Like the recipe I posted back in May 2009 for a Saturday favourite “Pig Tail Soup“, the base ingredients for this soup is pretty much the same. Except the final texture (consistency) and overall taste does differ. Yet another traditional dish enjoyed through the islands, with variations according to every one’s own unique way of preparation. My uncle on my mom’s side would make this soup on a Monday after a weekend of feteing (partying) to according to him..revive! Before we get to the recipe I must mention that you must be careful when stewing (browning) the seasoned pigtail. Since the meat still has it’s skin and it’s very fatty, when it hits the oil/sugar it will splatter a bit. Use a deep pot if you can and a long handle cooking spoon. Just to be safe.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs salted pig tails (cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
1 sweet potato (about 1lb)
1-2 lbs yams
4 eddoes (about 1 lb)
3 medium/large potatoes
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro (if you don’t have shado beni)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot (cut into coins)
1/4 teaspoon blackpepper
1/4 hot pepper (adds great flavour and some bite)
1 scallion (green onions)
3 sprigs thyme
1 can black eye peas – 19 oz/540 ml (Use whatever canned beans you may have in the pantry)
6 cups hot water
3 tablespoon oil
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 tomato
1 pimento pepper (optional ..if you have)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
Macaroni (optional)

* Feel free to add any other ground provision you may have (cassava, dasheen or green bananas). If you’re good at making dumplings, it would also make a great addition to this soup.

* I used black eye peas in this version, but my favourite is lentils which I didn’t have.

*NOTE: Try to get your butcher to cut the salted pigs tails for you, as it can do some serious damage to your knife if you try doing it for yourself.

The very first step is to cut the salted pig tails if you didn’t already get your butcher to do so. Then wash and place in a deep pot, to which you’ll add enough water to cover it by at least 1 inch. Bring this to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. I cook this for a fairly long time (at least 1 hr), until it’s tender. This also works to remove some of the salt the pig tails were preserved in.

While that simmer away I peel and cut the provisions/vegetables I’ll be adding to the soup (potato,yams,eddoes,sweet potato,carrot etc). I then wash and place in a bowl with water to prevent it from going discolored. I also chop/dice the other ingredients..pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, scallion, thyme, cilantro..etc.

TIP : Try you best to cut the vegetables so they’re all pretty much the same size, so they can all cook at the same time.

After 60-70 minutes the pigtails should start getting really tender. Remove off the stove and drain well. In the same pot (no need to dirty a bowl) let’s season the cooked pigtail with: onion,garlic,pimento pepper, hot pepper (I use habanero), scallion, thyme, cilantro, garlic, ketchup, black pepper and worcestershire sauce. Mix well and get ready to brown or stew.

In a large pot over high/medium heat, heat the oil then add the brown sugar. Move around the sugar so it melts and start going caramel like. You’ll start seeing bubbles (frothy) and it will change colour, going from golden to dark brown. See pic below to see when we’ve reached the right colour. Now start adding (remember what I said above about splatters) the seasoned meat. Stir well so everything gets coated evenly.

Allow this to continue browning for about 5 minutes so we get a nice rich brown colour. Remember to stir often to avoid it sticking or burning. Then drain the provisions/vegetables we had sitting in the bowl of water and start adding the pieces to the pot. Stir well so they get coated as well.

The next step is to rinse the peas (remember you can use your favourite peas) under running water. I do this since I don’t care for the liquid it’s packaged in. Then add it to the soup pot.

Stir everything well, then add enough water to cover everything. In my case it was 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. If you’re adding green bananas (remember to peel first) add the last 10 minutes of cooking, same can be said if you’re adding macaroni and/or dumplings . Check to see if your yams etc is cooked, by pushing a sharp knife through it. If there’s no resistance, you know it’s fully cooked.

The way to end this recipe is to add about 1 tablespoon of golden ray butter the last couple minutes. But since that butter is not the best for our health and sourcing it may be difficult if you live in North America… you can leave that out. However, that added flavour is truly unique.

Now check for salt. Notice I didn’t mention salt in the ingredients list, since the salt from the salted pic tails is usually enough for this dish. however, this is a personal preference so check at the end (after you’ve add the golden ray if you’re doing so) to see if you’d like to add some more.

I’d love to hear from you guys to know your recipe for making this. I know my mom browns the provisions instead of the pigtails (just her way I guess)… leave me your comments below.

happy cooking

chris…

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…

One of the things you’d look forward to as a child on the islands is mango season. This is the time of the year when mangoes are mature and starts to ripe on the trees. If you had patience you’d wait for a strong gust of wind to blow the ripe mangoes to the ground or if patience was not your strong suit you’d get a long stick or bamboo rod and gently tap on them so they’d fall. If all failed, you could always get a small rock or stick and toss it at the mangoes. One way or the other you were going to enjoy some of those juicy ripe mangoes.

This was also the season for making mango chow. Slices of green (but half-ripe) mangoes with crushed (or sliced) hot peppers, garlic, shado beni, salt and fresh lime juice. When we moved to Canada sourcing mangoes was not an easy chore, so we had to find  another fruit to make this fiery treat (green apples also works great). Not only could we not get mangoes, the other key ingredient which is shado beni was not easy to find either.

So my aunt who I lived with at the time suggested we use pineapple (something she had enjoyed on the islands on one of her trips back), thus started this pineapple salad or chow. And since we couldn’t get fresh shado beni, we started using cilantro. To Trinbagonians this will be considered a form of “chow”, but to others it’ll be a spicy pineapple salad.

This is so easy and full of wonderful flavour, you’ll wonder why you haven’t had it yet.

You’ll need…

1 ripe pineapple (cubed)
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic sliced thin
juice of 1 lime or lemon
3 tablespoon cilantro
1 small red onion sliced (optional)
1/2 habanero pepper sliced thin (scotch bonnet or any pepper with some heat)

* if you can get shado beni, be sure to use that instead of the cilantro for a true “chow” taste. However if you want to enjoy it as a mild salad, use the cilantro.

* In most grocery stores you can get the fresh pineapple already peeled and cored (usually packed in a plastic container). If you can’t, I’ve created a short video below showing how it’s done. If all fails I guess you can use a can of pineapple chunks. However I can’t promise that the results would be the same as using fresh pineapple.

Basically all you’re doing in combining all the ingredients is a large bowl, mix thoroughly and allow to marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

I told you it was simple! Give it a try, it’s a great way to spice things up a bit with some pineapple. Here’s the short video showing how to peel and remove the core from a ripe pineapple.

A few months back I came across a wonderful video online of a fellow Trinbagonian living in the US who created a cooking video called “The Ultimate Curry Chicken” and though his method and ingredients of cooking curry chicken was a bit different than mine, I’m sure it was just as tasty. If you’ve watched my introduction video (click on “About” above) you’ll know that curry is not one of the things we grew up on and only years later when I moved to Canada and lived with my aunt, did I really start eating it. Don’t get me wrong, our mom is an excellent cook when it comes to anything curry, it’s just we didn’t have it as often. I’ve been lucky enough to have my mom close (about 1 hour away) the past few years, so over this time I’ve taken her recipe and made some slight changes to call it my own. BTW if you’re in the Toronto area and you’re looking to have some food catered (Trini dishes), be sure to contact me and I’ll not only get you some amazing food, but I’ll even hook you up with a nice discount. I’m not in the catering business, but my sister is and it seems she’s doing an amazing job with the rate her business is growing.

You’ll Need…

3 Lbs Chicken
3/4 tablespoon salt
dash black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (scotch bonnet, habanero or any hot pepper you like) *Optional.
heaping tablespoon curry powder (madras)
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder)
1 medium tomato diced
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 teaspoon green seasoning mix
2 + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons water (to cook curry)
1 scallion
Shado beni (see note below)

* I usually use dark meat (with bones) when cooking curry as I find that the overall taste of the finished dish is more tasty. However the recipe works just as well with white meat (may be a bit dry though)

* Since shado beni is not readily available to us in the city where I live (and I can’t grow it) I usually get some shipped to me and immediately after I get it, it goes into my freezer. Then whenever I’m cooking I break off a few leaves to add to my dish. So if you can get access to some at your local store, remember that freezing is also an option if you get a large package. I also find that the frozen leaves holds more flavour than if you were to puree the leaves as we do with green seasoning mix.

* If you don’t have the green seasoning the recipe calls for, feel free to use about a tablespoon of each of the following (chopped):
- cilantro
- thyme
- shallots
* Spanish thyme would also be a good addition if you can get access to it.

* In the recipe you notice that I cooked the frozen shado beni with the onions before adding the curry. If you’re using fresh shado beni you’ll get better results if you season the chicken with it, rather than cooking it as I did. If you don’t have any shado beni, you can also substitute cilantro for it (add about 2-3 tablespoon chopped to the seasoned chicken)

I got a package of chicken legs with back attached, so this means I had to cut it into serving size pieces before I could get started. After I cut the chicken into pieces  it was placed in a bowl with some water and the juice of the lime (see ingredients above) to be washed. I then drained out the water and squeezed it as dry as I could.

The next step is to season the chicken and allow it to marinate for a couple hours. Add the salt, black pepper, tomato, green seasoning, and scallion (chopped) to the bowl with the chicken and stir so everything gets coated.

After it’s been marinating for a couple hrs, it’s time to start cooking. In a fairly large pan, heat the oil (2 tablespoon) on high heat and get prepared to add the sliced onions, garlic and hot pepper. Allow this to cook for a few minutes until the onions go soft and start to go a bit brown. I then turn the heat to medium and add a few leaves of the frozen shado beni to the pot followed by the curry and geera (cumin) and stir. You may notice that the pot is “dry”, this is when I add another tablespoon of oil to the pot so nothing sticks. The next step is to add the 6 tablespoons of water, turn the heat down and allow this to cook for a couple minutes. This will bring out the true aroma of the curry.

As the liquid burns off it’s time to start adding the pieces of seasoned chicken to the pot. Turn the heat back up to high and stir each piece so it get’s in contact with the cooked curry. After you’ve added all the seasoned chicken, turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.

You’ll notice that the chicken will spring it’s own juices, so after 15 minutes remove the lid and turn the heat up to high. We’ll now burn off that liquid. As the liquid burns off from the pot (make sure you keep stirring) you’ll see nothing but a bit of oil at the bottom with a sort of curry paste (this is the good stuff).

In the same bowl you seasoned the chicken add the 1 1/2 cups of water so we can pick up any remaining seasoning that was left behind. Now add the water from the bowl to the pot to continue the cooking process.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer with the pot covered (stir occasionally). After 20 minutes, remove the cover and check the sauce or gravy to see if it’s the consistency you like. Usually I have to turn the heat up a bit to reduce the curry sauce as I like it a bit thick.

I’m sure many of you may have a different way of making curry chicken or as our friends from Guyana say “chicken curry” , so I encourage you to share you method with us in the comments box below this post. Don’t forget to also join us on facebook below:

As I sat down to enjoy a massive plate of this scrumptious dish, I was taken back to my childhood when my great uncle would come over to our home to play cards with my dad and grandfather. It was the norm back then that whenever he visited my mom had to prepare this “oil-down” dish since he looked forward to it every visit. Additionally… as a boy my dad grew up on the family’s cocoa and coffee estate, so breadfruit was one of the staple foods my great grandmother would prepare for him along with green banana’s and other ground provisions (yam, dasheen, eddoes.. etc). He passed on his love for this “put meat on your bones” type of food to me and my brother. My sister’s are a different story.

Though this is not a traditional “oil down” way of preparing breadfruit, I’m sure it can qualify on some level since the key ingredients of meat, breadfruit and coconut milk are all used.  Here’s my take on this time-honored meal.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 pork – cubed into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh or bottled ginger – sliced. (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 tablespoon Trinidad green seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cans coconut milk (5.6 fl oz or 165 ml)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 lime, lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 “full” breadfruit (not ripe)

* if you don’t have the “green seasoning” use:

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro (or shado beni if you can get it)

We’ll start by cutting the pork into small pieces. Then with some water in the bowl with the pork pieces, pour in the juice of the lime (lemon or the vinegar) and wash the pieces of meat. Rinse with a new batch of water and squeeze dry. We’ll then move on to seasoning the meat. Basically you’re adding everything in the ingredient list except the oil, breadfruit, sugar and coconut milk.

Mix and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. The next step is to “stew” the pork as we did in previous recipes. See the original stew pork recipe here.

In a heavy, deep pot heat the oil on medium to high heat. When the oil is hot add the brown sugar and move around with a cooking spoon (make sure the spoon is dry). We’re trying to get the sugar to go bubbly and golden to dark brown (see pics below). Since this is an important step (easy to burn) it’s important that you have the seasoned pork close so you can add it as soon as the  sugar reaches a caramelized state. When the sugar get to the colour you see in the final pic below, start adding the pieces of pork. Be careful as you’re adding meat with moisture to very hot oil/sugar.

Quickly (but carefully) add the pieces of seasoned meat to the pot and stir so everything gets coated with the caramelized sugar. Turn the heat down to medium/low and cover the pot. Allow this to cook covered for about 30 minutes… it will spring it’s own natural juices so you don’t have to worry about it burning or sticking. If you find that the liquid is drying fast, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally!

While this cooks let’s prepare the breadfruit. You’ll notice that I said “full” breadfruit in the ingredients list. Basically this means a fully mature, but not ripe breadfruit. A fully mature breadfruit will have a lovely buttery texture when cooked. Cut the bread fruit into 6-8 wedges as I’ve done in the pics below. Now with a sharp pairing knife or potato peeler, peel away the skin and discard. The final step is to remove the core off the wedges (usually soft and not solid in texture). Now place in a bowl with water until you’re ready to add to the pot with the pork.

We’ve now been simmering the pork for about 30 minutes so it’s time to “fry it down” (burn off all the liquid) by turning up the heat to high. As the liquid burns off you’ll notice 2 things. 1 the colour of the meat will go a bit darker and 2. it will start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep stirring until all the liquid is gone and you can see oil at the bottom of the pot.

Add the pieces of breadfruit to the pot and pour in the coconut milk. As soon as you can tell that it’s come to a boil, turn down the heat to the lowest your stove can go so it’s a very gentle simmer. Try to stir the pot a little to release anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot when we had the heat on high. Allow this to simmer gently for about 30 minutes (try to stir a couple times, but be gentle as not to break-up the pieces of breadfruit). Normally my mom would place some dasheen bush leaves on top of everything to allow it to steam-cook (I’ve also seen her put cabbage leaves when she didn’t have dasheen bush), but in this simplified recipe we’ll use the pot’s lid to help seal in the juices.

After about 30 minutes you should have little or no juices at the bottom of the pot and the meat should be tender and the pieces of breadfruit fully cooked and infused with the flavours of the coconut milk plus the stewed pork.

This is a one pot meal that’s very filling. Serve hot and watch your guests lick their chops!

Tip: If you’re like me and love the flavour of ginger but hate biting into the ginger pieces, slice it thick so you can see it easily when the dish is done to be removed before serving.

If you have any questions relating to this or any of the recipes on the site, please leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to answer. Since I do manage several other websites there may be a delay, but I promise to get to it. You may even get an answer from others who visit the site on a daily basis as well. Additionally, if you have another way of preparing this dish, be sure to share it with us.