Awayii Mariniaad—Jumeikan Staiil (Hawaiian Marinade—Jamaican Style)

As I mentioned in my first post, Jamaican cuisine is influenced my many other cultures and cuisine. It is a true melting pot of flavors and traditions. Like many other cultures, Jamaicans love their marinades and so do I. Jerk, escoveitch and brown-stewed meats, fish and veggies are often marinated in an aromatic bath of home-made concoctions for hours then grilled, fried or cooked on a stove-top to perfection. I love making my own marinades and I had fun making this one.

I got the idea from a friend of mine who'd recently had an Hawaiian rib-eye at a restaurant some weeks ago. She told me that the steak was marinated in pineapples, soy sauce and ginger for hours then grilled to perfection. I'm not a big steak eater so I wasn't too interested about that, but what peaked my interest was the marinade. So I decided to make my own. I had no instructions as to the measurements of each ingredient so I eye-balled it.

I didn't have fresh pineapple so I used dried chunks instead. I didn't have fresh ginger either but I had the powder, which is more concentrated anyway. I reconstituted half of the dried pineapple chunks by soaking it in a soy sauce, ginger powder and rosemary mixture from the night before. The next day, I added more dried pineapples, ginger powder and a little bit of water and avocado oil. Into the blender it went. A smooth, rich marinade was born.

 I was surprised at how perfect it was. Not too sweet, not too salty, just perfect. I used it to marinade some tofu then grilled it later that day for dinner. I also added a bit of the marinade to come chick peas and cooked it down with some tomatoes, garlic and other herbs and spices. Along with some basmati rice and arugula, this dinner was not only healthy, but completely vegan.