Antigua & Barbuda - Fungee

An Antiguan staple that is a rice alternative

Aneri's note: My close friend visited Antigua in January last year. She visited the beautiful Montserrat and though saltfish is the most popular cuisine, she also found ackee, a popular fruit. She also enjoyed a lot of rice and peas, sweet potato fries, and veggie curry roti. Antigua & Barbuda is particularly known for its sandy blue beaches - definitely a place I'd like to be right now!

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Fungee

Difficulty level (1-10): 2

Fungee is an easy one-pot dish that can easily substitute rice in a dish. Okra is my favorite vegetable! But I’m not big on its slime, so I stir fried them first to get the slime out before adding to the cornmeal.

Ingredients

Cornmeal - 1 cup

Water - 3 cups

Butter or oil - 1 TB

Salt - 1/2 TSP

Pepper - 1/4 TSP

Okra - 6, finely chopped

Recipe:

1. Put the cornmeal into a pot. Gradually add water, stirring until a paste. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

2. Add the okra, then salt and pepper.

3. Reduce for five minutes, covered. Stir time to time to prevent lumps from forming.

4. Continue stirring for 5 more minutes.

5. Put oil or butter into a bowl.

6. Add the cooked fungee and shape into a ball.

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Want to try more Antiguan and Barbadian recipes? Check out the below!

Ducana - sweet potato tamales by Tara's Multicultural Table