Skip to content

Vegetarian

Ital stew with rice

Ital stew with rice is a Jamaican plant based stew made with sweet potato, kidney beans, and coconut milk, served over rice. It serves 4, takes 50 minutes, is easy to make, and costs about €2 per person. The key is letting it simmer long enough for the sweet potato to soften and thicken the sauce on its own.

Tonight, a soft Jamaican stew of sweet potato, kidney beans, and coconut milk, like you'd find at a Kingston market.

Ital stew with rice
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.00
Calories per person
590 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

Ital stew is Jamaican vegetable cooking at its simplest, the kind you'd find at a market stall on the island, mild and fragrant rather than fiery. Here, sweet potato and carrots soften into a coconut milk broth, kidney beans add body, and a whole chili pepper lends its scent without ever burning your mouth. White rice soaks up all that creamy, colorful sauce.

It's a great weeknight dinner when you want something meat free, and it tastes just as good reheated the next day. Kids can eat it without worry since the chili stays whole and gets removed before serving. Mon Chou turned it into an easy, budget friendly dinner that breaks up the usual rotation without requiring any special technique.

The ingredients

4 people

Fruits and vegetables

  • Sweet potatoes 2
  • Carrots 2
  • Red bell pepper 1
  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Thyme 6 sprigs
  • Whole Scotch bonnet or sweet chili pepper 1

Pantry

  • Canned kidney beansoften in the pantry 480 g
  • Coconut milkoften in the pantry 40 cl
  • Ground allspiceoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 280 g
  • Oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots, cut them into cubes along with the bell pepper, and chop the onion and garlic.

    Keep the cubes fairly large, they soften down in the stew.

  2. Sauté the onion, garlic, and thyme in the oil, add the allspice, then the diced vegetables. 8 min

    Allspice is sometimes called Jamaica pepper, you likely already have it in your pantry.

  3. Pour in the coconut milk, 200 ml of water, the drained beans, and the whole chili, season with salt, then let it simmer covered. 25 min

    The stew is ready when the sweet potato mashes easily with a fork.

  4. Cook the rice in salted water during this time. 11 min

    Well drained rice soaks up the coconut sauce better.

  5. Remove the chili and thyme, mash a few pieces of sweet potato against the side of the pot to thicken, then serve over the rice.

    This mashing trick thickens the stew without adding any flour.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the sweet potato and carrot cubes to a similar size so they all cook at the same rate.
  • Taste the broth before serving, coconut milk mellows out salt a lot, so you may need more than you'd expect.
  • For a thicker stew, mash more pieces of sweet potato against the side of the pot near the end of cooking.

The variations

  • Swap the kidney beans for chickpeas for a firmer texture.
  • Stir in spinach or chopped kale near the end of cooking for extra greens.
  • For a quick version, use leftover cooked rice and cut the simmering time to 15 minutes.

What to serve it with

  • Fried plantain
  • A squeeze of lime
  • Ginger tea

Storage

The stew keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, with the rice stored separately. It freezes well for up to 2 months, without the rice. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can I use a different chili instead of Scotch bonnet?

Yes, a bird's eye chili or a small sweet chili works just as well. The key is keeping it whole so it adds flavor without heat.

Can this stew be made ahead?

Yes, it actually tastes better reheated the next day as the flavors have more time to blend. Just cook the rice fresh so it stays fluffy.

Does this stew freeze well?

Yes, without the rice, it keeps for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw it in the fridge before reheating gently.

What is ground allspice?

It's a spice with a flavor that recalls cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg all at once, sometimes called Jamaica pepper. You likely already have it in your spice drawer.

How long does it take to make an ital stew with rice?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in an ital stew with rice?

About 590 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does an ital stew with rice cost?

About €2.00 per serving, or €8.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

Recipes with carrots

See all

Vegetarian dishes

See all