Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen | Video

A behind-the-scenes look at Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen and a recipe for their fan-favorite shrimp skewers

For Dr. Shrusan Grey, owner of Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen in Wynwood, Miami, Jamaican food is more than just a career: It’s a life. The passion for Dukunoo was passed down through Gray and her husband’s family and created by a deep desire to share authentic, accessible Jamaican flavor with the Miami community. The city is host to many other Black-owned restaurants ranging from Caribbean to Cajun, and Afro-Cuban to Creole. The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrates these small businesses by hosting a variety of events, seminars, and workshops with their Tourism Business Enhancement Program, partnering with Miami-Dade County’s Support BOB 305 initiative, and showcasing a wide range of restaurants during their Miami Spice program.

“Dukunoo” is a common word throughout the African Diaspora, often meaning “sweet thing,” but Dukunoo’s menu features everything from rum cake to oxtail. While you can often find Jamaican food popped up in quick-shop market storefronts, it’s not often you find a full-service Jamaican restaurant concept, and this is what makes Dukunoo a culinary destination. Committed to authenticity, Dukunoo has a full jerk station in the back of their restaurant, the fragrant smoke and chefs passing in and out of the restaurant as they tend to jerk ribs, chicken, and pork. From mango ginger mojitos with Jamaican rum to Rastaman Pasta, Jamaican culture is infused into every dish on Dukunoo’s menu.

Miami is an international arena, a melting pot of cultures both rooted in its neighborhoods and streaming in through tourism. This marks the perfect hub for Dukunoo to flourish. Jamaican food itself is a tapestry of flavors and cultures, with many dishes displaying cultural fusion from across the African Diaspora, as well as India, Ireland, England, and more.

All who enter the doors of Dukunoo are greeted with an energetic atmosphere, but what keeps them coming back is the food. With authentic and rare flavors steeped in passion and constructed with care right in the heart of Miami, Dukunoo Jamaican kitchen is a culinary journey that’s well worth taking.

Get the Recipe: Dukunoo’s Lemongrass Shrimp Skewers

recipe

yields

2 skewers

Lemongrass Coconut Milk


• 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
  

• 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
  

Sauce


• 1 tablespoon garlic oil
  

• 2 tablespoons diced onion
  

• ½ cup roma tomato, peeled and diced
  

• ¾ cup lemongrass coconut milk
  

• 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
  

• ½ teaspoon thyme
  

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Shrimp Skewers


• 6 peeled, deveined shrimp (per skewer)
  

• 1 tablespoon garlic oil
  

• Salt
  

• Pepper
  

• 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
  

• ½ grilled lemon, for serving
  

Special equipment: 2 sugarcane sticks for skewering

steps

Lemongrass Coconut Milk

1. In a small pot over medium-low heat, combine coconut milk and lemongrass and bring to a low boil. Turn off the heat and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out lemongrass.

Sauce

1. In a deep sauté or frying pan, heat garlic oil over medium heat, add onions and cook until softened. Then add tomatoes and lemongrass coconut milk and give everything a stir to incorporate ingredients. Bring everything to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened. Add scallions, thyme, and hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

Make the Shrimp Skewers

1. Skewer shrimp on sugar cane sticks, season with garlic oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Place on pre-heated grill and cook over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
3. To plate, ladle the thickened sauce on a plate and top with shrimp skewers. Garnish with additional sauce and serve with half of a grilled lemon.

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