200ml of chicken stock
200g of basmati rice
1 tsp of carribean all purpose seasoning
2 tsp of maldon salt
2 chopped spring onions
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1/2 tsp of allspice
1 thin slice of scotch bonnet chilli (and I mean thin)
1 tbsp of chopped corriander
150g of black eyed beans

Combine all of the above ingredients into a large saucepan apart from the fresh corriander and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Turn off the heat and place a lid on the pan to steam. Sprinkle with the chopped corriander just before serving.

For the mango salsa
You will need:
250g of freshly diced mango (no tinned thank you)
1/2 tsp of chopped scotch bonnet chilli
1 tsp of chopped thyme
1/4 tsp of cumin powder
2 tsp of caster sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of white vinegar
50g of diced red onions
1/4 tsp of allspice
2 tbsp of chopped corriander
the juice of a lime.

Place all of the above ingredients into a bowl and allow to steep for half an hour. Serve with the chicken.