The national dish of Grenada is a combination of chicken and pigtails steamed together with vegetables, dumplings, coconut milk and seasonings. Oil Down as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and I know you’re going to love this recipe from Grenada!
“Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”
Recipe Origins
Over the years cooking recipes from around the world, I’ve had my fair share of recipes that have taken me out of my comfort zone (see my Dim Sum Chicken Feet Recipe, my Frog Legs Recipe, and even Escargot from France).
But with each new experiment came a whole new world of taste and possibilities. The same is true of this Oil Down!
I must admit, I was intimidated by the pigtails and breadfruit in this dish, but I shouldn’t have been. This Oil Down recipe from Grenada is simply delicious, and I wanted to finish the entire pot!
Why Make this Recipe
- Try Something New: I tried a few new ingredients in this recipe, including pigtails, breadfruit, and okra. It was so fun experimenting with new ingredients and adding more meats and veggies to my repertoire that I feel comfortable cooking with!
- Combination of Ingredients: I gotta say, this recipe just WORKS. Everything in the pot plays off of everything else, leaving a flavorful, exciting, and yummy meal.
- “Travel” to Grenada: Making the national dish of a country is my favorite way to experience that country from my own kitchen. Even if you can’t travel to Grenada, you can still experience the tastes of the country from your own home!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Salted Pigtails: Many Oil Down recipes call for Salted Pigtails. I found these at a Caribbean market. Make sure to follow the boiling step in the instructions as it will remove a lot of the salt from the pigtails.
- Okra: To prepare the okra, cut the top off of the okra, then cut it again about halfway down, width wise. This will separate the okra into a top half and a bottom half, the perfect size for cooking in Oil Down.
- Pumpkin: I was able to buy a quarter of a pumpkin at my grocery store that I could easily clean and cut into cubes.
- Breadfruit: Breadfruit is a fruit in the South Pacific (and other tropical regions). It’s normally cooked before eating and rarely eaten raw. I found my breadfruit in the frozen section of the Caribbean grocery store I shop at. Buying it frozen meant it was already cleaned and cut, I just had to thaw it before cooking.
- Coconut Milk: So many of the Grenadian recipes online recommend making your coconut milk from scratch. If you want to do so, I’ve linked to instructions. If you do not have the time to handmake your coconut milk, canned coconut milk will work in a pinch (though you may catch some flack from Grenadians!).
- Greens: I wasn’t able to find Dasheen leaves (also called Callaloo) so the owner of my Caribbean grocery store recommended replacing the Callaloo with spinach. This worked just fine for me!
- Chicken: Many recipes call for the back and neck of the chicken, but I had a hard time finding those. I also saw Oil Down recipes with chicken wings and thighs, so I chose to go with wings. I would recommend thighs as there are less small bones you need to worry about.
- Green Bananas: These initially caused some confusion for me as I thought when the videos I watched referenced green bananas, they meant plantains. After some research, I realized that the recipe actually calls for unripe bananas. Ask your grocery store if they have green bananas in the back that they haven’t put out yet. The greener, the better!
- Green Seasoning: I followed a recipe for Green Seasoning from Raquel’s Caribbean Cuisine. I had a hard time finding a few of the ingredients (pimento peppers, shadow benny, & broad leaf thyme) so I made the recipe using the ingredients that I did have. It was still delicious and the Oil Down still had a lot of flavor!
Tools
- Extra Large Pot & Lid
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How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Boil the Pigtails
Fill a large pot with water, 2 halves of a lemon, and the salted pigtail. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for about 25 minutes. When the timer is done, drain the pigtails.
Step 2: Marinate the Chicken
In a small bowl, combine the chicken and the green seasoning. Cover and set in the fridge.
Step 3: Prepare the Coconut Milk
In a large bowl, whisk the coconut milk with the ground turmeric. If you can find fresh turmeric, blend the turmeric and coconut milk in a blender. Set aside.
Step 4: Prepare the Oil Down
Using a very large pot, add chicken (and green seasoning marinade) to the bottom of the pot. Layer the boiled pigtails on top of the chicken.
Next, add the prepared breadfruit, green bananas, carrots, pumpkin, and okra. Pour the coconut milk + turmeric combination over the entire contents of the pot.
Lastly, put the greens (spinach or callaloo) at the top of the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes. Do not stir.
Step 5: Make the Dumplings
When there are about 10 minutes left on the timer, start making the dumplings. To do so, add flour, salt, and water to a small bowl. Knead the combination until a smooth dough forms, that is not sticky but also not dry or crumbly.
Roll the dough into dumplings the shape and size of your pinky finger. When the 25 minute timer is up, put the dumplings at the top of the pot, on top of the spinach.
Step 6: Finish Cooking your Oil Down
Cover the pot again and allow it to cook for another 30-45 minutes. Do not stir.
When the timer is done, take the lid off of the pot. Make sure that there is only a small amount of liquid left in the bottom of the pot. Now you can stir it and serve! Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- I would recommend staying away from chicken wings if possible. There are a lot of little bones that find their way into the dish and could be choking hazards. The Oil Down was delicious with chicken wings, but chicken thighs (or backs!!) might work better.
- If you can find fresh turmeric instead of ground turmeric, use that instead
- Other recipes for Oil Down will call for “saffron” to be added to the coconut milk. Grenadians call our turmeric “saffron”. They are referencing the spice that turns everything yellow (commonly called turmeric in the United States of America).
Recipe FAQs
Some people like to cook their Oil Down until there is no liquid left in the bottom of the pot.
After some experimentation, I realized I agreed with the videos I watched that preferred a small amount in the bottom to give their Oil Down some moisture.
You should have maybe ½ – ¼ cup of liquid left in the pot. Remember, you are not making a soup/stew, but some liquid to moisten the dish never hurt anyone.
Not all recipes for Oil Down call for so many veggies. Breadfruit is a necessary addition as are the green bananas and greens (spinach or callaloo).
The okra, pumpkin, and carrots were added at the recommendation of a few different videos. Some other videos mentioned adding corn on the cob if you’d prefer.
Some sources say that adding carrots is not recommended because this is not a native Caribbean ingredient. Other Grenadians say that they always add carrots. This is up to you to decide.
Did you enjoy this recipe for Oil Down from Grenada? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Beef Bourguignon from France
- Argentinian Beef Stew in a Pumpkin Shell
- Zigni from Eritrea
- Coconut Milk Rice and Red Beans
Oil Down: Grenada’s National Dish
Equipment
- Extra Large Pot & Lid
Ingredients
Oil Down Ingredients
- 2 lb Salted Pigtail
- 1 Lemon, cut in half
- 2 lb Chicken Wings, or chicken backs etc
- ½ cup Green Seasoning, See recipe here
- 4 cups Coconut Milk, make it fresh if you can. If not, you can use canned
- 3-4 tsp Ground Turmeric, use fresh if you can find it
- 1 lb Breadfruit, cut into chunks
- 2 Green bananas, sliced
- 4 Carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 lb Pumpkin, cut into chunks
- 1 ½ cups Okra, cut in half
- 5 oz Spinach, use Callaloo instead if you can find it
- 1 tsp Salt
Dumpling Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose Flour , + 1-2 tbsp if necessary
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, 2 halves of (1) lemon, and 2 lb salted pigtail. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for about 25 minutes. When the timer is done, drain the pigtails.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 lb chicken and ½ cup green seasoning. Cover and set in the fridge.
- In a large bowl, whisk 4 cups coconut milk with 3-4 tsp ground turmeric. If you can find fresh turmeric, blend the turmeric and coconut milk in a blender. Set aside.
- Using a very large pot, add chicken (and green seasoning marinade) to the bottom of the pot. Layer the boiled pigtails on top of the chicken.
- Next, add the prepared 1 lb breadfruit, 2 green bananas, 4 carrots, 1 lb pumpkin, and 1 ½ cups okra, and 1 tsp salt. Pour the coconut milk + turmeric combination over the entire contents of the pot.
- Lastly, put 5 oz greens (spinach or callaloo) at the top of the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes. Do not stir.
- When there are about 10 minutes left on the timer, start making the dumplings. To do so, add 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ cup water to a small bowl. Knead the combination until a smooth dough forms, that is not sticky but also not dry or crumbly.
- Roll the dough into dumplings the shape and size of your pinky finger. When the 25 minute timer is up, put the dumplings at the top of the pot, on top of the spinach.
- Cover the pot again and allow it to cook for another 30-45 minutes. Do not stir.
- When the timer is done, take the lid off of the pot. Make sure that there is a small amount of liquid left in the bottom of the pot. Now you can stir it and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
- Salted Pigtails: Many Oil Down recipes call for Salted Pigtails. I found these at a Caribbean market. Make sure to follow the boiling step in the instructions as it will remove a lot of the salt from the pigtails.
- Okra: To prepare the okra, cut the top off of the okra, then cut it again about halfway down, width wise. This will separate the okra into a top half and a bottom half, the perfect size for cooking in Oil Down.
- Pumpkin: I was able to buy a quarter of a pumpkin at my grocery store that I could easily clean and cut into cubes.
- Breadfruit: Breadfruit is a fruit in the South Pacific (and other tropical regions). It’s normally cooked before eating and rarely eaten raw. I found my breadfruit in the frozen section of the Caribbean grocery store I shop at. Buying it frozen meant it was already cleaned and cut, I just had to thaw it before cooking.
- Coconut Milk: So many of the Grenadian recipes online recommend making your coconut milk from scratch. If you want to do so, I’ve linked to instructions. If you do not have the time to handmake your coconut milk, canned coconut milk will work in a pinch (though you may catch some flack from Grenadians!).
- Greens: I wasn’t able to find Dasheen leaves (also called Callaloo) so the owner of my Caribbean grocery store recommended replacing the Callaloo with spinach. This worked just fine for me!
- Chicken: Many recipes call for the back and neck of the chicken, but I had a hard time finding those. I also saw Oil Down recipes with chicken wings and thighs, so I chose to go with wings. I would recommend thighs as there are less small bones you need to worry about.
- Green Bananas: These initially caused some confusion for me as I thought when the videos I watched referenced green bananas, they meant plantains. After some research, I realized that the recipe actually calls for unripe bananas. Ask your grocery store if they have green bananas in the back that they haven’t put out yet. The greener, the better!
- Green Seasoning: I followed a recipe for Green Seasoning from Raquel’s Caribbean Cuisine. I had a hard time finding a few of the ingredients (pimento peppers, shadow benny, & broad leaf thyme) so I made the recipe using the ingredients that I did have. It was still delicious and the Oil Down still had a lot of flavor!
- I would recommend staying away from chicken wings if possible. There are a lot of little bones that find their way into the dish and could be choking hazards. The Oil Down was delicious with chicken wings, but chicken thighs (or backs!!) might work better.
- If you can find fresh turmeric instead of ground turmeric, use that instead
- Other recipes for Oil Down will call for “saffron” to be added to the coconut milk. Grenadians call our turmeric “saffron”. They are referencing the spice that turns everything yellow (commonly called turmeric in the United States of America).
Marion Nelson says
During my long sojourns in St. Lucia I learned that cilantro – the herb – makes an excellent substitute for Shadow Benny. SB leaves have a jagged edge & are much tougher than cilantro – the taste is remarkably similar.
The Foreign Fork says
That is really good to know Marion! Thank you 🙂
Reena says
I am from Grenada and I can say you have done better than most who have attempted our national dish.
What I love about oildown is that you can customize everything to your liking. Any meat or vegetable can be used as long as it does not get soft or ” marsh up too quick”, as we would say in Grenada 🇬🇩
The Foreign Fork says
What a kind compliment, Reena, thank you! I really loved trying your national dish, it has been one of my favorites so far!
Dan Alt says
Thanks for doing all this research! We’re doing our own not-terribly-serious global cooking project, and this recipe came up just in time for us to make our Grenadian stew for Canadian Thanksgiving. (Not to be confused with Grenadian Thanksgiving, which is apparently the anniversary of the US invading.)
http://fnerk.com/?p=1217