Couple weeks back when we were on vacation in Trinidad we took the drive “down south” (San Fernando, the second largest city in Trinidad and Tobago) to enjoy some BBQ. Last February when we went down for Carnival I had mentioned to my sister that I felt like eating some good island BBQ so she…
Caron’s been asking me to make this for her quite some time now and when I finally got around to making it, I realized that she had come from working nights and would be sleeping in. So like any responsible adult I devoured it with other breakfast fixings so it didn’t go to waste. I…
For those of you not familiar with the Trinbagonian accent… “pong” simply refers to “pound”. So basically we’ll be pounding or mashing the yam in cooked salted cod and other ingredients to bring out the true essence of this wonderful “country” dish. This dish may have different names such as “yam choka” or “yam talkari”,…
When in Rome! Yes, this past Monday was turkey day in Canada and as any good Canadian (I have the people passport) I prepared a turkey for dinner as we’ve done since our girls were born. This is part of their culinary culture and I/we try my best to give them a balanced education and…
I recall my mom making something similar as a young fella and being warned that I/we should not touch it due to the high pepper content. Like everything your parents didn’t want you to do.. you did. The overwhelming heat was simply unbearable as a youth and I did learn my lesson, however that was…
I do apologize for being an absent chef the past couple weeks. As mentioned in my last post we were off to Trinidad and Tobago for my sister’s wedding and for a short vacation. And though I had all intention to cook and blog while we were there, there was so much to see and…
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking the drive over the Northern Range to the most popular beach in Trinidad, there’s no way you could miss the lookout stop where everyone stops for pictures and to enjoy some of the preserved treats that are sold by local vendors. If you’re lucky (we’ve not seen…
This was supposed to be a guava glazed grilled chicken recipe, but like old Mother Hubbard… the cupboard was bare when I went rummaging. My mistake. My sister gave me a bottle of jam she had brought back from the islands her last visit and for some reason I though it was guava jam. After-all,…
Talkari or talcarie is a term used to describe a curry or side dish on the islands, and is East Indian in origin. Mango talkari (my mouth still waters as I recall my school boy days) or Mango Amchar was sold by vendors just outside the gates of my primary and secondary school. At breaks…
It’s funny how certain scents, music and even tv shows takes you back to a different time and place. Last night as I put together this recipe Tehya came up to me and asked “dad that smells good… what are you making?”. My response was “yea it’s smells like Christmas”. Like “Christmas”? I explained to…
I still recall coming back from playing football (soccer) or cricket on a Sunday morning and the house would be filled with the wonderful aroma of Sunday lunch being prepared. Though I was never a fan of it, macaroni pie is an integral part of a Trinbagonian Sunday lunch. For me the rice, stew chicken…
It’s tradition whenever the “Soca Warriors” play a game I try to cook up a batch of pelau. Nothing beats watching your favourite football (soccer) team and enjoying one of your favourite dishes. Today the “Warriors” are scheduled to play a very crucial game against the US, so normally by now I’d have seasoned chicken…
