If you’re even a casual listener of reggae music, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard the word “Ital” mentioned at one time or another. Ital has been translated from Jamaican patois slang as “pure,” and that’s appropriate, especially when taking into account that Ital is usually mentioned in connection with food or cooking.
So what is Ital food? Simply put, Ital food is organic, non-processed food from the earth (that is, vegetarian, by most definitions.) “Ital is vital” best summarizes the Rastafarian belief that pure food from the earth is the most physically and spiritually beneficial.
Ital Curry Eggplant Rundown
Rundown is basically a term that refers to traditional “fish stews” made with a coconut milk based sauced. Depending on the recipe, it can be more hearty and stew like or more soup like. Either way, Jamaican rundown is fantastic!
I decided to create a vegan version of rundown and came up with the fabulous ital curry eggplant rundown. The flavors in this are rich and the eggplant gives it a very hearty boost.
Carrot Sweet Potato Casserole
When you have a rich , slightly spicy dish like the curry eggplant rundown, it really helps to pair it with something slightly sweet. This carrot sweet potato casserole does the trick! It comes together quickly and freezes well so you can make large batches!
These are some of my absolute favorites! Enjoy!
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Ital Curry Eggplant Rundown and Carrot Sweet Potato Casserole
Ital Curry Eggplant - this classic Jamaican vegan main dish is worth the effort. Ital curry eggplant rundown might seem daunting but it really does come together easily. The flavors in this gluten free rundown are divine and will please even the pickiest palate!Carrot Sweet Potato Casserole - this classic Jamaican vegan dish perfectly compliments any hearty main dish. This easy to make carrot sweet potato casserole is a gluten free staple side dish. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For The Ital Eggplant Curry Rundown
- 1 large coconut
- 3 medium sized eggplants
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato pureed
- 2 teaspoons of grated ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt or to taste
- 1 heaping tablespoon of curry powder (this curry powder from Jamaica is a MUST)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
For The Carrot Sweet Potato Casserole
- 3/4 cup grated carrots
- 1 1/4 cups mashed, baked sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup baking flour with dash of baking powder and salt (I use 1/8 cup of coconut flour instead)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil and ¼ stick butter
- 1 cup coconut milk (make your own or use full fat canned coconut milk – not the rundown style coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (I substitute raw honey)
- 1/2 grated nutmeg
- Small piece of fresh ginger, grated
Instructions
For The Ital Eggplant Curry Rundown
Eggplant Directions
- Bake eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees for roughly 45 minutes or until soft to the touch
- Cool eggplants, and remove the skin
- Cut into one inch pieces
Coconut Rundown Directions
- Break open the coconut.
- Taste to ensure the coconut is fresh.
- Remove the coconut “meat” from the shell with a knife.
- Cut the coconut “meat” into small pieces and chop up in a blender using the chop setting. Use just enough water to chop coconut in blender. Chop coconut in batches so as not to overload the blender.
- Blend the coconut in batches until the coconut is a fine consistency and the liquid resembles milk.
- Use a large strainer to separate the coconut from the milk.
- Hand squeeze any remaining milk from the residue.
- In a large uncovered cooking pot bring the coconut milk to a rapid boil then reduce the flame to medium and cook until the water evaporates and about a cup and a half combination of clear liquid (oil) and custard like coconut remains.
- This takes approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Bringing It All Together
- Add onion, garlic, ginger, salt, tomato puree, and curry powder to coconut rundown.
- Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add chopped up eggplant.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Traditionally this is served with white rice but I have served it with millet as an alternative and it was delish!
For The Carrot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mashed, baked sweet potatoes.
- Add other ingredients to mixture.
- Mix until well blended
- Bake in greased casserole dish for 45 min to 1 hour at 350 degrees.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Great both ways!
Notes
Please note that most recipes for rundown use canned coconut milk instead of fresh coconut for ease of use but depending on the kind of canned coconut milk you use, it may or may not be “ital.” This recipe uses real coconut. (However, you can substitute two cups of canned coconut milk). Rundown is really boiling down coconut milk to form a custard and coconut oil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 217mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 12gSugar: 26gProtein: 6g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Rhonda C says
I simply Love Egggplant : )
Definitely gonna give this curry a try.
Thanks for the recipe.
servalan says
This is great, I’m kind of addicted to this now.
Joanna says
“Rundown” does seem to convey the sense of “reduce” pretty well. But I’m wondering if it might not derive from a Malay word. One of the fanciest dishes of Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine is called rendang. The definition of rendang is pretty much what you described above: simmering coconut cream until it reduces to coconut custard and oil. Rendang is made by slowly simmering meat or tofu in rich curry spices while gently stirring and gradually adding more coconut cream as it reduces from cooking, leaving you with tender morsels drenched in the most incredibly rich and fragrant sauce in the world. The letter e in rendang is a schwa sound, so that it sounds pretty close to “rundown.” Maybe rundown is a “folk etymology” to explain what rendang is. Was there any Malay immigration to Jamaica?
LL says
The curry recipe went all bad for me. I roasted my eggplants and went it came time to peel the skin off I realized they had gone bad. The curry part I had already done so I improvised by using chicken instead of the eggplant. I have to say the overall recipe didn’t taste very good to me. I didn’t use the curry recipe you have linked to, I used the curry powder I had in hand that works great in a similar veggie curry I make. I also didn’t make my own coconut milk. Throwing the onions in to simmer with everything instead of first sautéing them left some of them crunchy. All in all it wasn’t bad but to those looking to make this, just know it is not a very adaptable recipe, or at least my adaptions didn’t work. (Other than the chicken!) Also, you don’t say what to do with the thyme so I put it in with everything else.