May 2010 - CaribbeanPot.com

Cassava boiled and refried with salted cod.

May 28, 2025May 28, 201050 Comments

I wasn’t a huge fan of cassava growing up and even today it’s a last resort type of ground provision for me (when I can’t source dasheen, yam and/or eddoes). I find it a bit overly bland, so when I do cook it I try to infuse some added flavour with salted cod bits and other ingredients. This recipe I’ll be using frozen cassava that one can get in the frozen food section at most grocery stores. However it works just as well with fresh cassava (providing you know how to peel and cook it). If you’re a vegetarian ( I got a lot of talk the last time I suggested that vegetarians eat fish) you can leave out the pieces of salted cod.

You’ll Need…

1 package of frozen cassava (about 1 lb)
1 shallot sliced (or onion)
1 scallion
1/2 hot pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/4 green pepper (sweet) – diced
1/4 red, yellow or orange sweet pepper – diced (optional)
about 1/4 cup shredded pieces of salted cod
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
fresh cracked black pepper

* salt for cooking the cassava (see package)

Start by dicing and slicing the peppers, shallot, scallion and garlic. Then using the cooking instructions on the package of the frozen cassava… cook. In my case it called for me to bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then add the cassava, salt and allow to cook until tender (about 20 minutes).

The next step is to soften and remove some of the salt from the salted cod. Do so by placing it (I used boneless salted cod) in a fairly deep bowl and pour some boiling water over it (cover with water) and allow to soak until the water is cool. There are 3 options for buying salted cod, 1. bone in 2. boneless and 3 salted cod bits. The choice is all yours. After the water is cooled, drain and rinse with water and drain again. Then using your fingers or a fork, shred the fish into bits. Squeeze all the water out of it as best as you can.

By now the cassava should be fully cooked, so it’s time to drain the liquid out and set aside. In a saucepan add the oil and butter and heat. Then add the salted cod and cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. After which you’ll add the shallots and garlic. Allow this to cook for a further 3 minutes or so (stir often). Now add the diced peppers and scallions and cook for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

It’s now time to add the cooked cassava and stir around so everything gets coated with the wonderful flavours of the salted cod, shallots, garlic and peppers. Cook for about 3-5 minutes and you’re done.

Let’s quickly go through the recipe one more time.

1. prepare peppers etc.

2. cook (boil as you would potatoes) the cassava

3. prepare the salted cod (if you get the salted cods bits, it would mean less work for you)

4. cook the salted cod and peppers

5. drain and add the cassava to the pot..cook for a few minutes and you’re done.

Don’t forget to leave me your comments and questions in the space provided below, as I would love to hear from you. Additionally, I invite you to join our fast-growing group on Facebook (click on facebook image below).

happy cooking

chris…

The Ultimate Island Curry Duck.

May 27, 2025May 19, 201038 Comments

Yup! there’s a new addition to the “ultimate” family [ Ultimate Curry Chicken | Ultimate Stew Chicken | Ultimate Curry Goat ]. But I must take a moment to say special thanks for all the wonderful emails, Facebook messages and comments I received yesterday, for my birthday (real love shown). Curry duck wasn’t something we had too often at home when we were growing up on the islands. However I do remember whenever my mom’s aunt would make this with dhalpourie and curry potatoes she would always call me to come over to enjoy a plate. Well she didn’t really call me (no phones back in those days), but she would yell out her kitchen window for me to come over. Golden days!

* Please bear in mind that everyone prepares this a bit different depending on where on the islands you go, so your recipe may be a bit different. However, you’ll be very pleased with the results you get from the recipe below.

You’ll need…

6-7 lbs of Duck (trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces)
1 lime or lemon
1 medium tomato – sliced
1 onion – sliced
1 hot pepper (habanero or scotch bonnet) – sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground geera (cumin)
1/2 teaspoon amchar masala
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon green seasoning mix
4 cloves garlic – crushed
dash black pepper
4 shado beni leaves
2 cups water

* if you’re concerned about the heat form the pepper, don’t add any of the seeds.

* if you can’t get shado beni, use about 6 tablespoons of cilantro (chopped)

For cooking the curry…

* My choice for curry powder has always been the “Raja Jahan Special Madras Curry” which you can easily get at any Caribbean food store if you live outside Trinidad and Tobago or online at Amazon.com.

2-3 tablespoon curry powder (depends how strong you like your curry)
3 tablespoon oil
1/4 onion (sliced thin)
1/4 cup water

For this recipe you need (if you live outside the islands) to source a Caribbean style duck and those are readily available at most Caribbean specialty stores in north America and the UK. In the past I used the normal ducks you find in the frozen section at the major grocery stores here in North America, but I find that though they taste great, it’s really not the same. Additionally, when I go to the Caribbean markets, I ask them if they can cut the duck into pieces for me. Since the duck bones can be very hard and brittle. If you try cutting it up at home you risk 2 things. 1. You can do some serious damage to your knife and 2. you may find that you won’t get a clean cut and you be left with jagged bones and bone fragments that can cause some problems when eating. They (the Caribbean markets) usually have a band saw they use, that cuts evenly and clean through. They also roast the outside of the duck (place briefly over an open flame) to remove any tiny feathers the plucking process didn’t remove (some claim that this process also adds a certain flavour to the dish).

Now that we have our duck cut into 1-2 inch pieces, place in a large bowl and squeeze the lime or lemon over it. Then pour some water (not mentioned in the ingredients list) and wash the meat. This is where I usually remove all the fat and skin that I can (some people love the skin, but that’s just not my thing). Rinse with clean water and drain. Then season the meat with everything in the ingredients list mentioned above, except the 2 cups of water (not the “for cooking the curry”). For best results I see my mom marinate this overnight in the fridge, however if you’re in a rush 1-2 hours should suffice

Since this is such a rich curry dish I prefer to cook this outdoors on the side burner of my BBQ. In a heavy pot (one with a lid) heat the oil on high heat. Then add the curry powder to a small bowl and add the 1/4 cup of water to make a runny paste. The oil should be smoking by now so go ahead and add the 1/4 sliced onion and stir. Followed by the curry mixture we just made. Turn down the heat and allow this to cook for about 5 minutes or so, or until it comes to a thick paste and starts sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Turn the heat back up to a medium/high and start adding the seasoned duck to the pot. Be sure to stir around so everything gets incorporated with the curry. Then bring to a boil, turn back down the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 35 minutes. it will spring up it’s own natural juices.

After about 35 minutes, it’s time to burn off all the liquid that formed, so turn up the heat. Pay close attention and stir often to avoid burning/sticking. When all the liquid is gone, add the 2 cups of water and bring back up to a boil.. then turn back down to a gentle simmer and cover. Allow this to cook for another 35 minutes or so or until the meat is tender. The sauce should be thick by now as well. If you find that it’s runny, turn up the heat (providing it’s tender) and get it to the right thickness you want. Also check for salt at this point, as you will have a different tolerance for salt than I do.

Here’s the finished dish with “buss up shut” roti and curry potatoes. Be sure to leave me your comments below and do let me know if you’d like the recipe for the buss up shut and/or curry potato (BTW it’s also posted on the site)

Don’t forget to join us on Facebook…

Oh lovely sardines from a can?

March 5, 2012May 8, 201067 Comments

Fish is a serious turn off for a lot of people and even more unattractive is when that fish comes in a can. But if you’re a regular on the site, you’ll know that I have a series that I call “lazy man” dishes (Corned Beef / Salmon). And today we’re about to add a new member into the family. Since it’s one of those meals you can put together in mere minutes and it’s very delicious. Providing you’re not afraid to try something a bit different.

My Trinbagonian people will know that this is a common snack type dish and everyone seems to have their own way of putting this together. No real cooking is involved, and you can experiment with ingredients as well.

BTW, fellas this is not something you eat before that big date your special someone. The combo of sardines and onions on your breath will not win you any points.

You’ll Need…

1 can sardines (I like the ones with the peppers made by Brunswick)
1/2 tomato sliced thin
1 scallion sliced thin (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
Black pepper
1/4 onion sliced thin
1/4 hot pepper sliced (I used a habanero – you can use whatever you have or like)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like using olive oil)

Let’s see if we can do this in 3 steps.

Step 1.

Slice the onion, tomato, scallion and hot pepper very thin and set aside.

Step 2.

Open and empty the sardines into a bowl. The following step is optional, but this is the way I saw my mom doing it… break each sardine down the middle (length-wise) and remove the middle bone (can be left, but I find that it gives the dish a gritty texture that I don’t like) and secondly you must remove the inside of the belly (there’s no polite way of saying “guts’). Then break apart each fish so you have chunky pieces.

Step 3.

Top with all the stuff we sliced earlier, squeeze in the lime or lemon juice and add a dash of black pepper. Then on high heat, heat the oil in a small frying pan and allow to heat until you’re about to start seeing smoke. Now pour the hot oil over everything and stir well. YOU’RE DONE!

You can call this a salad, choka, talkarie or as in my case… a lazy man’s dish. Works well as a topping for Crix (a locally made crackers), on sandwiches, with roti , pita… you get the point.

I’d love to hear how our friends from the other islands and around the world make this (if you do) so please leave me a comment below and don’t forget to join us on Facebook. Our goal is to have 25,000 fans by the end of the year. Please help us make it happen.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

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Flavorsome Curry String Beans.

March 5, 2012May 3, 2010172 Comments

Over the years I’ve grown very fond of vegetarian type dishes and if you recall, back in July of last year (wow it’s been almost a year) I shared a recipe for cooking French beans in coconut milk. Today we’re using the same beans (is there a difference between French and string beans?), except they’re called string beans in the Caribbean and we’ll be giving it that added “kick” of flavour with some madras curry powder. In case you’re wondering, YES there is a difference in the curry you get in the Caribbean as compared to the ones from India.

There are 2 things you can add to this dish to make a bit different. 1 You can add some coconut milk to it instead of the water mentioned in the ingredients list. 2. By adding some shredded pieces of salted cod (dry) it gives the dish another level of flavour. But trust-me, the recipe below will amaze you and anyone you share it with.

You’ll Need…

1 lb string beans (French beans)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 hot pepper (habanero, scotch bonnet or any of your faves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 onion sliced
4 gloves garlic grated or crushed
3 tablespoon water to mix the curry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup water

Start by washing the beans and allow to drain. The next step is to remove both ends (stems) and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. For faster cooking time I usually then slice these 1 1/2 inch pieces down the middle (see pic below) using a pairing knife. But you don’t have to do this step if you don’t feel like it.

In a saucepan put the oil to heat on medium heat and add 1/2 of the onion and allow to cook for a couple minutes. Then take the curry powder and put it in a bowl with the 3 tablespoon of water (mix around). Then pour that into the pan and stir. Allow that to cook for a minute, then add the rest of the sliced onion, grate the garlic into the pan (or crush) and add the slice of hot pepper. Cook that for a few minutes until most of the liquid dries off, then add the sliced beans and stir around.

Stir thoroughly, add the salt and cook for a few minutes before adding the 3/4 cup of water. Once you add the water, turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir about3-4 times during the cooking process.

The finished dish will not be as brilliant green as when you first started and please try to burn off all the liquid that we added. This is great with roti (sada and buss up shut) as well as rice and even breads. And there’s no reason why it can’t be a side dish at your next family dinner. Healthy and tasty, you just can’t beat this one.

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WIN NEW CONTEST WIN

Special thanks to everyone who participated in last month’s contest. The winner was announce earlier today, so we’d like to hear from you if you were the winner so we know where to ship the prize.

For the month of May, the best month in the year (I’m a Taurus) I want to give one lucky contestant a KitchenAid Santoku Knife. All you have to do is leave me a comment below about the recipe, about the blog in general or just say hello. Then your name is automatically entered to win. It’s that simple. Here’s a pic of the knife I’ll personally ship out to you (I’ll cover all shipping charges as well).

Bring this new trend into your kitchen with this KitchenAid 7-inch Santoku knife with a cushioned non-slip silicone handle. Originally used by Japanese chefs, this knife offers the benefits of a cleaver with the control of a lighter knife. The handle is made from Dupont Delrin and has a comfortable grip with a fully contoured handle, which is easy on the hand with a rounded soft blade back. The strong, durable blade is made from a high-carbon stainless steel. The bolster has proper balance and control with full tang construction.

The fine print.

– this contest is open to everyone globally

– all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you’ll be automatically entered to win

– feel free to get the other members in your house to enter

– if you’ve already won something from Caribbeanpot.com we’d appreciate it if you gave others a chance to win and refrain from entering.

– there’s no need to buy anything to enter

– the knife is valued at $25.95 and we’ll cover the shipping cost to you.

– this contest end May 31, 2010 and the winner will be announced within 5 days of the close date.

Friends, I encourage you to leave me a comment below and wait for the email at the end of the month saying if you’re a winner or not. It’s that simple.

Good Luck

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If anyone would like to sponsor the monthly contest, feel free to contact me. This is a great opportunity to get some exposure for your business or service.

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How To Grill the Perfect Steak.

March 5, 2012May 1, 201014 Comments

With spring in the air, it means time to roll out the grill from the garage and get ready for BBQ season. Technically I don’t need warm temperatures to grill, since I’ve grilled outside even when there’s been a couple feet of snow on the ground. Oh how I envy those of you living in climates where is warm all 365 days of the year. Traditionally BBQ in the Caribbean means 2 things.. chicken and fish and getting good cuts of beef to grill is somewhat difficult at the grocery stores. Last October when we were down on the islands we had a terrible time sourcing a good cut of meat (t-bone,NY strip, prime rib or tenderloin) so we opted to hit a restaurant instead. BTW, where do these restaurants get their steaks from?

If you’re like me and love a good steak, here’s some of my tips for grilling a perfect steak. (sometimes I have to venture away from traditional dishes to show a little bit of variety on the site)

Start with a good cut of meat. One that’s trimmed and contains a bit of marbling. Check the beef has good marbling – little streaks of fat running through the meat. This melts when heated, helping the steak to baste itself from within as it cooks.Ideally you’d like to have your steak aged as the top steak houses do, but without the right conditions this is almost impossible for us to achieve. And most true steak lovers will say that they like their steak “naked”, but I like to dress and marinate my steaks before grilling.

In this recipe you’ll need…

– steaks (I used NY Strip)

– Montreal steak rub

– 2-3 tablespoon olive oil

I start by patting dry my steaks with a paper towel (make sure they’re fully thawed and at room temperature), then I pour the olive oil (make sure it’s extra virgin) over them and finally I sprinkle on some Montreal steak rub. Then, using my hands (you can use tongs) I make sure every steak is evenly coated evenly. I seal with some plastic wrap and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes at least.

Time for grilling – I’ll be the first to admit that ABSOLUTELY nothing beats the flavour you get from a charcoal grill, but I also like the convenience of a gas grill. Therefore that’s the one I have stored in my garage. Hopefully when we move back to the Caribbean I’ll finally be able to build a brick fireplace/grill in our back yard that I’ve always wanted to. Clean off the grill and get it up to a high temperature (about 425 should be good). To avoid any sticking I usually spray some vegetable cooking spray (like Pam) or you can dip a paper towel in some oil and brush onto the grill.

Place the meat on the hottest part of the grill. If at any time the grill flares up, move the steaks to the outside edge, returning them to the center when the flame dies down. Do not slide the steaks across the grill; gently pick them up with tongs. The key is not to flip them around. Ultimately you want to turn a New York strip steak only three times, cooking each side twice for 4 minutes at a time (for a total cooking time of 16 minutes), to get a medium steak with adequate char. See below for a way to test your steak for doneness, without having to cut through it.

Know when and how to turn the steak. Place the steaks on the grill at a 45° angle to the bars. Grill for 2 minutes, then rotate the steak 90° without turning over. This makes a nice crosshatch grill mark. You will know to flip the steak when you see tiny beads of blood beginning to form on the top.The proper way to turn is with tongs or spatula. Never, ever, stab the meat with a fork, as this will cause all the juices to run onto the coals and create a flavorless, dry steak.

* Note that cooking time will vary on two things, the temperature of your grill and thickness of your steak. So use the info I’m giving as a general guide.

How to get an idea on how done your steak is. (Follow with pictures below)

Place your hand open, palm side up and touch your thumb to your index finger. Then using a finger from your other hand, press gently onto the meaty portion at the base of your thumb as in the picture below. You’ll notice that it’s very soft. That’s the density of a rare steak if you were to press against it while it’s cooking. As you work your way using your other fingers (see pics below) you move from rare, to medium rare, medium and when press your pinkie finger to your thumb and press against the base of your thumb.. that’s what a well done steak will feel like if you were to press against it.

If you don’t have a jar of Montreal steak rub, you can create your own with the following combination: Combine 2 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons crushed black pepper, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon granulated onion, 1 tablespoon crushed coriander, 1 tablespoon dill, and 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, and mix well.

Corn on the cob (no salt and butter for me please), caesar salad, pan fried mushrooms (olive oil, dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper) and my friend.. Mr steak!

Almost forgot to mention one of the most important steps.. Resting: Now for the most important part, don’t serve it right away. Let the steak “rest” for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness. This allows the juices to move back into the meat. Resting should be done in a place that is about room temperature and with only a loose covering over it.

Got some grilling tips you’d like to share with us or maybe you have a question we can help with? Leave us your comments below.