February 2010 - CaribbeanPot.com

The Ultimate Curry Goat Recipe.

May 28, 2025February 25, 2010116 Comments

Ever since my Ultimate Curry Chicken recipe I’ve decided to attach the word “Ultimate” to any dish I make for sharing with you all, that goes beyond my expectations. I must say that I’ve never been a fan of curry goat and I’m sure I can count the number of times I’ve had it on my fingers. But I’m so glad that I tried this recipe a couple nights ago, so I now have a new appreciation for it. For the great cook that my mom is and I guess I can add my sister, aunts and grandmother to the list… I think I’ve trumped them all with this recipe. Just don’t tell them I said that.. that will lead to “confusion”.

For those of you who showed interest in the recipe when I mentioned I was cooking it the other night on the Face Book Fan page, I do apologize for the delay in actually posting it here. Lately I’ve been swamped work with the new website I launched as well as my other web properties, so finding time to blog about cooking is not as easy as before.

You’ll Need

2 lbs goat cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic crushed or sliced thin
3 sprigs thyme
1 tomato sliced
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (any hot pepper you like)
2 scallions
1/2 teaspoon curry powder for seasoning the meat
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder for cooking
1/4 teaspoon geera powder (cumin)
1/4 teaspoon amchar masala (optional but goes well with this dish)
1 leaf Spanish thyme crushed (optional)
4 leaves shado beni (bhandhanya)
1/2 teaspoon ketchup
3 tablespoon oil (something that can withstand high heat)
3 1/4 cups water

* If you don’t have access to the shado beni you can use 1 table spoon of green seasoning or 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro.

* I used boned goat meat, but feel free to use boneless if you want. If using boned, remember to get the butcher to cut it into pieces for you as the bones are VERY tough and will do damage to your knives.

* If you can’t get goat meat, I’m sure you can use lamb with great results.

Wash and drain the meat, then season with everything listed above except the water, oil, onion, garlic, pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder. BTW if you’re wondering what curry powder I use, it’s the Raja Jahan Special Madras curry. Made by Turban Brand Products of Trinidad and Tobago, it’s my absolute favourite. Mix well, cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hrs. Try to seal tight as the smell can easily overwhelm the inside of your fridge. Remember to take it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before cooking so it gets back to room temperature.

Here’s a pic of the geera and amchar masalaI used (my 2 secret ingredients) :

Lets get to cooking now. In a heavy pot put the oil to heat on medium/high, then add the onion and garlic and allow to cook for a few minutes (until they go soft and the garlic releases it’s flavours). Now add the hot pepper and curry powder so it cooks with the onion and garlic. Give this a minute or 2, until it starts to stick or go really thick. Now add a 1/4 cup of water and allow this to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring.

As the water dries off, you’ll notice that the curry will take on a sort of grainy texture and the oil will start being visible again at the bottom of the pot. The colour of the curry will also go darker.. this is an indication that it’s time to add the seasoned meat to the pot.

Turn up the heat and start adding the pieces of seasoned goat a few pieces at a time and stir between each batch you add. This will allow each piece to get coasted with the curry sauce we just created. After you’ve added all the meat, there are 3 steps.

1. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer (it will release it’s own juices).

2. Add the 3 cups of water left from the ingredient list to the bowl that had the seasoned pieces of meat. This will allow the water to pick up any of the seasonings that may be left behind. Set that aside for later.

3. Stir every 5 minutes or so.

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes on a gentle simmer, then remove the lid and turn up the heat. We now need to burn off all those natural juices that were released as it simmered. You’ll know when it’s all gone when you stir the pot and can see the bottom of it without any liquid. Now add the 3 cups of water we had transferred to the bowl we seasoned the meat in. Bring that to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and let it do it’s thing. Remember to keep it covered and stir every 15 minutes or so. We’re basically braising the meat so it’s nice and tender with a rich thick gravy. This can take up to 1 1/2 – 2 hours depending on how soft you like your meat and how old the goat was before it was butchered. Older goats will take longer to cook.

TIP: Feel free to use a pressure cooker for the step (when we added the 3 cups of water) to cut back drastically on the cooking time. I’ve also seen my aunt do this step in the oven as well. She puts it in a baking dish covered with tin foil and set at about 375 and it cooks away slowly in there. Since I’ve never used a pressure cooker, I’m afraid I can’t say how long it will take using that cooking option.

After 1 1/2 hrs, it’s time to test to see if it’s as tender as you like. Simply take a piece out and allow to cool on a side plate, then press with a fork or bite off a piece to see how tender it is. If you’re happy with it’s texture, it’s time to reduce the gravy to a thickness you like. Usually the gravy will be perfect, but if you find that it’s a bit runny, simply raise the heat and burn off. Pay close attention so you don’t burn it in the final stages of cooking.

So what do you pair this with? This is a classic dish to eat with rice (most people like white rice, but I’m a HUGE fan of brown rice), ground provisions, roti (any type), at Jamaican restaurants you’ll get rice and peas, great for sucking up the gravy with pita bread and if all fails… level it down on it’s own 🙂

Leave me your comments or different versions of this recipe in the box provided below. It’s really appreciated. BTW, this will easily serve 4-5 people.

Happy cooking

chris…

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A non-traditional oven roasted pork recipe.

May 27, 2025February 22, 201026 Comments

With the busy schedule we live (even though I work from home) I try my best to have a family meal on Sundays. And it seems that too is becoming harder to schedule with our girls being older now and having so many plans of their own. I remember how nice it was to have a Sunday lunch (probably the most important meal in the Caribbean) with everyone when we were growing up on the islands. The scent, the food, family being together and the “ethnic fatigue” that makes you want to sleep after that amazing meal. Though our girls may never experience that, at least they will recall Sunday dinners when they grow up and have a family of their own. Do you have a tradition when it comes to meals? Leave me your comments below.

You’ll Need:

1 pork loin roast, about 4-5 pounds (you can use boneless, but I like the extra flavour from the one with the bone intact)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground is best)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Hot pepper sauce (or Tabasco)
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons fresh squeezed)
1 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar

Note: This in NOT a traditional dish from Trinidad and Tobago, but I’m positive you’ll love it.

Note: Many pork loins you get at the butcher or grocery may have the fat trimmed off it. If you can, get a cut with a thin layer of fat on the top (see my pic below) While it cooks in the oven that fat will help keep the meat from becoming too dry.

Start by preparing the baste well be using, by combining all the ingredients (except the pork) in a medium saucepan and then bring it to a boil. Allow it to simmer for about 7-10 minutes. I use a whisk to help everything mix together properly.

Then preheat your oven to about 325 while your baste simmers. I also wash the meat off with some cool water and dry it off before placing into my roasting pan. If you don’t have a pan with a cover, you’ll need some aluminum foil to tent the pan to seal in the juices while it roasts for the first couple hours.

Now your oven should be ready. Spoon some of the baste we just made onto the pork loin, cover the pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Let that cook for about 2 hrs at the temp we set. Continue basting (spoon on) every 25 minutes or so. In my case I like pouring the entire basting liquid I prepared into the roasting pan and baste from that. Please note that since we used vinegar in the liquid, you will get a strong smell every time you open the roasting pan. Vinegar is one of those things our noses are very particular about, since we don’t use it as much in the Caribbean as it’s done in North America. Don’t be alarmed… your entire house will have a wonderful smell as this slowly cooks away in the oven.

Allow this to cook for about 2 hours, then remove the lid and allow it to cook for another 30-45 minutes with the lid off. Remember to keep basting. With the lid off you’ll notice that the fat (BTW, place the fat side up in the pan when roasting) will start to get dark and almost look as if it’s burning. Don’t worry about that. That’s added flavour 🙂

Couple points.

1. After removing from the oven, allow the meat to rest a bit before slicing. This will allow any juices to redistribute back to the meat and help the meat itself relax.

2. The sauce at the bottom of the pan will be a bit tangy from the lemons and vinegar. It’s up to you to use it as a drizzle on the slices of roasted pork. But I find that our girls don’t really care for it.

So guess what I’m having for lunch today? Yes, roast pork sandwiches with a garlic/mayo/mustard sauce and slices of red onions.

Let me know if you have any questions by leaving me a message in the comments box below.

Happy cooking

Chris…

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Let’s put the Pak Choi debate to rest now?

March 5, 2012February 17, 201021 Comments

This recipe is in response to all the comments I got to the Swiss Chard recipe I posted a while back. It seems there were a lot of people who were getting confused with Swiss Chard and Pak Choi. I could easily see why, as not only do they both taste great when cooked and the preparation is basically the same, plus the appearance is very similar. Normally I cook pak choi when I have some left over stew pork as it adds a great flavour to the finished dish, but seeing the nice selection they had at the grocers our last visit. I just had to get some, even though I had no leftover pork.

To understand what I mean when I talk about the confusion caused by the Swiss Chard recipe, you must also check out that recipe and read the comments directly below it. CLICK HERE > Swiss Chard Recipe. While there take a close look at the stems (white part) of the chard, now compare it to the white part of the pak choi (pics below). also note that the green part of the Swiss Chard has a bit more waxy look to it, very crinkled and can be very large. I’ll be sure to plant both pack choi and swiss chard this spring in my garden to get some better pics to show the subtle differences.

You’ll Need

1 bundle of Pak Choi 1 1/2 – 2 lbs (also known as bok choi or Peking cabbage)
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic (sliced tin or crushed)
1 medium onion sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of hot pepper – optional (I use habanero or scotch bonnet – adds great flavour and some heat)

Start by separating the leaves of the pak choi and rinse thoroughly under running water to remove all the sand and dirt that can accumulate there. Pak Choi is usually planted in sandy soil,as as the leaves develop, sand and dirt can get trapped between the leaves.

The next step is to cut the leaves and stems into smaller pieces (cubes and strips) to allow for fast and even cooking. You’ll notice that in the pak choi I got there’s a lot of stem (white part) and not as much green leafy part. In the Caribbean the leafy part is much bigger, but I have to use what I can find 🙂 What I usually do is cut the white part length-wise into 1/2 thick strips (see pic below). Then I roll the leafy part into a somewhat tight bundle and slice the entire thing. So I get the white parts cubed and the leafy part comes out is shreds.

Lets get to cooking now. Heat the oil in a fairly wide pan and add the onion, garlic and slices of pepper. Allow that to cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and the oil is infused with the garlic. Takes about 4-5 minuets. Now start adding the pak coi to the pot (you’ll think it won’t fit at first.. but it will cook down). Stir and keep adding. Then add the salt and black pepper. With the heat between med and low, cook covered for about 5 minutes.

Now remove the lid and allow all that liquid that accumulated to cook off. I turn up the heat a bit and it takes about 5-10 minutes to cook off. Now depending on the texture you like ( soft or with a gently crunch) you may have to experiment with the final cooking time (after you’ve removed the lid).

TIP!. As mentioned above for an extra level of flavour you can add left over pieces of stewed pork the last couple minutes of cooking. And another way to flavour this is by adding some pieces of salted cod when you’re cooking the onions at the start.

So can you tell the difference between Swiss Chard and Pak Choi now? They both taste very similar, except I find that the Swiss Chard has a bit of a more bitter taste and the Pak Choi seems to be a bit smoky.

I’d love to hear from you, so I encourage you to leave me your comments below. Maybe you have a different version of this recipe you’d like to share?

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Rice and peas without peas?

March 5, 2012February 7, 201055 Comments

Though you may know it as rice and peas or peas and rice, peas is not actually used in this dish. Instead red kidney beans is the actual “peas” of choice used. And though we may associate this dish as being uniquely Jamaican, it’s also enjoyed throughout the Caribbean. However there are limited restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago that serves it and I’m still to find a home where it’s part of their weekly menu. Our choice for a rice dish with peas is Pelau.

This recipe is a modified version of a recipe that was passed on to me from a good friend from St Vincent. According to him, he makes the best rice and peas in the Caribbean… we’ll leave it as that for now!

You’ll Need…

2 cups brown rice (not instant)
3 cups water
1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 cloves of garlic
1 scallion (sliced)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 can red beans (kidney) 19oz
1 teaspoon salt
Dash black pepper
1 whole hot pepper (scotch bonnet, habanero or whatever you like) * This is optional.
1 medium onion diced

Start by dicing the onion and scallion and smash the garlic so it’s crushed but not in many pieces. This way you can remove it from the finished dish easily. Also remember to remove the thyme off the sprig or you can leave it on the sprig and take the spring out when the dish is done cooking.

Then we’ll put a deep pot on medium heat and pour in the oil to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, thyme and scallion. Allow this to cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

While this cooks, let’s get the rice ready. I usually wash my rice before cooking to get rid of any grit and dirt. I do so by putting the rice into a bowl and let warm water cover it. Then using my hand and fingers I massage the rice. You’ll notice the water will go a bit gritty/white (see pic below). Drain that water out and rise a couple times again. Be sure to drain out the water well the final time. Now the onion should be soft and the oil infused with the other ingredients we added to the pot. Empty the wash rice and give the pot a good stir.

I’ve seem people empty the can of red beans directly into the pot, but I hate the liquid it’s packaged in. So I drain and give a quick rinse before emptying into the pot. After that I add the water, coconut milk, dash of black pepper, salt and the whole pepper. By putting the pepper whole, I can remove it at the end… plus it will get some of the flavour of the pepper without the actual heat. I then bring it up to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cover the pot. This will then cook for about 25 minutes.

Stir every 5 minutes or so, and play close attention to the level of liquid. If you find that the liquid is drying up too fast, turn down the heat a bit. The final 10 minutes is crucial, since you want the rice to to cook, but not overcook and go mushy. If after 20 minutes you find that the rice is plump, turn up the heat (remove the lid) and cook off any remaining liquid. TIP: Here’s a simple way to test the rice to see if it’s done. Take a couple gains out of the pot and place on the counter top or on a side dish. Now gently press your fingers down and across the grain of rice. If there’s no solid texture (grainy feel), it means the rice is fully cooked.

As mentioned the last 10 minutes is crucial, since this is where you can control the desired texture of the rice. With the use of coconut milk and the fact that the rice contains starch it’s very easy to go creamy and sticky. I like my rice grainy so I burn off the liquid very fast once I determine that it fully cooked. Most times I under cook it (means the rice could use about 5 minutes more cooking) then I remove it off the heat with the lid covered. The residual heat in the pot continues to cook it while not on the heat of the stove.

* If you find that your rice is not fully cooked and your liquid is gone, simply add some boiling water to the pot and continue cooking.

The finished dish with some curry chicken wings.

I’d love to hear from you, especially if you have a different way of preparing rices and peas. Please leave me your comments in the area provided below.

Happy cooking

chris…

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Can smoke herrings be considered comfort food?

March 5, 2012February 5, 201053 Comments

My idea of comfort food is any meal that takes me back to a time or place where I was in total bliss. Words alone could never tell how happy it was for us as kids growing up on the islands, but there are several meals that takes me right back to those days. I still recall days when my dad would bring home ground provisions from the garden and my mom would cook up a batch of smoke herring to top a plate full of yam, dasheen and green bananas. Back then I wouldn’t eat the actual pieces of smoked herrings, but the oil was drizzled all over my plate of provision.

Our girls hate the smell of smoke herrings, so with having the house all to myself today I thought I’d take advantage of this opportunity and fire up the stove to prepare some comfort food from my youth. Little did they know I had this day planned from a few days ago when I first learned that I would be home alone. I had already source some yam and smoke herring fillets.

NOTE: I’m using the herring fillets since it’s a lot less work, but I’m almost positive that you won’t get fillets if you live in the Caribbean. You can check out a pic I took at the San Fernando public market back in October of a huge pile of smoked herrings as it’s sold in the Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

1/2 lb smoked herring fillets
1 tomato
1 medium onion
1 hot pepper (your choice – I use habanero, including seeds)
dash of black pepper
6-8 tablespoons olive oil

Optional ingredients:
– 1/ 2 bell pepper diced
– 1 scallion sliced thin
– 1/4 red onion sliced thin.
– 1 pimento pepper sliced thin

* If you’re using a very hot pepper like habanero or scotch bonnet and don’t want the “flaming” heat, don’t include the seeds or the membrane that surrounds the seeds.

Start by putting the fillets into a fairly deep bowl and cover with boiling water. This will help remove some of the salt and make the fish tender enough to shred. TIP: Smoke herrings will give your hands a very strong smell which will remain long after… even after you wash with soap. If you can get a pair of disposable gloves I ‘d suggest you use it when handing the fish.

If I was making this during the warmer months I would boil it in a pot with water for a few minutes on the side burner of my grill outside. But if I were to do that during the winter months indoor, the smell would be too much for even me to handle. So I did the next best thing and poured the hot water directly over it and allow it to soak from about 15 minutes.

While the smoke herring fillets soak in the hot (make sure it’s boiling and not just hot water from your tap) water, I prepare the onion, pepper and tomato. Basically all you’re doing is slicing the pepper and onion very thin and dice the tomato into small pieces. If you’re using the optional ingredients, all you have to do is slice/dice the same as you did with the onions etc.

Drain out the water from the bowl and rinse the fillets with a fresh batch of cool water. Squeeze dry and start breaking/shredding the fillets into small pieces. You may notice some tiny bones.. try to remove as much as you can. But don’t worry they won’t cause any real harm as they are very soft.

Let’s now assemble everything…

Empty all the onions, pepper and tomato into the bowl with the shredded herring and add a couple dashes of black pepper. Then give it a good mix. The final step is to heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat and as soon as you start seeing smoke, pour it over everything. This will help cook the onion and allow all the flavours to marry. Mix well and serve.

Here’s my complete dish of boil yam topped with the smoked herrings…

The only thing I hate about comfort food is the “ritis” it gives at the end. I could so easily fall asleep now. Do you have a different way of preparing smoked herrings or a alternate way of making this recipe? I’d love for you to leave your comments below.

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