A Taste of Home for the Holidays: Your Arinka Holiday Menu (With Easy Recipes!)

Celebrate the season with warm spices, bold flavours, and ingredients that taste like home.

The holiday season is a time for gathering, reconnecting, and filling our tables with meals that carry memories, stories, and comfort. Whether you’re hosting, potlucking, or treating yourself to a quiet feast, this Arinka-inspired holiday menu brings together festive African + Caribbean flavours in ways that feel both nostalgic and delightfully new.

Best part? Every recipe features ingredients available on arinka.ca, delivered fast across Canada — so holiday cooking stays joyful and stress-free.

Let’s dive into the menu…

Starter: Caribbean Chicken Soup

Warm, healing, deeply spiced.

Inspired by Guyanese-style chicken soup, this bowl is sunshine in a pot — the perfect holiday kickoff.

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp Guyanese curry powder from Arinka
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 celery stalk, sliced
  • 1 cup diced pumpkin or squash
  • 2–3 sprigs thyme
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • Salt + pepper to taste
  • 8 cups water or chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and curry powder.
  2. In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic, and thyme until fragrant.
  3. Add chicken and brown lightly on all sides.
  4. Pour in water/broth, then add carrots, celery, and pumpkin.
  5. Simmer 45–60 min until chicken is tender and broth is rich.
  6. Add green onions and adjust seasoning.

Serve hot — the perfect comfort before the main feast.

Main: Jerk Lamb Roast with Tamarind-Glazed Parsnips

Sweet heat meets holiday warmth — a showstopper worthy of your Christmas table.

Ingredients

Lamb

Tamarind Parsnips

  • 4–5 large parsnips, peeled + cut into wedges
  • 2 Tbsp Tamarind Sauce from Arinka
  • 1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp melted butter
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Lamb:

  1. Marinate lamb in Yawdi’s Jerk Marinade overnight (or at least 4 hours).
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  3. Place lamb in a roasting pan, drizzle with oil, and season lightly.
  4. Roast for 1.5–2 hours, basting occasionally, until tender and caramelized.

For the Parsnips:

  1. Toss parsnip wedges with tamarind sauce, melted butter, and honey.
  2. Roast on a sheet pan at 375°F for 25–30 minutes until golden and sticky.

Serve together for the ultimate sweet–heat balance.

Side: Festive Jollof Rice (Made the Fast Way!)

Taltis Jollof Sauce = holiday cooking hack unlocked.

Inspired by Taltis’ famous quick method for foolproof Jollof.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long-grain parboiled rice
  • 1 jar Taltis Jollof Sauce from Arinka
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • Salt (optional — sauce is already seasoned)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a pot, sauté onions until soft.
  2. Add Taltis Jollof Sauce and stir for 2–3 minutes.
  3. Add rice + broth and mix well.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 20–25 minutes until rice is fluffy and sauce absorbed.
  5. Steam for an extra 5 minutes without lifting the lid.

Done!
A fragrant, rich, one-pot masterpiece with zero stress.

Dessert: Milo Cake with Condensed Milk Icing

Chocolatey, malty, nostalgic — and perfect with tea.

Inspired by The Sweet Rebellion’s Milo Cake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ⅓ cup Milo from Arinka
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Condensed Milk Frosting

  • ½ can sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 Tbsp Milo

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream butter + sugar. Add eggs and blend.
  3. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, Milo, baking powder, salt.
  4. Add dry mix and milk alternately into wet mix; stir gently.
  5. Pour into greased pan and bake 25–30 minutes.
  6. Whip frosting ingredients and spread on cooled cake.

A guaranteed hit for kids and adults alike.

Drink: Sorrel Hot Toddy

A warm Caribbean twist on a classic holiday drink.

Inspired by Olive & Mango — made with Arinka’s sorrel.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried Sorrel from Arinka
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 small piece fresh ginger (about 1-inch), sliced
  • Peel of 1 orange or 4–5 strips of orange zest
  • 2–3 pimento/allspice berries (optional, but traditional)
  • 1–2 Tbsp honey or brown sugar (adjust to taste)
  • 1–2 oz dark rum or whisky (optional for adults)

Instructions

  1. Bring water to a gentle boil in a medium pot.
  2. Add dried sorrel flowers, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, orange peel, and allspice berries (if using).
  3. Lower heat and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the liquid turns deep red and fragrant.
  4. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to steep for another 5 minutes.
  5. Strain into a clean pot or heatproof jug, removing all spices and petals.
  6. Sweeten with honey or brown sugar to your preference.
  7. For a true hot toddy twist, stir in rum or whisky (adults only!).
  8. Heat gently before serving — do not boil.

Bring the Flavour Home This Season

Whether you're making jerk lamb, fluffy Jollof, or a warm cup of sorrel, Arinka is here to make holiday cooking joyful — not stressful.

✨ Shop all ingredients at arinka.ca
📦 Fast delivery across Canada
🎄 Holiday bundles available until Dec 22 - purchase 5 or more things from our holiday collection and save 10%! Shop the Collection Here.

From our kitchen to yours, happy holidays! 💛

Tags: recipes