Vegetable fried rice is one of those dishes that’s very simple to make and can be personalized in so many ways. But there are some dishes you simply can’t recreate (as you remember from your childhood) and to be quite honest I don’t even try, so in this recipe I’ll show you ‘my’ take on a wonderful rice dish. Growing up one of my favorite places to buy ‘chinee’ food was a spot on Mucarapo Street just past the old “Strand” cinema on the right side or the truck which sold food on the Promenade San Fernando (by the train engine). It still amazes me how the Chinese food in Trinidad and Tobago is so unique with it’s Caribbean taste and flavors. I’m still to come up with a recipe for the fried chicken you’d normally get with a combo, but rest assured I’m busy at work on it.

Our mom makes a deadly chicken and/or shrimp fried rice, but my sister is still the best when it comes to a tasty shrimp fried rice… something we look forward to when there’s a family gathering. In this recipe we’ll avoid meats in general, but with the layers of flavor we’ll build.. you’ll be amazed at how scrumptious this will be.

You’ll Need…

4 cups cooked rice (see note below)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced carrot
2 scallions
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large onion diced
3/4 teaspoon salt (see note below)
1/2 cup diced celery

Note: I used long grain brown rice as I much prefer this rice and it’s supposed to be a healthy rice to consume. I cooked it without salt and took it off the stove about 5 minutes before it was fully cooked. Additionally I allowed it to cool overnight in the fridge. These two things are the tricks to having a grainy fried rice, which will not clump or go soggy when you put the recipe together. You’ll notice that I used 3/4 teaspoon salt in the rice… since your tolerance for salt will be different than mine, do taste near the end of cooking and adjust accordingly.

The first thing we need to do  is to chop and cube all the vegetables we’ll be using in the vegetable fried rice. Try to keep the pieces uniform in size to allow for even cooking and try not to be too big as we need everything to cook fast.

Heat the vegetable oil on a med/high heat is a wide pan (I used my wok) then add the crushed garlic and ginger and give it a good stir. We’re trying to release all those wonderful flavors to use as  abase for this vegetarian fried rice. That should cook for a minute or two, then add the diced carrots as this would be the one vegetable which will take long to cook. Give it  a good stir and cook for a couple minutes.

Now add the diced onion, green pepper and celery. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes, then add the black pepper, soy sauce, salt and sesame oil. Everything will go dark, but have no fear.. once we add the cooked rice it will balance off.

It’s time to quickly add the frozen peas, give it a stir and start adding the rice. Remember to have chilled your rice in the fridge to achieve a grainy consistency when it’s all done. I absolutely hate fried rice which clumps together.

Keep stirring to make sure all the rice grains get coated evenly with the dark base we made. If you find that the colour is not dark enough for you, you can always add some more soy sauce at this point. I say at this point as we’ve not added the salt yet. Remember that the soy sauce is salty so if you add more.. adjust the amount of salt you add. Now is the time to add the salt, taste and adjust accordingly. All you’re doing here is basically heating through the rice, so within 4-5 minutes it should be done.

Turn off the stove, add the chopped scallions and give it a good final stir. Below you’ll find a video I did to use as an additional guide in making this vegetable fried rice.

There’s enough vegetable fried rice here for about 6-8 people and it goes well with the Shrimp Stir Fry recipe I put together a while back or just as good on it’s own.

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Seim (see Hyacinth Bean if you don’t know what they are) was yet another dish my mom would cook occasionally, which she couldn’t even force us to eat as kids. She would add coconut milk, left over pieces of stewed meats and even pieces of salted cod to try and get us to eat it… no luck! As a grown man I still don’t have much of an appetite for it and it’s mainly due to the distinctive flavor it possesses. Though it’s cooked in the same manner as bodi, something which I really like, I just can’t fully appreciate that unique sort of flavor seim has. A flavor which is very difficult to describe… can a vegetable/bean be ‘gamey’?

This curry seim recipe is a wonderful vegetarian dish but you can also add pieces of meats as mentioned above, if you’d like to enhance the overall flavor.

You’ll Need…
1 pound seim (cleaned and trimmed)
1 tablespoon madras curry powder (Caribbean blend)
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 small onion
3 chilies (I had some bird pepper in the fridge)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon veg oil
dash black pepper
2 medium potatoes cubed (I like Yukon gold’s creaminess)

*3 tablespoons water for cooking the curry.

First up, we need to wash, clean and trim the seim (see video at the bottom of the post). Using a sharp pairing knife, strip the edges off the seim, then cut into 2 pieces. The edges will not cook down and will be stringy and tough, so we must remove them. Depending on the size of your seim, cut into 2 or 4 pieces and remember to keep the peas (seeds) as well. Prepare the potato, onion, garlic and pepper so we’re good to go when we get started.

In a fairly deep saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat, then toss in the madras curry powder, stir and allow to cook for a couple minutes. Then add the sliced onion, garlic and hot pepper so they release their oils and flavor the dish. Give that another minute, then add 3 tablespoons of water and allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes on a low heat. After which you can turn up the heat and allow the curry mixture to cook down completely.(you can also make a slurry with the curry powder, garlic, onion, pepper and water and add to the heated oil as well)

When the liquid dries down and the curry paste we just made starts to get darker and stick to the bottom of the pan, add the trimmed seim, potato chunks, salt, black pepper and give it a good stir.

Next up is to add the coconut milk and water. Bring that up to a boil by raising the heat. Now reduce that to a very gentle simmer, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 30 minutes.

Remember to stir occasionally while it cooks. After 30 minutes the seim should be tender and the potato should start to melt away to form a thick sort of gravy. If there’s a lot of liquid left in the pan, raise the heat so that can burn-off. I recall my mom making this very dry (no gravy), but I do like some gravy to eat with my roti or rice.

I just so happened to have some buss up shut roti in  he freezer which I reheated, along with some mango kuchela to round off my meal. This recipe should be enough for four people as a side dish in case you’re wondering.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

This recipe is a combination of many things. It’s a take on a recipe my mom would make but instead of using canned salmon as I did, she would normally use pieces of salted cod. Then about a year ago I saw Levis Roots of “Reggae Reggae Sauce” sauce fame cook up a batch of this with the help of some kids… if you’re from the UK and watch the Dragon’s Den you’ll know who I mean. I think he also calls himself the “Dragon Slayer”! But he used fresh caught mackerel in his dish.

Knowing that I had green fig (bananas) in the fridge, I had a severe craving for this sort of “country” dish about 8 pm last night. With no salted fish in the fridge, nor mackerel… the wheels of creativity went spinning and I decided on using the canned salmon that peeked at me from behind the can of corned beef in the cupboard (Mr. Salmon learned not to play hide and seek with a grown man).  There’s no better motivation in the kitchen than a craving and hunger!

You’ll Need…

5-7 green bananas (known as green fig or cooking bananas in the Caribbean)
1/2 teaspoon salt (for boiling the green bananas)

1 medium tomato
1 medium onion
1 scallion (green onion / spring onion)
1 clove garlic
1/4 habanero pepper (scotch bonnet or any hot pepper you like)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil (any cooking oil you like)
1 sprig thyme (dash dried thyme)
Salt – optional (add as needed)
1 can pink salmon

Note: If you’re shopping for green bananas in North America, they will be called cooking bananas. If you can’t find them in your grocery store, do ask a clerk and don’t buy ordinary bananas that are not ripe yet. You’re looking for ones that are really firm, brilliant green in color and no blemishes. If you’re peeling these as I did before boiling, do wear gloves or coat your hands with cooking oil to prevent the sort of ‘milk’ to cause your hands to be sticky and possibly itch. Don’t get that ‘milk’ (sap) onto your clothes.

Since the green fig will require the most time to cook, go ahead and peel, scrape and rinse them. You can also cook them in the skin and peel after they’ve been boiled. In a deep pot put enough water to cover the bananas and bring to a boil. Then add the bananas and salt.. bring back to a rolling boil and allow to cook for about 20 minutes.

While this cooks, lets prepare the other ingredients. Wash and chop the tomato, scallion, habanero pepper, thyme.. don’t forget the garlic and onion as well.

With the bananas fully cooked, drain and allow to cool while we get things really started. In a large saucepan put the olive oil to heat on a medium heat, then add the onion, garlic and thyme. Let them cook on the medium/low heat for about 3-5 minutes. We’re trying to get the onion translucent and release the rich flavors of the garlic and thyme. Next add the green onion, pepper, tomato and black pepper. Let that cook for about 3 minutes.

The next step is to add the can of salmon, including the water it was packaged in and ketchup. Break it up into flaky chunks, give it a good stir and allow to come back up to a gentle simmer… cook for another couple minutes.

While this cooks, the bananas should be cool enough to touch. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and get ready to toss them into the pot.

The final step is to toss in the cut pieces of cooked bananas into the pot, give it a good stir and allow it to heat through with all the other ingredients in the pot (about -35 minutes) and you’re done.

Since the canned salmon is usually packaged with a ton of sodium I don’t feel the need to add any salt, but do taste ad add accordingly as I’m sure your tolerance for salt will be different than mine.

This is one of those versatile dishes that works for any time of the day (or night as in my case)… even breakfast. Growing up on the islands you know we love our BIG breakfast, so though you may find this a bit heavy to start the day.. a Caribbean man would appreciate this (hint ladies). BTW, there’s enough here for 3-4 people if you have some coconut bake or toast on the side or a complete meal for two people.

To make this dish fully vegetarian, you can omit the canned fish, but add a little butter when cooking the onion and garlic at the start.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking!

Chris…

Over the past couple years I’ve shared a few recipes which I’ve coined as being “Ultimate” and with the popularity of this roti and the amount of requests for the recipe over the last few months I strongly believe it deserves to join the other cast members in the ultimate series. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago dhalpuri was one of those special dishes which was made the occasional Sunday morning or when the first choice – pelau wasn’t made for a beach lime. I still recall the strong aroma of geera (cumin) roasting before it was ground and added to the dhal filling for the roti, emanating from my great aunt’s house next door. Not sure if I was one of her’s faves, but I do recall always having a portion reserved for me (her curry potato was ah bess). When I wasn’t causing trouble with my brother… I was a good boy and everyone loved me

For this recipe I got my mom’s help , so let’s give moms some props!

There are a few steps in making dhalpuri roti, so I do hope my explanation below is not too confusing. We’ll start with the filling, then the dough and close off with putting everything together and cooking the actual roti.

You’ll Need…

For the filling

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground roasted geera (cumin)
2 cups split peas (dhal)
1/4 of a scotch bonnet pepper (or any hot pepper you like)

For the dough (actual roti)

3 cups all purpose flour
pinch fast acting yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon baking powder
water (see note below)
* 5 tablespoon vegetable oil (for brushing the roti while it cooks)

Notes: We ended up using close to 1 and 3/4 cups of water when making the dough. Start with about 1 cup and add as necessary… the goal is to achieve a smooth, tender dough which is a bit firm (hold it’s shape). With the roasted geera, traditionally that’s roasted the same time the roti is being made (grains are roasted then ground) to really release the oils and aroma. But in my case I used the pre-packaged ground (roasted) one.

Making this roti can be a bit messy, especially if you have any break while cooking and with the use of the oil you’ll be brushing onto it it cooks… it may splatter onto your stove. Be prepared for some cleaning when the stove cools.

The first thing we need to do is prepare the dhal, since it needs to cool before we can work with it. Quickly sort through the 2 cups of split peas to see if there’s anything foreign among them (twigs etc – remove), then give it a good wash. Place about 5-6 cups of water to boil in a deep sauce pan and add the split peas and turmeric to the boiling water. Reduce the heat so it’s at a rolling boil and cook for about 20 minutes. NOTE: If you’re using a food processor as I did, allow it to cook for about 25-30 minutes. If using a traditional food mill, cook for the 20 minutes I mentioned.

Then drain and set aside to cool.

After you’ve put the boiled dhal (split peas) to cool, it would be a good time to start working on the dough. In a large bowl (I’m sure you can use a food processor as well – providing it can make dough) add the flour, salt, yeast, baking powder and start adding water. Knead to a  firm consistency… keep adding water as necessary. Work to form a huge dough ball, then cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes. (pay attention to time as you don’t want the dough to over-rest)

Let’s now work on the split peas filling. I used a food processor and ran into some problems as I tried to work all at the same time and it just wasn’t happening. So I then divided it into 3 batches which was a lot easier to get to the consistency I wanted.

Place all the ingredients for making the filling into the food processor or food mill and work until you have a no whole peas or large pieces. I guess the ground peas should look similar to bread crumbs… if you have any full grains of dhal in the mix it may rip the roti while cooking. If you’re using a food mill it will have a soft, smooth consistency as the mill really grinds it in a way the food processor can’t duplicate. If you’re not familiar with what a food mill is, see below- it’s the traditional device used in preparing the dhal filling.

The next step in to break down the main dough ball into six smaller balls, then fill them with the peas filling we just made. You will have enough filling left over to make about 4 more dhalpuri so you can either freeze this or make some more dough (or cut back on the amount of split peas you prepare).

Divide the main dough into 6 pieces and form six smaller dough balls. Here’s where it may get a bit messy… flatten out each dough ball in your hand (see pics below) to form a 6 inch circle, then dust with flour and add 4 tablespoons of the filling to each. You will have to make a sort of bowl shape as you keep adding the split peas filling. Then using your fingers, form to a ball shape and pinch to seal. I do hope the pics below helps with explaining this step.

Now it’s time to heat your tawa (baking stone) on medium/high heat and brush some oil onto it’s surface. On a flour dusted surface, roll out one of the stuffed dough balls we made. Turn, flip and keep rolling until you have a pizza like shape that’s about 12-14 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Remember to consider the size of tawa you’ll be using, so you don’t end up with a roti that’s too big to fit on your tawa. I assume you could use a large non-stick frying pan if you don’t own a tawa but you may encounter a problem when trying to flip with the edges of the frying pan.

Be careful when placing the rolled out dough onto the tawa as it will be hot. After about 30 seconds, using your hand if you’re a pro or a couple spatulas flip the roti. Now give this side a quick brush with the oil. You may have to flip this a couple times. It will take a bout 4-6 minutes to fully cook and you’ll notice that it will start to “swell” or inflate as cooks. That’s a sign that it’s ready to be removed off the tawa. Repeat this step for the remaining 5 roti.

Yes, there are a few steps involved and you’re probably saying “this is exactly why I buy my dhalpuri”, but I assure you that it’s rather simple and I do hope the combination of my description and pictures above is easy to follow along. I would suggest placing these on paper towels to absorb excess oil and do wrap in paper towels or tea towel to keep them soft (the air tends to make them a bit stiff). For those of you who make dhalpuri may find that the instant yeast is a bit strange.. but I assure you that you’ll have a nice tender roti which will reheat as if they were just made. I’ve seen my mom not only wrap them in a tea towel, but place that into a plastic shopping bag to eat later that day. If you make a couple batches you can certainly freeze them. I usually place them (folded) into freezer bags and they keep for at least a month in the freezer. Then it’s just a case of nuking them in the microwave to reheat. However when reheating in the microwave, don’t put the full time at once. I usually do 45 seconds on high and depending on hot it is I then flip over and heat an additional 40 seconds.

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— Winner Wanted!—

It’s that time again – we’re giving away the following book (see below) to one lucky person for the month of September.  All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section below (please say something about this recipe) and your name will be automatically entered to win this extraordinary book written by Ramin Ganeshram. About a year ago a reader called me (fella was like FBI finding my home number) to tell me about the wonderful work Ramin did with her book “Sweet Hands – Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago”. After some research I not only found out that this book is a best seller on Amazon.com, I was able to make contact with Ramin via Facebook. Long story short, she sent me this copy of her book to give to one lucky reader (along with an autographed copy for moi). Note: This is the 2nd edition so you can expect even more recipes.

There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment  there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean food and if the recipes I share are helpful.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “Sweet Hands Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago”…

- contest is open to everyone globally

- there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)

- 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)

- contest is open from September 23 – to midnight September 30.

- winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.

- the winner will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address

- we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)

I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this book out to you. It’s simple, free and a great way to experiment with some exotic and traditional recipes from Trinidad and Tobago in your kitchen. I’ not sure if you know how significant it is for someone to be a best seller (always sold out) on Amazon, but I assure you that it means that Ramin’s work is in great demand. Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll be able to do a full review of this book, but there’s something more exciting from Ramin I’d like to share with you the first week of October. Stay tuned and good luck to everyone who enters.

Yes it’s a bread, but we call it a bake. Just as the fry bake recipe I shared with you a while back, which isn’t really baked… we try our best to confuse the heck out of people with our food names. Walking into the house after school or on those days when in the rainy season it was customary to spend our evening playing football (soccer) in the muddy savanna down the road (I’m still a ball-hoe), and you would be hit with that lovely aroma of action taking place in the oven… immediate hunger would set in (even if you just raided someone’s mango tree).

If it was after football, you had to make sure and bathe before setting foot in the house and don’t ever let you mom see dry nashy skin.. so you had to grease down with baby oil or lotion… it’s amazing how fast we would go from pig to Sunday morning church clean. That fresh baked bread smell had a way of getting the best out of us. When it was coconut bake, it also meant timing it so as soon as it came out of the oven, you could have a piece with butter and/or cheese. I also recall our mom cooking a fry-dry curry shrimp to make sandwiches with the coconut bake. Good times!

Wanted to mention that though I can get dried coconut here if I look hard enough, I just didn’t feel like searching then grating etc, so I used dessicated coconut I found pre-packaged (Desiccated coconut is coconut meat which has been shredded or flaked and then dried to remove as much moisture as possible) at the grocery store. I would recommend (though I didn’t  this time) soaking it in the coconut milk to add back some life to it.

This recipe is a bit different than my mom’s or grandmother .. who BTW used a coal pot to make her’s, but you’ll find great pleasure as you rip through a steaming hot piece of this coconut bake.

You’ll Need…

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
1/4 cup butter or shortening (i used shortening)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon quick acting yeast
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut (I used dessicated coconut)

If you’re using freshly grated coconut , start by prepping that or as in my case I started with the dough. This would be the first time using our new food processor for making dough, but feel free to use your hands if you not as lazy as I am. In the food processor (or bowl) place the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and the butter or shortening and work till you get a sort of crumbs texture. I gave the food processor a few pulses and it was ready for the next step.

I then added the grated coconut and gave it another pulse, then I started to add the coconut milk and make the actual dough. You may notice that you’ll need some additional liquid, if that is the case add some water. You’re looking for a smooth and firm dough. Since I used the food processor (about 3-5 minutes), I then removed it onto a floured surface and worked the dough until it was firm and smooth as I wanted.

The next step is to cut it evenly into two pieces and and work it into the shape of the ‘bake’. You’ll need to have a flour dusted surface and a rolling pin ready. I believe I got mine about 1 inch thick and about 10-12 inches in diameter. I then used a fork to prick the surface a bit (always saw my mom do that), placed it onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Which I covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rest for about 2 0 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400F, then add the bakes (remove plastic wrap) on the cookie sheet and on the middle shelf for about 25-30 minutes or until they’re golden brown. You can always stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes our dry, it means the inside is fully cooked.

I forgot to mention that you should warm the coconut milk a bit before adding to the flour to make the dough. Day two would see us have slices of this with guava jam and tea for breakfast, before heading off to school… you felt as if you could take on the world when your belly was jam-packed with this lovey coconut bake.

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

There’s been a few times while in the produce section at the grocery store pondering over the limited ground provision section, when I’ve been questioned about some of the selections. People are very interested in learning more about the “strange” foods which now occupy space on the shelves… name, where it comes from, how do you prepare it, taste, texture and how to shop for them. Grocers should post a little info card with items that’s not necessarily common to everyday shoppers.

Before you send me “clarification” emails I have to mention that what I used (as it was labelled) is “taro” and not dasheen. Pretty much the same thing if you ask me, but I just wanted to be clear (I’ve being getting buff lately). We were down at the St Lawrence Market this past Saturday and after sampling some of the freshly made oven roasted pork belly which also had that rich smokey taste of bacon and the sort of crispy skin that crackles with fatty goodness… we just had to get some to take home with us. My dad grew up on my great grandparents cocoa and coffee plantation and being there was no electricity or fridge.. a lot of their meats were smoked, salted or brine. As soon as my dad saw the thick slices of the bacon, he spoke about his childhood days and eating this with ground provisions. Yup! The lights went off in my head as I knew I had a taro in my fridge from my grocery trip a couple days back.

You’ll Need..

2 lbs dasheen or taro (peeled and cubed)
1 medium onion slice
1/4 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (any hot pepper you like)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
2 cloves garlic sliced
dash black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 green onion chopped (scallion)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 lb bacon

The bacon I used was  pork belly which was smoked as would bacon, then oven roasted with some sort of glaze. The crispy skin and bit’s of fat will work well with this dish. If pork is not your thing or you’d like to keep this vegetarian, you can omit any meat in the refrying step. Another option instead of the bacon would be pieces of slated cod fish or any sort of smoked meats you like.

The first part of the recipe is basically how to peel, cut and cook taro or dasheen. After which you can mix it with some butter and have it very  basic. Or you can certainly refry with bacon or smoke meats as I will show you later and also make it vegetarian by not using any sort of meat. Additionally you can mash as you would potatoes and make a creamy mashed dasheen by adding milk/cream, butter and some fresh ground black pepper. (to peel use a sharp pairing knife or potato peeler)

Peel, cut into pieces (same size for uniform cooking time) and wash under cool water. If you’re using freshly harvested taro or dasheen you may want to wear gloves when peeling to prevent your hands from itching. Then place in a deep pot, cover with water (about 1 inch above the last piece), bring to a boil, reduce your heat to a rolling boil and let cook about 20 minutes or until tender. This is when you’d also add the salt to the boiling pot with the taro.Since there are a few factors which will account for how quickly your dasheen or taro cooks, I cannot guarantee that your cooking time will be the same. I would test after 15-20 minutes using this method… using a sharp paring knife, stick it into a piece of the taro. If there’s no resistance, it means that it’s cooked. Please bear in mind that the top pieces (pieces from the top portion of the actual taro, called the ‘head’… where it was attached to the stems during growth) may take a little longer to cook.

When the taro or dasheen comes to a boil you’ll notice some froth acquire at the top of the pot. Please spoon that out and discard. I believe that’s a combination of starch and some other impurities. While the taro was boiling I prepared the other ingredients for refrying it with.

After about 20 minutes of boiling (with the lid off) I tested to see if the pieces were cooked, then I drained and began the steps involved in refrying. At this point is when you can enjoy with butter or make into a mash as I explained above.

I then placed the butter and oil into a sauce pan (fairly deep) under medium heat, then added the pieces of smoked bacon that I cut into cubes earlier. Allow this to cook for a few minutes, until you start getting crispy edges.

I then added the garlic, onions, slices of scotch bonnet and black pepper. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes to soften and infuse it’s flavor into the entire dish. The final step is to now add the pieces of cooked dasheen or taro, top with the green onions and stir. Allow that to cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. With the natural sugars in the taro, the edges may start to go golden, so you may want to reduce the heat a bit. I love this texture and the taste of the sort of burnt edges, so I allow mine to cook on high heat. That’s just my preference.

So now you know a bit about dasheen and/or taro and I do hope you give it a try the next time you come across it in the grocery store or roadside vendor. There was enough here to serve about 3-4 people as a complete meal.

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

Similar to the original curry baigan and aloo recipe I shared with you guys back in 2009 (time really flies), this one is very flexible and can work as a vegetarian meal or you can add left over stewed meats or pieces of salted cod and take it to another level. With the strong East Indian influence in our culinary traditions, you’ll find than many of the vegetables and ways of cooking is directly related to that connection. This is why you’ll see from time to time I mention names of things you won’t necessarily be familiar with, but I do try to clear things up on such occasions. Baigan is just another word for eggplant and aloo is basically potato. So don’t be surprised to see this dish refereed to as baigan and aloo in some Trinbago restaurants.

You’ll Need…
1 lb Japanese eggplant (or your fav)
2-3 cloves garlic sliced or crushed
1/4 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (any hot pepper you like)
1/2 large onion diced
1 large potato cubed -chunky
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
dash black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

* As with the ingredients listed above, this is a vegetarian dish but I had some left over stewed chicken which I added the last 5 minutes of cooking to enhance the flavor a bit (this is optional). The stewed chicken recipe can be found at: Ultimate Trinbagonian Stew Chicken.

We’ll start by prepping all the ingredients. Peel and dice the onion, slice the pepper and crush or slice very thin the garlic. I decided to leave the skin on a couple of the eggplant for a bit of texture and to get some of that unique sweetness that Japanese eggplant seems to have. The other two I peeled. I then cut off the stems and cut each eggplant into three sections (length) to which I then cut strips, similar to if I were making fries. Finally I peeled, washed and cubed (in chunks) the potato. I used a Yukon Gold variety as I just love the sort of creamy texture of it. But you’re free to use any variety of potato you may have.

On a medium/high heat I heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the pieces of sliced (or crushed) garlic and allow that to cook for a couple minutes. You should start getting that wonderful garlic scent and the edges should start going golden. Now add the pieces of eggplant, then top with the onion, pepper, salt, black pepper and potato. Give it a good stir, then add the water. Bring it up to a boil, then lower te heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 25 minutes with the saucepan covered. Be sure to stir every 7 minutes or so.

You will find that it will start to melt away and turn into a sort of mushy texture… this is exactly what we’re looking for. After 25 minutes, the eggplant and potato should be tender and this is a good time to add any leftover meats you may want to add. If you plan on adding salted cod to this dish, I would add it after adding the garlic and allow it to cook for a couple minutes before adding everything else. If you’re keeping this dish strictly vegetarian, after 25 minutes if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, turn up the heat and cook it off. You should not se any clear liquid in the finished dish.

If you did add pieces of left over stewed chicken as I did, turn up the heat after adding and cook until any liquid burns off.. usually about 3-5 minutes. Taste for salt as I’m sure your taste is  different than mine. Add accordingly.

This goes well with Sada Roti and should be enough for 4-5 people as a side. I was at my sisters restaurant a while back and was quite surprised at how many people came in especially for this… but without any meat and curried as I shared in the previous recipe.

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

With  all the recent requests I’ve been getting for more dessert type recipes, I’ve decided to share a classic banana fritters recipes with you guys. In all honesty I don’t like banana as I once did as a child. I strongly believe I had too much growing up on the islands as it’s common to have trees around your home, so we always had various varieties of ripe bananas to snack on. I recall my mom making this treat for us when the bananas were going a bit discolored (at it’s ripest) and she wanted to use them before they got chucked into the rubbish bin. But back then there were no confectionery sugar topping!

You’ll Need…

3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
3 cups of vegetable oil for frying
confectioner sugar (optional, but nice finishing touch)

In a fairly large bowl, peel and cut the ripe banana into chunks, then mash using a fork or potato masher into a smooth consistency. It will have the consistency of baby food … parents will know what I mean.

Whip the egg, then add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.. then whip some more until the sugar breaks down. Now add that to the bowl with the mashed bananas. You can centainly use an electric mixer if you wish, but I mush prefer a wire whisk (burn some calories before replacing them with tasty ones).

The final step in preparing the batter is to slowly start adding in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you have a smooth batter, without any lumps. After that… all you have to do is heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add spoonfuls (tablespoon) of the batter into the hot oil. It will take about 1 minute to get golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute until that side is also golden brown. Once cooked you will notice that it will start floating in the oil. Remove and drain on paper towels. Final step before eating is to dust with the confectionery sugar. Serve warm… good with vanilla ice cream on the side as well.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below… even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….

Our dad grew up on the family cocoa and coffee plantation with my great grandparents, so basically his meals consisted of what we refer to “blue” food. Ground provisions (yams, dasheen, eddoes, cassava etc), green bananas, dumplings and other very traditional dishes passed on from slavery days. So when we were growing up many of these dishes were a strong part of our diet as well, since mom would make stuff the old fella enjoyed. To this day my sisters have no love for many of these foods, but my brother and I crave them. Especially since we’re not at “home” where it’s in abundance… such is the life of immigrants I guess.

Today’s recipe takes me back to when my uncle and I would make our own little “cook” with ingredients we could easily salvage around the house or garden. Cassava dumplings and dasheen bush simmered in coconut milk and a rosy green scotch bonnet pepper… if we were lucky we’d also have a few ochroes to go into the bhaji mix.

You’ll Need…

1 cup grated cassava
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
6-10 tablespoon water
pinch baking powder

* if you can’t get fresh cassava to grate, you can also try using cassava flour. Many Latin markets will stock it (may be called yucca flour)

Peel the cassava with a potato peeler or sharp pairing knife to remove the bark-like outer skin, then using a box grater (be careful) as it’s very easy to catch your fingers as the cassava pieces gets smaller as you grate. I’m sure this could probably work in a food processor, but I’ve never tried it.

In the same bowl with the grated cassava add the flour and baking powder. Knead into a firm but elastic dough… since the grated cassava will have a bit of moisture, work the flour into it before adding water. This will see it go like ‘peas”, but it will give you an idea of how much water you’ll need to add. Then start adding water one tablespoon at a time. Since I cannot comment on how moist your cassava will be, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time. It may take a bit of muscle to really work the dough, but try to get a nice smooth finish.

Now cover the bowl with a bit of plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 20-25 minutes.  The next step is to bring about 7 cups of water to boil in a fairly large pot and add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water.

As the water comes to a boil…

Dust a flat surface with flour and lets get ready to make the dumplings. Cut the dough ball into 8 smaller ones, then give each a sort of cigar roll and then work with your fingers to form the shape of a tongue. BTW, these dumplings are sometimes called cow’s tongue (due to it’s shape). See the pics below for a pictorial explanation.

The water should be boiling now so gently add each dumpling and give it a stir. This will cook on medium heat (make sure it’s boiling) for about 5 minutes or so. You’ll know when they’re done, when you see them float to the to[ of the pot.

The final step is to drain and get ready to serve (best hot). Today I enjoyed mine with saltfish buljol, but if you’re looking for something even more basic.. simply stir in some butter and enjoy. This goes great with many curry meats, stewed meats and if you were to go to Tobago you must have it with curried crabs. I had three of them and was stuffed.. so this could easily serve 4 small eaters. You’ll notice that I added some red cabbage to my saltfish buljol.. had some in the fridge and figured I’d use it. Added a nice crunch to the overall dish.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….

After posting the tambran (tamarind) ball recipe a couple days ago (sweet spicy sour tambran balls) , I realize that I still had some tamarind left back so I decided to share this recipe with you guys. Originally when I told my mom I purchased some tamarind in a box at the Asian store, she jokingly said “buh son, dais not the real thing” (gosh trinbago accent sweet eh!). So she got my dad to go out and get some of the ‘real thing” for me and sent it down with my sister (they live in Toronto and I’m in Hamilton). Sure enough it was the “tart” or sour type of tamarind we’re accustomed too in the Caribbean, but already out of the hard shell-like exterior.

This tamarind sauce is used primarily as a condiment or topping  for such things as saheena, aloo pie, pholourie and doubles. But I also recall (back to my school days again) a thicker version, with a sort of amchar massala undertone that was a hit with the kids at my primary school. Maybe I’ll post that recipe the next time I get some of the ‘real’ tamarind.

You’ll Need…

200 grams tamarind  pulp (about 7 oz)
3 cloves garlic
1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 leaves shado beni
1 1/2 cup water

* add some salt and extra sugar if you find that the finished sauce is overly tart.

Before I go further I must let you know that there are 2 variations of this recipe. The first being the way I’ll show you below, where I’ll simmer the sauce on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The 2nd method you’ll use the same ingredients, except no cooking is involved. You simply add everything to a blender and give it a good pulse. I like to cooked version better as I find that the pungent ingredients like the shado bein and garlic is infused within the sauce and has a much milder after-taste.

The first step is to crush the pepper, garlic and shando beni into a sort of chunky paste. I give those things a rough chop and work it well in my mortar and pestle.

BTW, you’ll notice that my shado beni looks a bit starving… I’m just thankful I could get fresh shado beni here, so I’m not complaining. The next step is place the tamarind paste into a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups water. Now using your fingers, (if you didn’t get seedless), work the pulp away from the seeds and try to crush the flesh between your fingers. It  will get a bit messy so you can wear disposable gloves if you wish.

Now remove the seeds and discard. Place the saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar (pinch of salt) and the crushed pepper/garlic/shado beni to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Now turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and with the pot closed, allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir every 2-3 minutes and if you find that it’s getting really thick, add a bit more water. You’re looking for a sort of thick tomato soup consistency (a little thinner than ketchup). Allow to cool before serving as the taste when it’s hot is totally different than when it’s cool. If when you taste it you find that it’s more tart (sour) than anything else, add a bit more sugar. It should be the perfect balance of tart, savory and spicy.

This tambran sauce rocks when you dip some saheena, aloo pie or pholourie into it!

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

I almost forgot. I’m not sure how many of you saw the message I posted on Facebook, but I mentioned that if you’d like to post any cooking/food related questions to a certified chef, who’s traveled all over the world doing his culinary thing.. now is the time to do so. A couple weeks back we met with the Rhyming Chef (Philman George) for coffee and during that meeting he agreed to take time from his hectic schedule to answer any questions you guys may have. All you have to do is leave the questions in the comment section below and I’ll send them off to him. I’ll then post the answers on the website for everyone to participate in the discussion.

You can learn more about The Rhyming Chef at his site http://www.therhymingchef.com/ A super cool ‘soldier’ with a massive passion for the culinary culture and history of the Caribbean, especially his home island of Barbuda.

I urge you to post your questions below and do check out Philman’s website for some amazing tips and cooking videos.

You’re probably wondering what the heck is wrong with Chris,  when you read both Amchar and talkari as the heading of this recipe. I didn’t know if this would be considered amchar, talkari or curry Pommecythere considering I didn’t use any curry in cooking it. All I know is that the few times I had this growing up, was the occasional time I would purchase some from the many street food vendors outside the gates at our high school. Are there still food vendors outside schools today in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is the first time I was making this dish and I must say that I’m quite proud of the results.

You’ll Need…

3 Pommecythere (green / fully developed)
2 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon salt
1 scotch bonnnet pepper (any hot pepper would work)
3 cloves garlic – crushed
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon brown sugar (golden.. not dark)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 medium onion sliced thin (optional)

Note: Depending on how sour or tart your Pommecytheres are, you may need to add a bit more salt. The idea is to get a sort of savory taste, with the richness of the brown sugar and amchar massala. So if at the end you find it to be a bit tart, add a bit more salt or sugar.

Some people tend to pre-boil the Pommecythere pieces before actually cooking it in the massala. By doing so you achieve two thing. 1. Speeds up the cooking time, as it will already be tender. And 2. The pre-boiling tends to remove some of the tartness from the Pommecythere. If you decide on pre-boiling, you’ll only need about 1/4 cup water as mentioned in the ingredients listed above and you’ll cook it only a few minutes after adding all the ingredients to the pot.

If you’re wondering what Pommecythere is…

From Wikipedia : Spondias dulcis or Ambarella, (and its alternative binomial, Spondias cytherea, Malay Apple), Golden apple, is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. It is known by many names in various regions, including Pomme cythere in Trinidad and Tobago, June plum in Jamaica, Juplon in Costa Rica, Jobo Indio in Venezuela, and Caja-manga in Brazil.

Give the Pommecythere a good rinse under running water, then using a cleaver or heavy knife, cut through them into wedges (see pic below). Give them a another rinse if you like. Then get the other ingredients ready. You’ll notice that I didn’t bother peeling the Pommecythere as I find that the skin adds to the overall texture at the end. And you will find that the center of the Pommecythere is somewhat spiny and tough.. this is why I used a heavy cleaver to cut through them.

Heat the vegetable oil in a fairly heavy/deep pan and add the onion and garlic. Allow that to cook for a few minutes, then add the slices of pepper. Remember (I learned the hard way today) that the fumes from the pepper meeting the heated oil will be strong and cause you to cough. Open your kitchen windows and turn on the vent fan if you have one over your stove.

Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes, then add the pieces of cut Pommecythere and give it a good stir. Next up..  add the amchar massala and stir again. Now add the sugar, salt and water and bring to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to between a rolling boil and simmer.. place the lid on the pot and allow this to cook for about 25-30 minutes. Basically until it’s tender and becomes a thick sort of sauce. Remember what I mentioned in the note above and check to ensure it’s not to tart or sour as we would say on the islands.

This is used as a condiment for many curry dishes, spicy snack or as a side with roti in many instances. Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

This recipe is pretty much a clone of the traditional dhal recipe I shared with you a while back, except this one we’ll be using lentils along with the yellow split peas. I still recall our grandmother making this when we were kids and eating it as we would soup. Last week I was going though the menu of a local Caribbean restaurant when I noticed they had dhal on their menu. Sold by the bowl-full (small $4.50 and large $9… imagine that). Right away I was taken back to those days when we lined up in my grandmother’s kitchen with bowl in hand, jostling with my cousins for the first serving. I just had to make some – the craving was on.

I didn’t follow my grandmother’s recipe, as she would use geera (cumin) somewhere along the line of cooking, but I’m not a huge fan of that spice so I tend to avoid it when I can.

You’ll Need…

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup lentils
4 cloves of garlic diced (divided)
3/4 teaspoon salt * see note below
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 small onion sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 hot pepper (I used habanero – use whatever you like)
8 cups water * see note below
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like using olive oil for it’s sort of nutty taste)

Note:

- It’s easier to add more salt if necessary than remove excess salt. So at the end, do taste to see if there’s enough to your liking. It took me a few tries of making this before I got the salt just right. I added too much at the start and had to work with salty dhal. So take my advice and start with a little and add accordingly. BTW for some reason this goes a bit more salty when it cools  down.

- I started with  8 cups of water, but if you find that it becomes overly thick, feel free to add more.

Sort out the split peas and lentils to ensure there’s no foreign particles between them (I’ve seen twigs and pebbles at times), then give it a good wash with cool water and drain. Also get the other ingredients ready.

In a large pot, put the water to heat and when it comes to a boil, add everything except 1/2 the garlic and the oil (including the split peas and lentils). Bring back up to a boil, then lower to the most gentle simmer you can get. Now place the lid on the pot slightly ajar and allow this to cook for about 80 minuets or until the split peas are tender and starts to dissolve. If you have a pressure cooker, this will only take about 15 minutes or so.

You will be required to stir occasionally and do remove any sort of build up which may float to the top of the pot.

After the 80 minutes both the lentils and split peas should be tender but still keeping it’s shape. We’ll now use a wire whisk or swizzle stick as you’ll see in the picture below and give it a good whisk. This will break down most of the peas and give the dhal and nice thick consistency. I’m sure you can use one of those electric submersion blender, but try not to overwork it r risk having a sort of frothy final dish (see note above regarding water)

Turn off the heat from the dhal and in a small frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the remaining sliced of garlic. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, until you start seeing the edges of the garlic start to go a dark brown.

This final step you must show some caution as we’ll be adding that hot oil to the pot with the split peas and lentils that we cooked down. I usually use the lid of the pot as a shield when pouring in the heated oil/garlic mixture to the pot. So with one hand I have the lid protecting my body and the other, the frying pan with the oil. Pour and then give the entire pot a good stir. now check to see if there’s enough salt to your liking.

This will be enough for about 4 people if you’re drinking it as a soup, but if you’re having it with rice and something else (like curry chicken or tomato choka), you’ll have enough for about 6-8 people. I usually freeze portions in freezer containers and heat them up the next time I have a craving. So far I’ve had them last in excess of a month in the freezer. When it’s time to reheat, I free it from the container add a little water to a pot and put it on a very gentle heat to thaw. I guess you could also use the microwave.

Before you go I’d love for you to leave me a comment below.. it’s appreciated (even if it’s just to say hello). Remember  you can always connect with us on faceBook and watch the cooking videos on our Caribbean Cooking Channel.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

I think it was about 6 years ago when for my birthday, we (my  sister and I) surprised our parents with a visit down the islands. That visit marked the first time in about 15 years that my mom had all of her children in the country at the same time. My sister who lives in Trinidad knew of our planned visit, but my mom, dad and brother (who now lives in NY) didn’t – Yea!  it was a good birthday gift for me… to all be under one roof. On that trip, we spent a couple days on the sister island of Tobago and one night while out a bar called “Shade” I recall my sister asking me if I’d like a cup of corn soup. Corn Soup? I had been away from the islands too long. I had no clue what corn soup was and I’ll be honest, a soup made from corn was not appealing to me. Long story short… it was another 3 years later that I had my first cup of corn soup. That one was from a street vendor around the savanna in Port Of Spain late one night.

Normally I like my soups with some sort of meat in it and there are times when I use salted pig tails in making this dish, but this time we’ll go strictly vegetarian. FYI – corn soup is one of those hearty meals on the go, you get after fetes (party / night club) and a meal that’s made it’s way into the fabric of good street food on the islands.

You’ll Need…

2-3 corn on the cob
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (substitute – cilantro)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon chopped chives
3 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon parsley
1 cup yellow split peas
1 scotch bonnet pepper (any hot pepper you like)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 large sweet potato cubed
4 medium potato (I used Yukon gold) cubed
1 lb pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups) cubed
1 can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can creamed corn
1 large carrot diced

* If you’re making this with salted pig tails, remember to pre-boil the pigtail first to remove some of the salt, and you may not need any added salt in the soup itself. The remaining salt from the pig tail will be enough to flavour the entire dish.

For the dumplings…

- 3/4 cup flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of sugar
- water *

* Add 2-3 tablespoon water when making the dough for the dumplings and add more as necessary. You’re trying to achieve a firm dough.

Start by preparing the vegetables for the dish. Peel, cut, chop, cube etc. You’ll notice in the pic below that I cut the scotch bonnet into pieces, this is because I love the heat. Feel free to leave it whole in the dish and remove after cooking, if you’re concerned about the heat level. I also add the sprigs of thyme whole, but later in the cooking process I’ll fish them out of the pot.

With the cobs of corn all you have to do is clean them, rinse under cool water and cut into 1 inch pieces.

* I encountered a problem with my camera while putting this recipe together, so I do apologize for the lack of pics depicting the steps as I normally do.

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, then add the diced onions, garlic, celery, herbs and hot pepper (see my note about the pepper above). Let that saute for a couple minutes, then add the split peas and stir well. Now add everything else mentioned in the ingredients list above, except the pieces of corn and dumplings. Bring that up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 70 minutes. The idea is to cook the split peas and allow everything else to cook-down and melt away into a lovely thick soup. Leave the pot slightly ajar and remember to keep stirring the pot.

After the 70 minutes, go ahead and add the pieces of corn and dumplings. Allow that to come back up to a boil and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remember to keep stirring the pot and if you notice that it’s overly thick, feel free to add more water of vegetable stock if you have.

Here’s how simple it is to make the flour dumplings.

Basically all you’re doing is making a dough from the ingredients listed above, then allow that to sit for about 10 minutes. Then pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll that into small cigars using both hands.

NOTE: I’ve seen people add the sweet potato, pumpkin and potato later in  he cooking process so it’s doesn’t melt away too much. But I like putting everything in the pot and allowing it to do it’s thing. Not only do I cube the potatoes and pumpkin rather large, I love my soup thick and rely on these ingredients melting away.

This makes enough soup that could easily fill 4 adults as a main course, and about 6-8 people as a starter. I encourage you to give this recipe a try as it’s very simple to follow along and it makes for a very hearty and tasty soup your entire family will love. Especially if you’re based in colder climates and you’re looking for something to warm you up on those cold winter nights. Or maybe you’re having a party this summer and you’d like to do as we do in Trinbago and have some soup for after the main festivities.

Before you go, don’t forget to connect with us on Face Book, Twitter and do check out the cooking videos.

Share your thoughts below… maybe you have a different way of making this soup that you’d like to share? All comments are appreciated.

I’m not a fan of pumpkin, unless it’s added to callaloo or in those hearty soups we’re so famous for in the Caribbean, but this dish turned out amazing. I recall as a young fella on the islands, our mom would say “eat the pumpkin, it good for you”.. good for me? That expression was enough (even if it tasted good) for me and my siblings to not want to eat it. It was like code for “food to avoid”… little did she know.

On our recent trip to Jamaica I had the opportunity to have pumpkin rice for the first time and though it was at a fast food joint in the mall (Island Grill), it was amazing. I can only imagine how much better it would taste if it was homemade.  So I’m starting to have a little more appreciation for the food that is “good for me”.

Disclaimer. I’ve posted this in the vegetarian section as well, since I do know some people who are vegetarians and eat fish. For those of you who don’t… save the hate mail please.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs pumpkin (cubed)
salt – see note below
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 hot pepper (I used habanero)
1/4 cup shredded dry salted fish (like cod or haddock etc)
1/2 teaspoon golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil (use vegetable or your fav)
fresh cracked black pepper

Note: Since we’re using salted cod in the recipe, you may not need to add salt. However, this is something you can “taste” for near the end of cooking, as everyone tolerance for salt is different. Additionally, I like using olive oil in this recipe as I find it adds a nice nutty flavor. But you’re free to use vegetable or any sort of oil you like cooking with.

Peel and cube the pumpkin in 1/2 inch pieces (try to be uniform as possible) then rinse under cool water and drain.

For some reason the salted fish (cod usually) we get in the Caribbean is very salty and require boiling first before using. However the one I get here in Canada, is a bit less salty, not as dry and is boneless. So my prep is a bit different. All I do is take a chunk and place it in a deep bowl, to which I add boiling water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. I then drain, shred and rinse again under cool water. This not only rehydrate the shredded salted cod, but it removes all the excess salt from it.

Set your stove on medium heat and heat the oil in a fairly deep saucepan. Then add half of the sliced onion and allow to cook for a couple minutes. Now add the pieces of salted fish and on low heat, allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Now that the oil is infused with all the wonderful flavor from the shredded fish, it’s time to add the cubed pumpkin. Then top with the slices of garlic, the rest of the sliced onion, habanero pepper, sugar and some fresh black pepper. Give it a good stir, make sure the heat is on low and cover the pot. This will need to cook for about 25-30 minutes. But it’s important that you stir it often.

After about 25 minutes of cooking you’ll notice that it’s all gone a mushy. That’s what we’re looking for, but it may have a bit of liquid still in the pan. If this is the case turn up the heat and with the lid removed, burn off any liquid you see. Now using the back of your spoon, press down on an chunky pieces of pumpkin that may still be there, to form a sort of smooth and creamy texture. At this point you can also check to see if there’s enough salt to your liking and add accordingly. In my case I didn;t have to add any.

Show me some love and leave me your comments below (always appreciated) and while you’re at it… connect with us on Facebook. Remember you can always use the images on the upper right side of this page to get to the cooking videos as well as join us as we chat about all things Caribbean related when it come to the cuisine of the region (Facebook).

BTW this recipe makes enough for this to be used as a side for about 4 people and it goes well with plain rice or with roti (buss up shut, Sada roti, fry bake).

Happy Cooking

Chris….

Yet again, this is one of those dishes that our mom couldn’t even beg us to eat as kids. There were two ways we would ever be convinced to eat cabbage (except for in chow mein) and they both included adding meat of some sort. First there’s the corned beef with cabbage and left over stew pork with cabbage. Our dad tried in vain to convince us to eat cabbage when my mom would add bits of salted cod fish to it -nah! However, this curry cabbage dish I’m about to share is superb when you add the same salted cod bits my dad would salivate over.

You’ll Need…

1/4 large cabbage (about 4 cups when shredded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
1 medium onion sliced (divided)
2 cloves garlic sliced thin
1 teaspoon curry powder (your fav)
1/4 hot pepper ( I used habanero)
4 tablespoon water
* 1 tomato sliced to add some color/contrast – optional

Start by shredding the cabbage as you would for coleslaw, but a little thicker. Give it a quick rinse under cool water and shake off as much of the water as you can. Now heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, then add half of the sliced onion and the hot pepper. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes, then add the curry powder and stir around. This should cook for another 2-3 minutes before you add the 4 tablespoons of water. The idea is to cook the curry powder to release it’s aroma, then make a quick paste. I’ve seen my mom add the water to the curry powder in a bowl first to make a thick paste before adding to the heated oil… but I much prefer my method (don’t tell her). BTW, I used a curry power blend from Trinidad and Tobago, as I much prefer the Caribbean style blends.

Cook off all the water we added to make the curry paste, until you start seeing  that it’s dark and grainy. This is when you add the shredded cabbage, the sliced garlic, the other half of the onion and salt. Give it a good stir and turn the heat down to low. Cook with the pot uncovered or risk having the cabbage spring a lot of liquid and get soupy.

I usually cook this for about 20-25 minutes as I like the cabbage to have a slight crunch to it, however you can cook it a little longer if you wish. The last 5 minutes is when you would add the slices of tomato if you’d like to give it a bit of contrast. Remember to taste for salt as we well know that everyone salt preference is different. Enjoy!

This curry cabbage goes well with both rice and/or roti (buss up shut, Sada roti, fry bake) and should be enough for at least four people. Before you go I’d love for you to leave me a comment below (even if it’s just to say hello – it’s appreciated) and don’t forget to join our chat on Facebook and tune into the cooking videos. Check on the upper right side of this page to access those areas I mentioned.

As a food enthusiast and blogger, I find myself browsing the Internet weird hours of the night in search of food sites and blogs, especially if they’re Caribbean related. One such night I came across a blog with some of the more appetizing pictures I’ve ever seen. My mouth was literally watering (no lie) as I quickly browsed through the site. I had stumbled onto the blog of Taymer Mason, a vegan foodie originally from Barbados and I couldn’t believe that vegan food had me this interested. You don’t grow up in the Caribbean and not have a specially appreciation for fresh vegetables and the many ways our cuisine is influenced by the variety of cultures that make up the Caribbean. Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, African and European influences can be appreciated as you work your way up the islands, staring from the mainland of Guyana. But vegan?

I’m not a vegan or vegetarian ( I don’t even know the difference and have been scolded in the past for it) and I respect people who can stick to such diets, as I know I couldn’t. If I were to be completely honest with you and for the non vegetarians who do visit the blog, I’m sure you’ll agree with me… when I think vegetarian (outside the Caribbean) I think bland food that’s probably not appetizing at all. But looking back at those pictures I saw the first night I visited Taymer’s Site Vegan In The Sun, I had to start rethinking my generalization.

About 2 weeks ago I got my hands on a copy of Taymer’s Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion – special thanks to Taymer and her publisher “The Experiment”. For the wonderful work being done to promote the culinary culture of the Caribbean, I thought I’d share some insights on the book. PLUS one lucky person will receive a copy of this amazing cooking experience to add to their collection – see below for full details.

Rather than a long review (which I’m not really good at anyway), I’ll point out what really stood out the book…

You all know how much I love documenting and showing step by step instructions, so when I opened the book and saw a section in the middle dedicated to some of the most classic of Caribbean dishes done vegan, I was truly impressed. The colorful pics that are easy to follow along with descriptive text, is simply stunning. Different types of roti, doubles and even a wicked recipe for coconut turnovers… according to Rachael Ray Yum-O! I especially like the pictorial of making buss-up-shut!

“Island Tip” Little tidbits of info scattered throughout the book elaborates on the recipes themselves and offer great alternatives for putting the recipes together. Stuff like, how to reduce the fat content or storage tips!

Each recipe is well outlined and the fact that Taymer used ingredients that’s easily available no matter where in the world you’re based, shows that she tried to make it so everyone can enjoy these recipes. With the use of fresh and flavorful ingredients, you’re sure to make what I thought was bland cooking… exciting!

I urge you to check out Taymer Mason at her blog: Vegan In The Sun and be sure to let her know that Chris from CaribbeanPot.com sent you. You’ll love her take on vegan food which celebrates the rich and diverse culinary culture from the islands… truly island food at it’s best!

BTW, food that’s meat free, dairy free and egg free can be just as tasty or even better than the stuff you eat everyday (don’t tell the kids but it’s supposed to be much more healthy as well)! I know that now, thanks to the banana fritters that I tried the 2nd day after I received my copy of the cookbook in the mail. And I’m trying to source some bread fruit to give another recipe a test drive.

Win Your Own Copy! – Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion.

One of you lucky readers will get a copy shipped out to you… here’s how:

You have 3 chances for your name to be entered into the draw. But before I get to the “how to enter”, lets discuss the simple rules.

1. Contest is open to everyone.

2. The winner will be chosen in a random draw.

3. There will be one winner. If after I announce the name of the winner, they don’t contact me within 15 days I will then choose another winner.

4. The contest is open from today Feb 7 and will close midnight Feb 28.

5. A couple days later a winner will be announced on the facebook fan page, as well as by email if we have the winner’s email address.

How to enter!

There are 3 ways you can enter your name and feel free to use all three methods to enhance your chances.

1. The most common way to enter – Leave a comment below. It could be a simple “enter my name” or you can chat a bit about what your favorite non-meat dish is.

2. Leave a comment on the “contest” comment on the facebook fan page << HERE!

3. Subscribe to the YouTube channel or leave a comment on one of the videos!

Let’s recap so everything is clear. One winner will be chosen in early March and a notification will be sent to that winner. The winner will then have to contact me with their full name and mailing address to have the book shipped out to them at no cost. The contest is open to everyone and you have 3 chances of winning as explained above (leave a comment below, facebook and youtube)

Again, special thanks to Ms Taymer Mason and the wonderful people at “The Experiment” for making this contest possible. Keep doing your thing Taymer, you’re a true ambassador of the Caribbean and we wish you continued success!

If you’re hoping to find a coleslaw with a sort of Caribbean twist, you may have to hit Google and search another source. This one however is a classic coleslaw recipe, and though most people think of this dish as something to bring out during the summer months, I just love the way the creaminess and crunch compliments the spicy nature of good jerk chicken. I did this recipe a few nights ago when I posted the Jamaican Jerk Marinade. As I did a batch of oven jerk chicken with the fresh jerk marinade and just had to have me some coleslaw.

If you’re guilty of purchasing those overpriced small containers of coleslaw at the grocery stores that are drenched in watery dressing, you’ll see how simple this is to make and wonder why you’ve not been making your own all along.

You’ll Need…

About 6 cups of shredded cabbage (approx 1/2 a medium cabbage)
1 large carrot
3/4 cup miracle whip (see comment below)
2 tablespoon sour cream – optional
1/4 red onion sliced very thin
2 tablespoon sugar (white)
2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Note: I like using Miracle Whip instead of traditional mayonnaise, as I love the sort of tangy elements of it. So feel free to use your favorite brand of Mayo if you so desire.

We’ll start by shredding the cabbage. I don’t have access to a food processor (seems Santa wasn’t paying attention or didn’t get the memo), so I used a sharp knife and after removing the core of the cabbage, I cut it into very thin slices. I did cut the 1/2 of cabbage into 3 smaller pieces to make handling easier. If you have a food processor, make use of it.

Then I washed and peeled the carrot and using some elbow grease, I grated it. Again, if you have a food processor, figure out which blade to use and this will take seconds.

Then slice the red onion as thin as you can so at no time while eating will you get a chunk of overpowering onion.

Place the carrot, cabbage and onion in a large bowl and get ready to make the dressing.

Add all the other ingredients into a bowl and using a whisk, work it for a minute or 2. The idea is the incorporate everything into a smooth dressing.

All we have to do now is add this wonderful dressing we just made to the main bowl with the other ingredients and give it a good mix. Try to break up any clumps of carrots and mix evenly.

I personally like giving this at least 30 minutes in the fridge to sort of marinate and bring out the true flavors I’m looking for… enjoy!

While I have your attention I’d like to invite you to join us on Facebook and don’t forget to check out all the cooking videos in the channel I’ve created. You can access both of these by clicking on the respective images on the upper right side of the page. Don’t forget to leave me your comments in the area provided below – it’s always appreciated.

My first encounter with “Mother In Law” was about 7 years ago when we had some relatives here on vacation during that summer, from Trinidad. My aunt had a huge pot of pelau bubbling in the back yard (love cooking in the outdoors during the warm months) and my other aunt who was visiting, raved that we must try her “mother in law” as a condiment with the pelau. I learned that day that “mother in law” was the name given to a sort of crunchy salsa, that’s packed with flavour and heat from extremely hot peppers. We’ve perfected the art of eating spicy foods, peppers and hot sauces in the Caribbean and this is yet another example of how creative we can get with our cuisine and word association.  So where does the name come from? (don’t quote me on this) I believe it’s because like this hot sauce/salsa, a person’s mother in law is notorious for being heated, spicy and finds a way to leave an impression on you (negative or not) without much effort.

Once you adjust the heat level on this one, you’ll find that like me, this will be your favorite “hot” condiment. I learned on that summer’s day, with a steaming plate of pelau in hand,  that I could actually love my “mother in law”

You’ll Need…

1 large carrot (diced)
1 medium onion (minced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
4 hot peppers (I used habanero)
juice from 2 limes or lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium green mango (diced)
1 caraili (bitter melon) -optional – I dislike this so I didn’t use it.
2 tablespoon white vinegar
4 leaves of shado beni (chopped fine)
fresh black pepper

Notes: I didn’t have fresh shado beni, so I opted for 3 table spoons of chopped cilantro. Normally caraili (bitter melon) is used for this recipe, but since I don’t like this vegetable I left it out. If you can’t get caraili or you’re like me and don’t like caraili, you can use a medium sized cucumber. I recommend leaving the skin on the cucumber if using this instead (for a bit of crunchy texture).

The key here is to dice/cube everything the same size and if you’re not using a food processor, it can be a bit time consuming. I love working with my hands so I used a sharp chef’s knife. Peel and wash the carrot, then cut it into 2 main pieces, then jullien and finally dice into very small cube like pieces (see pics below)

Wear gloves for this step – chop the hot peppers the same size as you did the carrot. For maximum heat I recommend keeping the seeds. But if you’re a wuss, do remove the seeds to control the heat.

Now peel the mango, give it a rinse under cool water and dice the same as you did with the hot peppers and carrot. When shopping for a “green” mango (one that’s not ripe), you’re looking for one without any blemishes, very firm (hard) and with be a bit shiny and dark green or a reddish green depending on the variety you get. A ‘green’ mango will be very tart in taste and crunchy in texture.

Add all these ingredients to a large bowl and get ready to assemble everything. I assume you’ve done the same to the onion and garlic (try to get the garlic a bit more fine). Don’t forget to chop the shado beni or cilantro as I did and dice the cucumber if you opted to use that.

In the bowl with the onion, garlic, carrot, shado beni… etc, add the salt, fresh ground black pepper, juice of the lime or lemon and vinegar. Give this a good stir, cover and allow it to marinate in the fridge for a couple hours. Obviously I’m greedy and started on mine seconds after making. The fresh scent of the lemon juice, coupled with the cilantro and hot peppers was just too alluring for me to show any sort of restraint.

This can last for a couple weeks in the fridge if you’re wondering (glass bottle), but the longer it stays in the fridge it will have the tendency to get less spicy.

I have to ask… do you know why it’s called mother in law? Was my explanation close? BTW, I was told there’s one that’s even more spicy… guess what it’s called – Daughter In Law!

You’re invited to join our group on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook image on the upper right side of this page. you may also see in the same area, a link to all the cooking videos I’ve shared so far. While I have your attention I’d like to ask that you leave me a comment below – even if it’s just to say hello. It’s appreciated.