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This Island gravy with veggie chunks recipe is a comforting and flavorful vegan Carribean dish. Made with rehydrated soy chunks, it’s a high-protein, plant-based take on a meaty stew. The chunks soak up the rich, well-spiced gravy and become tender and savory after a slow simmer.
The seasoning starts with a classic Caribbean base: onion, garlic, scallion, and thyme. Tomato paste adds depth while allspice, soy sauce, and browning sauce bring color and warmth. Scotch bonnet pepper gives it a fiery kick, balanced by sweet bell pepper and fresh herbs. The result is a thick, glossy gravy that clings to the soy chunks and soaks beautifully into rice or ground provisions.
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This meal is deeply enjoyable without being heavy. It’s great for dinner and reheats well the next day. The recipe comes from Island Vegan, the cookbook by Lloyd Rose. It shows how traditional Caribbean cooking can be reimagined with simple, affordable ingredients that fit a plant-based lifestyle.
Cook the island gravy with veggie chunks
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (120 g) dehydrated soy chunks
- ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tsp (4 g) paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) high-heat cooking oil divided
- ½ onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ Scotch bonnet pepper finely minced (optional for spice)
- ½ cup (100 g) mix of bell peppers diced
- 1½ cup (355 ml) hot water
- 1 beefless or vegetable bouillon cube
- 2½ tbsp (40 g) tomato paste
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) ketchup
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) browning sauce or molasses (optional for color)
- 1 tbsp 15 ml) soy sauce
- ½ tbsp (8 ml) white vinegar
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
Instructions
- Add the dehydrated soy chunks to a large bowl and cover them with boiling hot water, then drain them after 10 minutes. Allow the soy chunks to cool until they are not too hot to touch, then squeeze the excess water out of them. Add them back to the large bowl and season them with turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cloves, dried thyme and salt.
- Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the soy chunks in the hot oil, stirring them around occasionally for 5 minutes, then remove the soy chunks from the skillet and set them aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil to the same nonstick skillet over medium-heat heat. Sauté the onion, garlic cloves, Scotch bonnet pepper and bell peppers for 2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Mix in the soy chunks. Use the hot water to dissolve the bouillon cube, then pour the liquid into the skillet. Mix in the tomato paste, ketchup, browning sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar and fresh thyme.
- Cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium and let the soy chunks cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot, mix in the cumin and coriander, add a little more hot water if you prefer more gravy and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Enjoy these chunks in island gravy with white rice, rice and peas or with roti.
Reprinted with permission from Island Vegan by Lloyd Rose. Page Street Publishing Co. 2024. Photo credit: Shanika Graham-White.
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