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Ital Is Vital for Portland

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, August 12, 2009 11:18 AM
Ital food is largely unknown outside of the Rasta community. I mean, most every time I say "Ital," people think I'm talking about Italian cuisine in some food-snobby vernacular. Portland had no Ital that I know of until a few months ago, when this bright little cart popped up on SW 5th and College.

And not a moment too soon! I thought I'd die if I didn't have some properly prepared black-eyed peas, set off with fried plantains. There's also some fake-y meat-y stuff that vegans think is good, but I'll pass. I'll take greens and rice over soy protein isolate anyday.

Asaase Ital Palace offered two dishes that instantly appealed to me: Red-Red and Gold & Green.

They made me think that I should name all of my dishes after colors; it's totally the right idea. Food should be vibrant and inviting: nobody wants to eat Beige-Beige or Brown & Grey. Unless it's Jewish food, which should not stray too far from the ecru color palette. Anyway, they were both totally satisfying and full of flavor. If you're in Portland, mosey on over and check it out. If not, try my cheating version.

Black-Eyed Pea Curry With Steamed Plantains

Serves 4

Jamaican curries were influenced by Indian curries, but with their own spin on the spice blend. The biggest difference is that Jamaican curry powder calls for star anise. Since pre-blended Jamaican curry powder can be hard to find, I rigged up this cheater blend simply by adding punk-rock-looking star anise to a regular old curry powder. I know it's hard to believe, but steaming plantains coaxes out their sweet flavor and succulent texture even better than frying does. Give it a try. Serve with jasmine rice and sauteed asaparagus or greens.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot

1 red pepper, finely diced

1/2 to 1 habañero pepper, seeded and minced (depending on how spicy you like things)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

2 teaspoons mild curry powder

Pinch cinnamon

About 3 stems of fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup water

16 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon light agave nectar

Juice from about 1/2 a lime

2 very ripe plantains, split lengthwise and cut into 1 inch chunks

Directions

Bring your steamer apparatus to a boil and preheat a small, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Saute the shallot, red pepper, and habañero in the oil for about five minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger, bay leaf, and star anise, and saute about two minutes more. Add a splash of water, the curry powder, the cinnamon and thyme stems. Mix for about 30 seconds, just to toast the curry powder a bit.

Add the salt, coconut milk, water, and beans. Cover and heat through for about five minutes. Add agave and lime. Taste for salt and seasoning. Turn off heat, let sit for 10 minutes to let flavors meld. Remove thyme stems, anise, and bay leaves.

In the meantime, steam the plantain for about five minutes. They should appear plump and bright yellow.

To assemble: Serve beans over rice (or any grain) in wide-rimmed bowls. Top with plantains.




Books mentioned in this post

Vegan Brunch Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For From Asparagus Omelets to Strawberry Pancakes

Isa Chandra Moskowitz
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5 Responses to "Ital Is Vital for Portland"

Rasjoseph April 8, 2010 at 12:29 AM
Great recipes! Keep it ital everytime ! You can checkout my website also for Ital stew, Natural and Vegetarian recipes. http://ital-recipes.com One universal to you all.

dahliatwilight August 12, 2009 at 10:28 PM
omnomnonom lmao this place look so cute =) GO VEGAN! <3

hopeless August 12, 2009 at 06:37 PM
wow i really need to buy your cook book! amazing recipe!

salemite August 12, 2009 at 02:08 PM
I'm not a vegan, but I'm loving your blog this week! That Ital recipe looks amazing. Since I despoiled my temple of a body last night by eating an entire Totino's Party Pizza, my poor body could probably use some righteous vegan/Ital food right now.

Michelle C. August 12, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Woh! I just awoke my blog from the dead to write about this place yesterday! I loved it!!!

Result(s) 5

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