Reggae Reggae Cookbook - Levi Roots

...was the one... Levi Roots Reggae Reggae cook book.

Now, before I got practising I got my friend to have a look through the book as he was cynical and thought that no book is going to make you relive what he calls real Jamaican home cooking. Once he had browsed through he looked at me in wonder and said... How did you find this!? He was impressed, and I bet he was worried he might lose his challenge after all. Secrets

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...Soca Sardines on toast and Reggae cheese on toast (I love the swing on a basic things). I won't tell u what is so special about these everyday dishes as I don't want to ruin it for you if you buy the book!

**Rise and Shine**
This is where Levi tells you all about making a sunny Jamaican Island breakfast. It includes substantial things such as porridge and eggs. But also Caribbean smoothies and morning juices which are great ... more

I live in one of the most culturally diverse boroughs in the South East of London. The media often talk about where I live as a crime ridden, dangerous, down turned place. Well, yes the crime rate is getting worse, there is no denying that! Some people where I live blame this on rising population, others blame it on the rise of diverse communities and people not being able to live together and others blame it on just the way the cookie crumbles. But, I think there are a huge amount of benefits from living in a culturally diverse place, and one of the many things I am going to say is the food!
Everything from the ingredients available, to the food shops on the high street. In Peckham, the food that has the main presence on the streets is West Indian food and goodness me is it brilliant! So, I get to the point... there are shops selling West Indian food for £5 a meal which you can take away and eat at home. My best friend (who happens to be a Jamaican guy) set me a challenge. That I couldn't cook him a REAL West Indian meal. Real? I hear you say. He didn't mean boiling up some rice and roasting some chicken with a bit of herbs and spices. Oh no! He meant everything from the method of cooking, to using the right ingredients and coming up with a real home made West Indian dish. This was going to be tough coming from someone who struggles to make a 'British' roast dinner. But I looked at him in the eye, and said DEAL. Then I panicked. How was I going to win this one? Well, one of the solutions seemed to be getting a decent cookery book. If someone wanted me to bake them a cake, I wood get a baking book! This was in the same territory! So I had a look online and the one that really stood out was this one with its bright Jamaican flag colour cover, I knew this was the one... Levi Roots Reggae Reggae cook book.

Now, before I got practising I got my friend to have a look through the book as he was cynical and thought that no book is going to make you relive what he calls real Jamaican home cooking. Once he had browsed through he looked at me in wonder and said... How did you find this!? He was impressed, and I bet he was worried he might lose his challenge after all. Secrets

I was slightly biased when I bought this book. I knew Levi Roots was a success through the help of the well known programme Dragons Den where he asked for funding for his 'Reggae Reggae' Sauce. So I knew if he was good enough for them then he would be good enough for me! The cookery book has some brilliant auto-biography pages on Levi and it also told me he grew up in Brixton as a musician. Brixton is 10 minutes away from me and he now also has a South London restaurant. So very close to home! This was making me feel like I knew the man! It is nice that the book is broken up and flicks from food to information about the author. It makes you understand his journey and really appreciate the work and love it has taken Levi Roots to succeed and share his authentic West Indian food with the world.

To begin with when the book came through the post it is stunningly bright and is great quality. A robust hardback for when you drop it my accident after holding the spoon, saucepan, chicken and trying to hold the book at the same time! All the pages are eye cuttingly bright, when you flick through you get glimpses of orange, purple, red and yellow. I am proud to have this in my kitchen that's for sure. Nothing old fashioned about this one!

This book is brilliant for learners to Caribbean food and it is split up into sections so it's really easy to flick though and find what you are looking for. It has over 100 recipes so you're guaranteed to find something to try!

**Caribbean Ingredients**
This is the introduction to Caribbean ingredients and terms. Brilliant for people new to the whole West Indian culture or just for people interested in what certain food and ingredients are like. It was an eye opener for me as I had heard of things like Callaloo and Ackee before but I didn't have the foggiest as to what they looked like, tasted like or dare I say it, how they were cooked! The guide gives you really useful comparisons to well know British food to give you an idea of what things resemble. One example, Breadfruit. The guide tells you that although it tastes different it resemble potatoes and should be cooked like so. When you read through it you are engulfed in a country of knowledge.

**Reggae Essentials**
This section is for the people who need to take baby steps. Like me! It gets you started with easy Caribbean dishes and simple side dishes, such as the famous rice and peas. (The peas are usually more well know as Kidney beans) and other popular things like fried plantain. It tells you everything from the ingredients needed, to what it should taste like. It explains what type of meal it is, as in a side dish or snack and it gives you the instructions exactly as someone in the Caribbean would cook it. (Without the lovely sunshine!)

**Everyday Caribbean**
This section is for the big guns! Plus, also the section which my friend will want me to cook from. It's where the main family meals recipes are based, such as stews, Caribbean curry and fish dishes It has slightly easier, unusual things such as Soca Sardines on toast and Reggae cheese on toast (I love the swing on a basic things). I won't tell u what is so special about these everyday dishes as I don't want to ruin it for you if you buy the book!

**Rise and Shine**
This is where Levi tells you all about making a sunny Jamaican Island breakfast. It includes substantial things such as porridge and eggs. But also Caribbean smoothies and morning juices which are great to make any time of the day and are brilliant rays of sunshine.

**Carnival**
This is the highlight of the book, the party piece. It gives you favourite Jamaican party foods... which are of course known as Carnival time! The 'best friend chicken' recipe is great for when you have friends around. Give them a spicy chicken leg each and you won't get rid of them! I also love this section because for lunch at work I often buy Jamaican patties from the local shop. This book has a recipe to cook your own! It will take practise but when I get there, the shop won't be getting my pennies anymore! This section also shows you how to make Caribbean party drinks, like rum punch, Guinness punch and 'cheat's pina colada granita' yes please!

**Sweet Satisfaction**
This is the dessert section. Caribbean sweets really are sweet! Things like mango sorbet and hot sugar cane bananas, all have a little twist to them and no meal would be complete with out a treat at the end. There is even a recipe for West Indian Christmas cake!

**Resources and Index**
Last but not least, the lovely Levi Roots lists a whole host of specialist stores, street markets and websites where you can get Caribbean ingredients from. Although to be honest, most of the stuff you can actually get from large supermarkets. But, a bit like butchers and vegetables. You always feel slightly more professional and charmed if you get them fresh from a local shop.

So, as you can see, the book is laid out in some brilliant sections and it also has bright, clear, mouth watering pictures to go with the recipes and also inspiring sunny pictures from Jamaica itself. Pictures of the carnivals and real Jamaican BBQ's.
From a beginner's point of few the instructions were really easy to follow, and it was all in a friendly tone. Levi roots understands that the people who buy this book are probably not going to be West Indian and he really breaks it down. Not so you feel stupid, but purely to help you understand the culture and cook some brilliant, tasty food. You can really feel the motivation and passion from Levi in the book and it makes you have instant respect for him.

Now, a word of warning, most of the food in this book is quite spicy and flavoursome. Of course you can alter the spices to suit your taste but Jamaican food is meant to leave a ting on the taste buds! It is fine for people who want a healthy diet or if you are a vegetarian, Levi provides many healthy recipes with a Jamaican twist and also meat free dishes that are just as exciting.

So did I win my bet? Well, with Levi Roots on my side, of course I did! I made a tasty dish called 'Brown stew chicken with yard style gravy'. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't perfect. The rice was a little stodgy and the flavour didn't quite match that as if it was bought from the West Indian shop down the road. But my friend was impressed and to be honest so was I. Plus, I actually own the book, so I have plenty of time to practise.

This is a lovely book to have in the house and to experiment your cooking with. It livens up the taste buds and welcomes new flavours into the kitchen. I bought mine from Amazon for around £8.99. the rrp on the book is £14.99 so make sure you shop around. you can find it in all good bookstores.

Well done Levi Roots! 

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