In the Kitchen with Chef T
A Caribbean Cookalong

There’s something wonderfully comforting about home cooking and the simple pleasure it can bring when sitting down to share a meal with a loved one. The event of laying a table whether it’s for an indulgent meal for one to take the time to check in with yourself, or a special occasion you’ve been planning for months, food has the ability to bring people together and allows you to explore the unexpected through familiar flavours and daring dishes. This month we’re immersing ourselves in island culture and discovering the secret to Caribbean cooking with the help of cook Tarell Mcintosh from South West London restaurant, Sugar Cane.

Tarell started Sugar Cane to share his love of cooking and create a space that celebrates Caribbean food. From his research it was apparent that although London may have an array of cuisines to choose from Caribbean food seemed to be strictly take-out. Sugar Cane aims to challenge this and invites people to sit down and enjoy time together to celebrate good food. Tarell runs Sugar Cane to be more than a restaurant. His background in care drives him to help others through food guided by a few key principals: Thanking customers for every order personally, only using local suppliers, only using bio-degradable packaging and guaranteeing work for care leavers.

Watch Tarell take you through how to make a feast including Rice ‘n’ Peas, Jerk Chicken and Rastaman Red Pea Stew, simply press play above and cook along. The only thing left to decide is what scent to pair it with.

Ingredients for Rice ‘n’ peas

250Ml Water
1 ½ Tablespoon of GOOD Vegetable Stock (Marigold Bullion is HIGHLY recommended)
1 Bunch spring onion
1 Red Onion
1 White Onion
½ Tin Kidney beans (Or gungo peas)
½ Tin coconut Milk (or coconut cream)
½ Bunch FRESH Thyme
Splash of Oil
250g Basmati rice
500ml Water – for later

Ingredients for Jerk Chicken

4 – 6 Chicken pieces, with skin on
Jerk Marinade (a good one)
Strong dark soy sauce 100ml
Water 200ml

Ingredients for Rastaman Red Pea Stew

2 Onions
2 Teaspoon chilli flakes
10g Ginger
2 Teaspoon black pepper
2 Teaspoon paprika
2 Teaspoon turmeric
1 Teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoon sugar
200g Potatoes
1 1/2 Tablespoon Veg stock (Marigold Bullion is HIGHLY recommended)
50ml Oil
150g Pumpkin or butternut squash
1 Tin kidney beans
1/3rd Bunch FRESH thyme
Fresh garlic (several segments)
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 Tin coconut milk
200ml Water