So last week I pulled my jerk chicken recipe out again after craving that spicy Jamaican goodness. Had everything prepped – the allspice, scotch bonnets, thyme, all that jazz. But when the chicken was sizzling away, I suddenly realized I’d run out of rice and peas. Total facepalm moment. That got me digging around for alternative sides to pair with this bad boy.
The Grocery Hunt
Hit three different stores hunting ingredients. First stop was Patel’s Caribbean Market downtown where I grabbed some ripe plantains and yams. Then to FreshMart for green cabbage and corn. Last stop at ValueFoods felt like a scavenger hunt – took me ages to find canned pigeon peas hidden behind baked beans.
My Cooking Marathon
Spent Saturday morning in my tiny kitchen testing combos. Started basic with rice and peas – soaked kidney beans overnight with coconut milk. Pretty good but wanted something… different. Next I tried fried plantains with chili flakes – totally worth the messy stove splatters! The banana-y sweetness cut through jerk spice perfectly.
Moved onto coleslaw but disaster struck with the dressing. Added too much lime juice first round – face puckered like I ate a lemon. Second batch was better: shredded cabbage with mayo, dash of vinegar and pineapple chunks. Crunchy tangy goodness!
Surprise Winners
Didn’t expect much from steamed cabbage but it became my dark horse favorite. Just chopped green cabbage with butter, onion and garlic. Sounds boring but it soaked up the jerk sauce like a boss. Also tried sweet potato fries tossed in jerk seasoning – nearly burned them but caught at perfect crispy moment.
Weirdest experiment? Coconut cornbread. Came out crazy dense. Should’ve followed the recipe instead of eyeballing flour. Still edible with extra honey though!
Final Verdict
After eating jerk chicken for four straight meals, my top three sides ended up being:
- Garlic plantains (that sweet/spicy combo!)
- Cooling pineapple slaw (perfect heat balance)
- Buttery steamed cabbage (sauce magnet)
Forgot to take pictures like five times because I kept burning stuff or getting hungry. Lesson learned: set timers and charge phone batteries. Next time I’m trying festival dumplings – wish me luck not starting another kitchen fire!
