March 2009 - CaribbeanPot.com

Tasty Trinidad style stew chicken recipe.

May 27, 2025March 30, 2009142 Comments

Though this recipe was not passed down from my mom, the technique and basic principles I did learn from watching her prepare this amazing dish. Quite honestly, this is my favorite dish and it’s cooked at least once a week at home. Served with sliced avocado, cucumber and tomato on a heaping bed of brown rice. Just thinking about it, makes the greedy juices in my mouth flow.

Though you may have heard that “browning” the meat can be difficult, this is a very simple and easy recipe to follow. With the aid of pictures I’ll show you how easy it is to brown or caramelize the chicken, so everything turns out perfect

You’ll need…
1 (4-5 pounds) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh/bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar

Lets get started…

Preparing the chicken. Cut or ask your butcher to cut the chicken into serving size pieces. In a bowl empty the cut chicken and squeeze the lime or lemon (or vinegar) onto the chicken, then add some water from your tap to cover the pieces of chicken. Now wash each piece individually, removing skin and any fat (we’ll try to keep this a bit healthy). Now rinse with a new batch of water and drain.

Now in the same bowl with the freshly washed chicken you’ll add ALL the ingredients EXCEPT the oil, sugar and cup of water, we’ll be using those to cook the chicken. Here’s what it should look like (remember to mix everything around and let it sit (marinate) in the fridge for about 1hr before cooking.

FYI, you’ve just seasoned the chicken. After about an hour or so it time to get things moving. It’s best if you could find a solid or heavy pan/pot, like a dutch oven for the actual cooking process. The heavier the pan, the better the oil will heat evenly and the chicken will caramelize for you. On high heat, add the oil to the pan. Just before the oil starts to smoke, add the brown sugar. TIP – be sure to have the seasoned chicken handy, use a long handle spoon (it will get hot) and oven mitts to hold onto the pot to turn the pieces of chicken to get it evenly coated. It’s important that you keep an eye on things and be ready to act fast. Next tip – it can get a bit smoky with the high heat at this point, so you may want to turn the exhaust fan over your stove on or open a window in the event you have smoke detectors installed.

Here’s a pic of adding the sugar to the hot oil.

Move around the sugar in the pot (remember to use a dry spoon with a long handle), until it starts to melt. Now keep a close eye on things here, since you’re looking for the sugar to go a bit foamy, and change color to golden. See pic below. Notice the bottom left of the picture where the sugar appears a bit darker? That’s the exact color you’re looking for before adding the chicken.

At this point you can start adding the pieces of chicken into the pot with the caramelized sugar. Try to be quick, since you don’t want the sugar to go much darker than in the picture above. Be sure to coat every piece of chicken so it “browns” evenly. Now cover the pot and let simmer for about 5 -10 minutes. you’ll notice that the pot will now have some excess water in it.

Remove the lid and turn the heat back up to high. Let’s get rid of that water that formed earlier.We’re ensuring that all the pieces of meat is nice an golden brown at this point. Ensure that there’s no water left in the pot.. it will seems as if it’s starting to stick or burn.

Now add the cup of water to the bowl that contained the seasoned chicken. Swish it around so you get all the seasoning bits that were left back. Add this water to the pot so you can continue cooking the chicken for another 25 minutes or so. Turn the heat back down to a simmer and let cook until the water thickens up to a nice gravy like consistency.

Couple points..

Salt – be sure to taste near the end to add extra salt as to your liking.

Sauce – my mom hates allowing any form of sauce with her stew chicken, she like it to “fry down” so it dry. Makes for a more unique and traditional flavor. But I like to leave it with sauce or gravy so I can put it on a bed of brown rice.

Questions? Leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to help you as best as I can.

Maybe you have a different version of this recipe? Feel free to submit your recipes – let’s make you a famous online chef 🙂

Mouth watering curry shrimp with some heat.

March 5, 2012March 28, 2009163 Comments

When you think Caribbean cuisine you automatically think heat. But as with any dish you’re preparing, you have control over how much heat you’d like to experience. Personally I like things fiery hot, but there are times when you don’t get the true flavor of the dish because it’s overwhelmed by the heat factor. Here’s a very quick recipe that I’ve tested (not perfected yet) for curry shrimp.

You’ll need..

2 lbs fresh shrimps (these days you can find shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined)
1.25 fl oz oil
2 onions, chopped
1/4 of a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper finely chopped up (remember this is how you control the heat)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 sweet pepper chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1 1/2 cups water

Peel and devein shrimp if necessary. Heat oil. Add the curry powder and continue to fry for two minutes (as my mom would say.. “let the curry fry-down a bit”). Then add the tomatoes, sweet peppers, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Add water. Bring to a boil then reduce. Add shrimp. Heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Keep an eye on the shrimp so as not to overcook (depending on the size of shrimp you purchased).

Tips…

a. I highly recommend that you try to get Raja Jahan Special Madras Curry powder. It’s a unique blend of spices that make up a dry curry powder with a hint of Caribbean flavor, since it’s made in Trinidad and Tobago.

b. You can cut back on the amount of water and add some coconut cream to add a delightful twist to the curry sauce.

BTW, it’s curry shrimp and not shrimp curry as others may tend to call it. Be sure to leave me your comments, suggestions or your own recipe for curry shrimp.

Non alcoholic citrus punch.

April 6, 2009March 27, 200982 Comments

A punch with no booze? Yup! This one can be enjoyed by the entire family. But for those wild “fete” nights, be sure to add your favorite rum or whiskey (make sure it’s a cheap whisky though, so you’re not wasting it).

You’ll need…

* 3 cups apple juice or sweet cider
* 2 cups orange juice
* 1 cup pineapple juice
* 1 6-ounce frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate
* 2 quarts ginger ale
* 4 cups ice cubes
* Thinly sliced oranges, lemons, or limes, and mint leaves, for garnish

Then…

1. In a large bowl, combine apple, orange, and pineapple juices and frozen lemonade or limeade. Stir to combine thoroughly.

2. Slowly stir in ginger ale and ice cubes. Garnish with citrus slices and mint. Serve immediately.

If you really want to add an island flair to this tasty beverage, add a dash of Angostura bitters.

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Jerk baby back ribs on the grill or oven.

May 27, 2025March 27, 200982 Comments

My mouth is water just thinking about this wonderful, full-of-flavor recipe. This one was inspired by my daughter Tehya who’s love for spicy food is just like her dad’s. Remember if you’re pressed for time or just feeling lazy, you can always pick up a bottle of Grace Jerk BBQ sauce from your local grocer or Caribbean food supply store. “Grace” seems to be the one that really has that “punch” that jerk is all about.

You’ll need…

For 4 servings

– 1 kg (2 lb.) Pork back ribs

For the jerk seasoning

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* cup finely chopped scallion
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento (allspice)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 hot pepper, finely ground
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon cooking oil
* 1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients. A food processor fitted with a steel blade is ideal for chopping and combining.

The flavor of the jerk marinade may strike you as a little harsh when you first mix it, but I assure you, the flavors will all blend and mellow as the meat cooks. To increase the heat of this rather mild marinade, add hot pepper sauce. If you want less heat, remove the seeds and membranes containing the seeds from the peppers before grinding them.
Rub the jerk sauce that you just created over the ribs and let it sit for a couple hrs if you can. It will enhance the flavors of the meat as it gets time to really penetrate the meat.

Grill ribs over indirect heat in covered grill, turning occasionally, until ribs are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours (or roast ribs on rack in shallow pan in 180°C. (350° F.) for 1 1/2 hours).

Cut into 1- or 2-rib portions to serve.

Rum Infused, Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Topping.

March 27, 2009March 27, 200990 Comments

With or without some homemade coconut ice cream, this one will surely be a huge hit at your next BBQ. Maybe it’s just a casual weekend “lime” with friends and you want to wow them with a simple but outstanding dessert.

You’ll need:

1 ripe pineapple

2-3 tablespoons of dark rum

1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of whipped topping (try to avoid the canned stuff.. get some whipping cream and make your own – musch more tasty)

1/4 cup of shredded coconut.

Peel pineapple and cut crosswise into 6 slices. Place in a bowl and drizzle the rum and sugar over the slices. Mix around so every piece gets coated (would be nice to let it sit for about 3-5 minutes – covered so the rum does not evaporate). On a medium hot grill, place the slices for about 10 minutes, turning once. Remember to watch closely since the sugars can burn and become overly charred.

Top with the whipped cream and shredded coconut… feel free to add a nice heaping scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Hearty Pumpkin, Pigeon Peas and Christophene Soup.

March 27, 2009March 27, 200987 Comments

Stew or Soup? In the Caribbean what we call “soup” is usually very hearty and in places like Canada and the US they would be considered “stews”. A great meal in one pot! Last fall I put this one together with the help from my mom (my personal recipe book) over the phone. Her original version did contain salted meat.

Ingredients.

25g / 1 oz butter or margarine

1 onion, chopped.

2 garlic cloves crushed

2 carrots, sliced

1 – 15g / 4 oz seeded, peeled pumpkin, chopped

1 Christophene, peeled, stoned and chopped (same size as the pumpkin)
Hearty Pumpkin Stew With Pigeon Peas and Christophene.

1 – 15g / 4 oz pigeon peas (that’s about a 1/3 of a normal can)

600 ml / 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock.

2 sprigs of thyme (dried if you can’t get fresh)

1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves chopped.

25-50 g / 1-2 oz coconut cream (liquid or solid)

2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

hot pepper

salt

Fun Fact : The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, and vegetable pear, is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

Step 1.

Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion is soft. You may want to cook the onion a bit before adding the garlic, since garlic is know to burn fast and become very bitter. .

Step 2.

Stir in the carrots, pumpkin, christophene, pigeon peas, stock and thyme at this point. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Step 3.

Add the coriander, coconut, cinnamon, hot pepper and salt (to taste). Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced and thick (agin to your liking.. I like mine thick) . Serve hot… garnish with coriander.

Here’s a peek at the finished product…

Do you have another version of this recipe? We welcome you to post your comments or submit your recipe and be featured on one of the fastest growing websites dedicted to Caribbean culinary culture.

Chris…