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Meat & Poultry

Lemongrass Grilled Chicken And Pork Chops.

Ginger and Lemongrass (say fever grass in the Caribbean) are two of my fav flavors for marinating meats, especially when playing on the grill. Arguably not a Caribbean recipe, but the closer you look at the ingredients in the maridane you’ll understand why I shared this recipe.

2 lbs chicken
2 lbs pork
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 /2 tablespoon veg oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 scallions (chopped)
3 bird’s eye pepper (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 pimento pepper (chopped / optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce

Notes! I recommend that you follow along with the video below, as much more about the recipe is discussed there, including the cuts of chicken and pork to use and how to cook indoors or outdoors on your choice of grill.

Create a marinade with everything mentioned in the ingredients list except the chicken, and pork. Please wear gloves when handling the peppers and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. Use any spicy pepper you like and in the amounts you can tolerate.

In the video, I explained how to tap the lemongrass with the handle of your knife before chopping it. This will further bruise the stems to let out the fragrant oils within.

Since I was making a combination of chicken and pork, I placed them in a bowl and divided the marinade between them. Marinate for at least 2 hours before grilling.

About 30 minutes before my charcoal grill was ready, I took them out of the fridge to return to room temperature.

Grill over direct heat for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, then move them to cook for another 25 minutes with indirect heat (lid on). The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the meats. The sugars in the marinade will want to burn or char quickly, so keep that in mind.

Basically, grill them the way you’d normally grill.

Serve with lime wedges or Hoisin sauce as a dip. Feel free to also brush on some Hoising a minute or 2 before you’re done grilling them. Slice and get ready to enjoy some of the best chicken and pork you’ve ever had.

Meat & Poultry

Delicious Lemongrass Stewed Chicken in 30 Minutes.

Growing up on the islands meant that whenever we got a fever mom would make us fever-grass tea. Basically we grew up associating being sick with this bush. Fast-forward years later and being new to Canada, I was blown away by this very same fever-grass. My cousin invited me to meet her in Toronto for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and things would never be the same again. From that day on I’ve been in love with fever-grass aka Lemongrass! Lemongrass chicken (grilled) on plain on steamed white rice, 30 years later and I still lovingly recall the dish.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs chicken (I used drumsticks)
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 habanero pepper (see notes)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 scallion (chopped fine)
6-8 sprigs thyme
3-5 sticks lemongrass (about 5 inches)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
2 cups water

Notes! Use any hot pepper you like or can source and in the amounts you can tolerate. With the lemongrass I removed the first layer of ‘skin’, then used the back (spine) of my knife to smash them (explained in the video below).

While I didn’t mention a lime or lemon (or 1/2 cup of vinegar) in the ingredient list, I did use the juice of the lime to wash the chicken drumsticks after I removed the skin off them, along with cool water. I know not everyone is comfortable washing chicken.

Season the chicken with everything except the water, thyme, lemon grass, scallion, parsley, oil and sugar. Give it a good mix, then allow it to marinate for at least one hour.

The browning step is best followed using the video below as I couldn’t pause to take pics as it happens very quickly. Heat the oil on a medium high flame in a deep heavy pot, then add the brown sugar and stir (explained in the video), it will melt, go frothy and then a deep amber. This is when you’ll add the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir to coat. In the video I explain why you may need to turn the fan on in your kitchen and why if the sugar goes black, STOP and do NOT continue.

Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook for 4 minutes. After-which remove the lid and burn off any liquid which may have sprouted naturally.

In the same bowl you marinated the chicken, swish around 2 cups of water to pick up any remaining marinade. This water now goes into the pot to fully cook the chicken. Add the thyme and lemongrass. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid slightly ajar.

20-25 minutes later it’s time to personalize things. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking, ensure the gravy’s consistency is on par to how you and your family enjoy and remove the pieces of thyme and lemongrass and into the rubbish. They’ve completed their mission.

Keep in mind that the gravy will thicken a bit as it cools and the residual heat in the pot will also assist in doing so. Toss in the parsley and scallion and mix. Turn off the stove.

An incredible way to add a new flavor to a classic Caribbean dish, in brown stew chicken. Feel free to add a teaspoon of grated ginger along with a bay leaf if you want. Serve with rice, roti, bread, ground provisions on any way you usually serve saucy chicken dishes. My fave.. on top of white cheddar mac and cheese.