Metemgee

May I introduce you to a wonderful, genre-bending book and a dish we have grown to love? Meet Who’s Your Daddy by poet Arisa White and the Guyanese stew known as metemgee. Her poetry-infused memoir takes you on a journey from New York to the Bay Area to Guyana in search of her absent father. I don’t think of myself as a “poetry person”, yet I easily surrended to this book and was so glad I did. She packs so much punch into each word. If Amanda Gorman inspired you recently, please buy this book, either from Bookshop (affiliate link–supporting indie bookstores) or Amazon (affiliate link).

While in Guyana, the author ate this coconut broth stew made from starchy vegetables like cassava (also known as yuca), white and orange sweet potatoes, and plantains. It’s cooked with onion, thyme, and a whole HOT pepper, which infuses the broth without overwhelming it. You’ll want to watch the episode (below) to hear Arisa’s lyrical description of that meal.

If you’d like to try making your own fresh coconut milk, buy frozen, shredded coconut meat at a market serving the Indian or Asian communities. Place 8 ounces thawed grated coconut in the blender with 4 cups of filtered water. Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag (discard the coconut pulp). Or, use a can of full-fat coconut milk.

Guyanese coconut-milk stew with root vegetables

4.10 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 40

Course Dinner

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onions diced (use 2 bunches green onions for migraine and low-tyramine diets)
5 cloves garlic minced
3 sprigs thyme (fresh)
1/2 tsp sea salt omit for migraine and low-sodium diets
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 hot chiles (Habañero or similar) Scotch bonnet or wiri wiri pepper if available
13.5 ounces coconut milk canned, full-fat
6 cups water (filtered or spring) enough to make 7 cups with the coconut milk you are using
1 cassava (yuca) peeled and sliced
1 sweet potatoes white, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sweet potatoes regular, peeled and cut into chunks
2 plantains peeled and sliced

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté the onion, garlic, thyme, salt (if using) and pepper until golden, about 7 minutes.
Add the whole habañero or other hot pepper, coconut milk, and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes to develop the flavor of the broth.
Add the sliced cassava and cook at a gentle boil for 25 minutes or until fork-tender.
Add the sweet potatoes and cook 10 minutes.
Add the plantains and cook until all vegetables are fork tender.
Before serving, remove thyme stems and hot pepper. Garnish with sliced green onion and additional fresh thyme if desired.