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Grenada vegan oil down recipe
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Vegan oil down

Oil down, Grenada's national dish, is a delicious, one-pot meal full of sweetness and subtle flavours from starchy vegetables and fruits.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Caribbean
Keyword one-pot, stew
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 1 large pot, 4.5 L or more
  • 1 blender

Ingredients

Green seasoning

  • 100 mL packed cilantro
  • 4 scallions
  • ½ onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cm ginger
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 pinch salt

Oil down

  • 1 block extra firm tofu or other plant-based protein optional
  • 1 batch green seasoning (above)
  • 1 breadfruit optional
  • 2 green bananas aka green figs
  • 2 small sweet potatoes
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ pumpkin or squash 450 g
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 scallions
  • 2 tbsp packed cilantro
  • 4 kale leaves instead of taro leaves
  • 1 scotch bonnet optional
  • 800 mL coconut cream 2 cans
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp stock powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • Lime juice for preparing vegetables

Dumplings

  • 300 mL all-purpose flour
  • 120 mL water
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions

Green seasoning and tofu

  • Coarsely chop all ingredients and blend them.
  • Cut the tofu into large chunks. Marinate in the green seasoning for several hours, preferably overnight.
  • If not using tofu or other protein, make half a batch of green seasoning and add to the oil down for flavor.

Prepare oil down ingredients

  • Fill a large bowl with water and add some lime juice. This will be used to store some of the vegetables to prevent browning.
  • Cut the breadfruit into wedges, and remove the core and the skin using your knife. Place in the water bath.
  • Peel the green bananas and cut into chunks. Place in the water bath.
  • Peel and cut sweet potatoes into large discs. Place in the water bath.
  • Peel and cut carrot into discs.
  • Peel and cut pumpkin or squash into chunks.
  • Remove the leaves from the kale, preserving the stem. Coarsely shred the leaves and chop the stem.
  • Slice the garlic, scallion and fresh coriander.

Build the oil down

  • The oil down is built in layers in a large pot, see pictures in gallery
  • Place the breadfruit wedges in a circle on the bottom. Fill the centre with the marinated tofu. Include the green seasoning.
  • Cover with bananas and sweet potatoes.
  • Add scallion, garlic, and coriander. Cover with carrot and pumpkin.
  • Add stock powder, salt, turmeric, thyme and scotch bonnet (whole).
  • Pour in coconut cream.
  • Cover with shredded kale.
  • Put the lid on the pot and place on the stove, medium to high temperature.
  • When you hear that the boiling has started, reduce the temperature to low-medium and let simmer and steam. Do not stir.
    Keep the temperature at low-medium to prevent burning but make sure it is still simmering.

Dumplings

  • While the oil down is simmering, prepare the dumpling dough.
  • Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add water a little at a time. Work the water into the flour until you have a firm dough.
  • Tear of pieces of the dough and roll into cylinders, ~1 cm in diameter.
    Place the dumplings on top of the kale leaves and let them steam and eventually be submerged in the liquid.
    The dumplings should cook for at least 40 minutes, but give them as long as you have.

Ready to eat

  • After about 2 h, most of the coconut should have been absorbed, the vegetables should be soft and the dumplings ready.
  • Serve and eat straight away.