We never cease to be amazed and inspired by the variety of ethnic foods available in our small corner of the world. From Chinese to Arabic, Indian, Thai, and Japanese, all of these cuisines are well-represented in the culinary landscape of Jamaica. More recently we have seen the arrival of Greek and Mexican restaurants as well, making for diverse offerings when dining out. While Chinese food is the acknowledged long-time favourite of many Jamaicans, we decided that an exploration of foods that we personally love was worth undertaking.

Our first stop was Y.Not.Pita, whose owner Nancy Hado has created a fresh and modern eatery that combines traditional Middle Eastern sandwiches like falafel (chick peas and fava bean patties), shish tawook, kibby and shawarma, with jerk, curry or Mexican chicken and beef wraps. All these offerings are made fresh to order with an extensive choice of fillings, homemade sauces, and cheeses. Arabic garlic sauce, hummus, and tabouleh are all a part of the options available for a wickedly delightful and healthy pita wrap. Nancy’s inspiration for Y.Not.Pita was literally “Why not put everything in a pita?” and she certainly has done that. Nancy stays true to her roots by baking pita bread daily, importing seasonings and traditional ingredients from Lebanon, and by serving zaatar bread and labneh, a common breakfast item in Lebanon: a divine combination of crisp pita bread, brushed with olive oil, dusted with zaatar (a spice mix), and consumed with labneh, a thick and creamy strained yogurt that is reminiscent of cream cheese.

At our second stop, Saffron Indian Cuisine, we delved deeply and deliciously into both the story of owners Vivek and Pooja Chatani and their desire to bring sophisticated Indian cuisine to Jamaica. Vivek is Jamaican by birth but went back to India to live during his teenage years. He returned home to Jamaica as a young man in search of his fortune. Fast-forward a few years and we find Vivek and his wife, at the helm of their restaurants Tamarind and Saffron, purveyors of an exquisite Kingston dining experience. Their commitment to serving Indian cuisine of the highest quality demands that Vivek and Pooja recruit chefs from India, all of whom have been trained in the inherited culinary traditions of their fathers who themselves were chefs. Evidence of this culinary legacy is savoured in the food, which is intensely spiced and flavourful, yet subtle and delicate at the same time. A few of our must-haves are Butter Chicken, Malai Tikka, rounded out with Peshwari Naan, cucumber raita and loads of tamarind or mango chutney. Dining at Saffron is a feast that often exceeds expectations.

Our exploration of ethnic cuisines culminated in a visit to Roe Japanese Restaurant in Sovereign North where co-owners Selena Deleon and Michiko Asonuma have managed to elevate traditional Japanese sushi to another level with the inclusion of some of our most exotic and delicious Caribbean ingredients like okra, ackee and plantain, the result of which are some surprisingly delicate and unique flavour combinations. The most memorable part of our day, however, was our personalised lesson in the delicate art of sushi rolling at the capable hands of chefs Kei and Matsumoto. A visit to Roe is a must and if you should choose to do so, make sure to sample some of her unique rolls like Out of Many, Accompong, Bamboo Walk, and Dancehall Queen. Now, how could one resist with names like that?

Editor’s note:

Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau are epicurean adventurists and self-avowed Caribbean-ophiles. Their show, Two Sisters and a Meal, airs Sundays at 5:30 pm on TVJ with repeats on Tuesday at 9:30 pm. Their first book Caribbean Potluck will be published in May by Kyle Books, UK and their web series Island Potluck can be viewed at twosistersandameal.com.

Chicken Jalfrezi

Ingredients:

1lb chicken, boneless

3 medium-sized onions

1 medium-sized capsicum

1 inch, plus 1 1/2 inch pieces ginger

10 cloves garlic

Few sprigs fresh coriander leaves

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons red chilli powder

Salt to taste

5 tablespoons oil

11/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

3 whole red chillis

1/2 cup tomato purée

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

Method

Wash, pat dry chicken and cut into thin strips.

Peel, wash and slice onions thinly. Wash, halve, deseed and cut capsicum into thin strips. Peel, wash and cut one-inch piece of ginger into julienne. Peel and wash the remaining piece of ginger. Peel and wash garlic. Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Clean, wash and chop fresh coriander leaves.

Marinate the chicken strips in one tablespoon of vinegar, half the red chilli powder, half the ginger-garlic paste and salt to taste for half-an-hour, preferably in a refrigerator.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add cumin seeds and whole red chillis. Stir-fry till the cumin seeds change colour. Add the sliced onions and stir fry till translucent.

Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato purée, tomato ketchup, and remaining red chilli powder and stir-fry till the chicken is almost dry. Adjust the seasoning.

Add ginger julienne, capsicum strips, chopped coriander leaves, remaining vinegar and toss.

Serve hot.

Recipe provided by Vivek Chatani of Saffron Indian Cuisine.

Hummus

Ingredients:

4 cups boiled chickpeas

2 ozs lime juice

4 cloves garlic

3 ozs Tahini paste (sesame seed paste)

Salt to taste

Method

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend till smooth and creamy. Top with olive oil.

Note: To make it hot and spicy, add a touch of Scotch bonnet pepper.

Recipe provided by Nancy Hado of Y.Not.Pita.