Fungi

Recipe from Julius Jackson

Adapted by Korsha Wilson

Published May 18, 2021

  • Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(154)
Comments
Read comments

A staple on dinner tables in the Virgin Islands, this filling, earthy side dish goes well with fish or any stewed protein. In St. Thomas, you can find it accompanying tender stewed snapper or butter-braised conch, acting as a sponge for luscious sauces. Here, chef Julius Jackson, author of “My Modern Caribbean Kitchen” (Page Street Publishing, 2018) and native Virgin Islander, offers a simple, traditional version. This dish isn’t an exact science; some people like it so thick it stands up on its own, while others prefer it thinner, with runny lines of butter. Find which way works best for you by tasting and tweaking as needed. Chilled leftover fungi can be cut into squares and pan-fried in a bit of oil until golden, making a great base for scrambled or poached eggs with bacon on the side. —Korsha Wilson

Featured in: In the Virgin Islands, Fungi Tells a Story

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ⅓ cup sliced fresh or frozen okra

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

  • ¼ cup chilled unsalted butter (½ stick), cut into chunks

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

32 grams carbs; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 250 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 144 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium saucepan, bring 2 ¼ cups water to a boil over medium-high.

  2. Step 2

    When water reaches a rolling boil, add okra and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook over medium-high until softened, about 4 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Slowly and carefully, pour half the cornmeal into the water while whisking to prevent lumps. It will get very thick very quickly.

  4. Step 4

    Once the mixture is smooth, add the remaining cornmeal and the butter, whisking vigorously to combine.

  5. Step 5

    When smooth, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If you’d like it a little thinner, whisk additional water into the mixture. Serve hot.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
154 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

stefanie

My mother, from Curacao, would put leftover plain fungi in greased bowl, refrigerate overnight. Fungi becomes solid, unmold, slice, fry in butter, and serve with syrup for breakfast the next morning!

barbara gill

In Barbados this is called coo coo

George

People are calling this grits . It's not. Grits are typically made from more coarsely-ground cornmeal. This uses fine cornmeal and requires okra as an ingredient. Both of those things make this taste and feel very different from standard southern grits.

John

Try it with masa. The lye treatment of corn modifies it in such a way that your body can utilize the niacin in the corn.

Paulita

First introduced to fungi honeymooning on St John 31 yrs ago and was my favorite part of any meal. This was pre google and could never find a recipe. Forgot about it. Enjoying the banter about grits , not grits. Eastern Europeans do the same with borscht and other dishes. We all have our versions of whatever, and what we grew up with, of course, is best. We like what we like. Looking forward to enjoying fungi again. Thanks for sharing.

lori

Too much salt. Next time only putting in one tsp.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from “My Modern Caribbean Kitchen” by Julius Jackson (Page Street Publishing, 2018)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.