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Virgin Islands Cooking
Carol M. Bareuther
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Okra Fungi
by Carol M. Bareuther
Fungi can be described simply as a stiff
cornmeal mush. It is made from fine milled cornmeal and the trick is to
stir the fungi properly so that it is velvety smooth, not lumpy. Fungi can
be served plain or with the addition of chopped okra.
On a historical
note, fish and fungi's roots lead back to the days of slavery. Danish Law
allowed each slave six quarts of Indian meal and six salt herring per
week. Occasionally, there were other foods thrown into the ration like yam
and other vegetables, but the mainstay of cornmeal and fish led the
African women to the creative result of fish and fungi.
Yield:
8 servings
Nutrition:
132 calories, 3 grams fat, 7 milligrams cholesterol and
98 milligrams sodium per serving.
Ingredients:
- 10 ounce package frozen cut okra
- 2½ cups boiling water
- 1½ cups fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pepper, to taste
Method:
Place frozen okra in boiling water. Cook until just barely tender.
In a medium size saucepan, bring 2½ cups water to a boil. To make fungi
that is free of lumps, mix about ¼ cup of the cornmeal with ¾ cup water in
a separate small bowl. Then, add this mixture back into the larger pot of
boiling water. Let cornmeal cook for about a minute, then add the rest of
the cornmeal into the pan in a slow steady stream, while stirring
constantly.
Add hot cooked okra to cooked cornmeal. Stir well. Then, stir in the
butter, salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes more. Serve
piping hot with
Broiled Fish West Indian Style. More recipes by
Carol Bareuther
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