Fungee and Pepperpot National Dish of Antigua

Check out Antigua’s most famous Pepperpot, unlike the rest offered throughout the Caribbean. Fungee and Pepperpot is crowned Antigua’s national dish, available throughout the island nation. Fungee is like a bread ball or a patty identical to polenta, prepared entirely from cornmeal but with no mushrooms at all. Pepperpot is a great addition to fungee. The pepperpot is a delicious cuisine with a bunch of meat and spinach. Since the national cuisine consists of two different meals that are mixed, its recipe goes all the way back to the time of the slave population in the islands, when the fusion of economical meals and carbohydrates provided a good balance, and healthy diet for a day of hard labor. While the combination of Pepperpot and Funge might not seem like the perfect companion pepperpot being made from a hearty stew and fungee okra, the blend works to tropical perfection, with the added benefit of complex and rich flavors of the stew. It is a perfect recipe with an inviting mix of flavors and textures best for a fabulous lunch along the chilly Antiguan sealine.

Once you have it, you’ll love it! Both pepperpot and fungee are like Antigua’s version of Irish bangers and mash or, a thick beef stew offered alongside an ample portion of mashed potatoes. Think of pepperpot as a dish, prepared with a long list of island ingredients, vegetables, meat, and firm spices, along with a polenta-like taste of fungee.

Fungee and Pepperpot

Think of pepperpot as a dish, prepared with a long list of island ingredients, vegetables, meat, and firm spices, along with a polenta-like taste of fungee. It is a perfect recipe with an inviting mix of flavors and textures best for a fabulous lunch along the chilly Antiguan sealine.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Antigua, Caribbean

Servings 4 to 6 person

Calories 473 kcal

Ingredients

  

1 lb. corned beef brisket

1.64 lb. ham, cut across lengthwise

8 c. water

2 T. vegetable oil

1 lg. onion, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced

14 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained

1/4 c. tomato paste

1 T. fresh chives, chopped

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1 med. eggplant,

1 lb. acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1″ pieces

1/2 lb. yam, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces

1/4 lb. fresh baby spinach

16 oz can blackeyed peas, drained

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 c. yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

6 okras, sliced

butter

Instructions

 

Bring the corned beef, ham, and water to a boil in a 4 qt. Dutch oven over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1.5 hours, or until the meat is soft. Drain the meat and save both the meat and the cooking liquid in a separate container. Chop the ham coarsely.

Take the time to peel and cut all of the vegetables while the meat is cooking.

Heat the oil in the same 4 qt. Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine the onion, green onions, garlic, and habanero pepper in a mixing bowl. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion has softened.

Break up the tomatoes with a spoon as you stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chives, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Combine the eggplant, squash, and yam in a mixing bowl. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat and the saved meat cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

Add the peas and spinach and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.

Season with salt and pepper.

Scoop 1-2 cups over the fungee to serve.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, okra, and salt; bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the okras are tender.

2 c. liquid should be removed from the pan.

Meanwhile, gradually add cold water to cornmeal until it achieves a pasty batter consistency.

Stir the cornmeal mixture into the okra water. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over low heat until the mixture becomes fairly stiff. I stirred for about 7 minutes, but I believe I should have done it for closer to 10. The fungee is ready when the mixture visibly separates from the pan.

Using butter, grease a bowl. Pour the mixture into the bowl and shake it to form the bowl's shape. Place it on a serving platter.

Serve alongside a pepperpot.

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