WRAP & ROLL: Memories of Jamaica in a spicy, homey, hand-held roti wrap

A hidden take-away jogs my culinary memory, and leads me back to a favourite recipe for flatbread filled with curried potatoes and chicken.

Tender pulled chicken and curried potatoes to roll up in fresh roti bread, made at home with my own recipe

 By CINDA CHAVICH

I recently bumped into the delightful D at his parking lot take-out window the other day —during my usual food foraging stops in Fernwood — and came home with an equally delightful curried chicken roti for lunch.

D at Big Black Lunchbox - a tiny take out

Channeling his Jamaican roots, D started his tasty takeaway journey as a vendor at the Esquimalt Farmer’s Market this summer, and I found him in a little space tucked into the alleyway/parking lot off Cook Street in North Park, a corner that boast some great little bakeries including Patisserie Daniel, gluten-free Fern Café and the Mount Royal Bagel Factory.

At his Big Black Lunchbox, you can have D's homemade roti topped with pulled jerk chicken, curried chicken or barbecue chicken (or a vegetarian curry), or opt for a homemade Jamaican Beef Patty with toppings.

I was impressed to learn that he even makes his own roti (flatbread) from scratch.

The take-away roti at Big Black comes with crispy plantain chips and house made hot sauce on top

It's a seasonal thing at the market and other spots around town, as Big Black remains a pop-up type operation, mostly focused on local farm markets and catering at outdoor events. But over the winter he's here, tucked in behind S.A. Tacos, with a tiny indoor kitchen and a take-out window, making his roti and Jamaican patties to go on Fridays and Saturdays only.

If you miss the Big Black Lunchbox take out window this week, other city spots for good Caribbean food in Victoria include the colourful Caribbean Village Cafe on Quadra (think jerk chicken, overnight oxtail stew, tender and ackee with salt fish) or my fave for homemade puri wraps, Trini to D Bone, a family-run spot for flavourful food from Trinidad, including the popular Doubles (chickpea curry sandwich). Downtown, look for friendly Stir It Up Caribbean Soul Food in the cinema-side Millie's Lane (aka Odeon Alley), for jerk chicken, oxtail, rotis and homemade Jamaican patties.

BRINGING THE ISLANDS HOME

My tasty chicken roti from Big Black inspired me to dig back into my memory bank and some of the recipes I developed after trips to the Caribbean islands.

So even if you can't make it to a Jamaican restaurant, Caribbean street food is quite simple to replicate in your own home kitchen.

I'm sharing my recipes for Jamaican Chicken Fricassee (a tender chicken stew made with coconut milk that's easy to pull into shredded chicken for wraps) and my favourite vegetarian roti filling made with curried potatoes, cauliflower and even chickpeas, if you like, for extra protein.

Both are from my cookbooks (the roti in The Girl Can't Cook and the Jamaican Chicken Fricassee in 225 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes just updated and released this fall) and are reprinted here.

We cooked up some this week, and enjoyed an escape from the Island to the islands!

RECIPES:

ROTI WRAPS

A roti is a curry wrapped in a tender flat bread, common in the Caribbean. I'm smitten with the spicy potato version – straight, or aumented with cauliflower and chickpeas. If you want it really authentic, go to an Indian grocery and buy roti or paratha bread, but an extra-large flour tortilla from the supermarket does the job, too. 

If you have leftover potatoes in the refrigerator, this is the perfect fast meal. Make the Jamaican Fricassee chicken recipe (below), and add some shredded chicken to your roti wrap for a full, protein-enriched meal!

2 tablespoons canola oil 25 ml

1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups/450 ml)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder 15 ml

1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin and mustard seed (optional) 3 ml

1 teaspoon hot sauce 5 ml

1 pound white potatoes,  peeled, boiled 10 minutes, drained and cubed 450 ml

1/8 teaspoon salt .5 ml

1 cup canned chickpeas  or chopped, cooked cauliflower (optional) 250 ml

squeeze of fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 25 ml

4 extra large flour tortillas, very fresh (or roti or paratha breads)

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 5-10 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, curry powder, cumin and mustard seed, if using, and cook together until fragrant, about  2 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce.

Add the cooked potatoes to the pan and stir to coat them well with the spices. Cook together for 5 minutes to heat through. If you’re using chickpeas or cauliflower, add them now and heat them up. Squeeze on the lime juice and stir in the cilantro.

Divide the filling among the four tortillas, piling it in the center. Fold each roti like a square envelope – bottom up, sides in, top down – then wrap in waxed paper and/or foil for easy eating. Rotis are made for moving and carrying. It’s a to-go lunch or dinner. Serves 4.

JAMAICAN CHICKEN FRICASSEE

I like to make this spicy stew with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and shred the meat into the sauce when it's completely cooked and tender enough to pull apart. If you add the optional small can of coconut milk at the end and simmer the sauce, you'll have a nice thick chicken stew to spoon over the potatoes in your roti wrap or serve over rice.

Reprinted from 225 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes by Cinda Chavich (Robert Rose, 2026).

Serves 4-6.

Tender pulled chicken in a spicy sauce

Marinade:

Juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp fresh thyme 10 mL

1 Scotch bonnet pepper

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 15 mL

1 tsp whole or ground allspice 5 mL

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 1.5 kg or 4 lbs (2 kg) chicken pieces, skin removed

1 tbsp vegetable oil 15 mL

1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar 15 mL

1 onion, minced

3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup chicken stock 250 mL

1 bay leaf

1 tsp hot pepper sauce 5 mL

1 small can coconut milk (optional)

5 green onions, minced

Chopped fresh parsley

Marinade: In a food processor or mini-chopper, purée lime juice, garlic, thyme, Scotch bonnet, Worcestershire sauce and allspice. In a large shallow glass dish, pour marinade over chicken pieces and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain, reserving marinade.

In the pressure cooker, heat oil and brown sugar over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, until sugar is melted. Add chicken pieces in batches and cook, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in reserved marinade, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and hot pepper sauce. Return chicken to the cooker with any

accumulated juices.

Lock the lid in place and bring the cooker up to full pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, just to maintain even pressure, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and release pressure quickly. Discard bay leaf.

Transfer chicken to a warmed deep serving platter. Bring braising liquid to a boil and add optional coconut milk then simmer to reduce until thickened to desired consistency. Pour sauce over chicken pieces (or pull the chicken into shreds and return to the sauce). Garnish with green onions and parsley to serve.

©CindaChavich2026