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…
It’s funny how things always seem to get in the way to prevent you from doing things you plan. A few days back when I posted the recipe for mango chutney, I had planned on making a batch of pholourie to accompany the chutney. Afterall they’re like peas in a pod… they go together. Looking…
This time of the year every grocery flyer / circular you receive in the mail normally contains amazing deals on seedless watermelons. But growing up on the islands we were not accustomed to getting seedless anything… we had to old-school it and spit out the seeds. I remember hearing the old folks say that we…
I’ve been having a serious craving lately for some hot-from-the fryer-pholourie, the kind that you get when you’re invited to Divali celebrations at your friend’s home (the multiculturalism on the islands is amazing). How I miss those days! There I was strolling through the grocery this morning when I saw some green mangoes (not the…
Here’s another one of the dishes my mom would prepare when we were kids which we refused to eat. Her way of getting us to eat it was to cook it without the curry and add leftover stew chicken, pork or beef near the end of the cooking process. Today when she visits I get…
