Antigua and Barbuda

I boarded the plane for a long haul over the Atlantic and arrived at the Antiguan capital of St John's. What I was served didn't set my taste buds tingling. A dish called Fungee(FOON-gee) and Pepperpot



Fungee & Pepperpot

Ingredients

For Corn Meal Fungee

4 cups water
2 cups corn meal
1 tsp salt to taste
6 okras, cut into small pieces

For Pepper Pot

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Vegetable oil
4 cloves, cut
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tbsp tomato sauce
4 tbsp margarine
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch chive
450g spinach, chopped
2 cups fresh green peas
4 fresh Chinese cabbage leaves
450g eggplant, peeled & cut
450g okras, chopped
225g pumpkin,peeled & cut
450g green papaw, cut
3 small squash, cut
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper

Corn Meal Fungee Preparation

Place water, okra and salt in a pan. Bring to boil until okras are cooked. Remove half the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. The corn meal is mixed to a pasty batter by adding cold water then stirring & mixing this.
Add wet corn meal. Reduce the heat, stir continuously with a wooden spoon until mixture becomes fairly stiff.
When the mixture breaks away cleanly from the pan (IE it does not stick), the fungee is ready. Butter a bowl, turn the mixture into the bowl, shaking it into the shape of the bowl, then turn it out into a serving dish.

Pepper Pot Preparation

Wash all leaves and vegetables in salted water. Place cut vegetables; eggplant, squash and leaves to soak in fresh water. Heat vegetable cooking oil. Add onions. Fry for 5 minutes.
Add all vegetables, except peas. Stir. Add just enough water to cover and cook the vegetables till tender. When the vegetables are cooked, add the peas along with all seasonings.
Allow all ingredients to simmer under low fire for approximately 15 minutes or until thick. Serve with okra fungee rolled in butter or margarine.

I have a severe aversion to peas and the fungee tasted like extremely bland porridge, but my brother wolfed the dish down so it must appeal to some people.