chris de la rosa Archives - Page 41 of 50

Stir Fry Pak Choi That’s Vegetarian, Gluten Free And Delicious.

November 17, 2014September 29, 20142 Comments

I’ve noticed the past few months that there’s been an incredible amount of requests for more vegetarian and gluten free type recipes. As you may or may not know, a vast majority of the food we cook in the Caribbean are naturally gluten free and with the abundance of fresh vegetables, we’ve mastered vegetarian cooking (insert smile here). Maybe this will explain the teaser I gave in my current cookbook about the upcoming volume 3.

Here’s my take on a delicious way to enjoy pak choi (bok choi) that’s fully vegetarian and appetizing to everyone asking for gluten free recipes.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs baby pak choi
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely diced ginger
2 cloves garlic finely diced

Optional – chopped peanuts, almonds.. or toasted sesame seeds

It’s important that you remove each leaf of the pak choi and wash them individually as they’re notorious for having dirt wedged between them. I’m using baby pak choi, but you can use the regular pak choi if you want, simply chop into large pieces. Drain well after washing and chopping.

Finely dice the garlic and ginger and get ready to cook. I used my medium sized wok, but you can use any wide sauce pan. Heat the oil on medium heat (feel free to use peanut oil if you wish) and add the garlic and ginger. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 minute – do NOT burn the garlic. Now go in with the pak choi and give it a good stir. It will wilt down, if you’re thinking your pan is too small.

Raise the heat back up to medium and add the other ingredients and stir well.

The goal here is to cook this at a high enough temperature to wilt the greens, but not to totally destroy them by overcooking. So all it took was about 5 minutes and they were perfect (for me).

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt as the soy sauce will have enough to season things nicely.. but you can taste near the end and adjust accordingly. For a bit more texture and added protein you can finish up with some chopped peanuts or almonds. Toasted sesame seeds are wonderful won this as well.

If you’re looking for a quick way to enjoy a tasty gluten free vegetarian dish, give this pak choi stir fry recipe a try.

Traditional Caribbean Chicken Foot Soup Recipe.

May 27, 2025September 26, 20147 Comments

It’s one of those soups you really have to try before passing judgement. Like so many traditional dishes from the Caribbean (and globally), you’ll find people will be cautious and at times have negative comments, even though they fail to give it a try. You’ll notice that in the Caribbean we tend to use most of the animal with great success. Feet/trotters, tails, snout.. yea, not all that appetizing or so you’d think.

After a few years of not having chicken foot soup, I must admit that I had to coax myself to come to terms about eating ‘feet”. But one spoonful and it took me back to my days on the islands where this would be a big part of “Soup Saturdays”.

You’ll Need…

1 lb chicken feet (cleaned and trimmed)
2 chicken stock cubes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 green cooking bananas
5 small eddoes
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 potatoes
water
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 scallion
4 sprigs thyme
1 scallion
2 cups diced pumpkin
salt (taste and adjust accordingly)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 medium carrots

* You can add flour dumplings, yams, cassava, dasheen and other ingredients to personalize this chicken foot soup. If you’re making this gluten free, do pay attention to the ingredients listed, especially if you’re adding dumplings.

We need to prep all the ingredients.. make sure your butcher clean and trim the chicken feet (remove the yellow skin and cut off the sort of toes) and prepare the vegetables. Peel, cut into big pieces (same size if possible) and wash. Set the prepared vegetables (and ground provisions) in a bowl covered with water to prevent them from going discolored.

Heat the oil on a medium flame in a soup pot and go in with the chopped scallion, onion, garlic and thyme. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the washed (and trimmed) chicken feet to the pot. Turn up the heat to med-high.

Add about 4-6 cups of hot water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling boil and let that go (partly covered) for about 25-30 minutes.

Now add all the other ingredients, bring back to a boil and let cook for another 25 minutes or so (add more water if necessary so everything is covered). You’ll notice that I didn’t give a specific amount of salt as the stock cubes will be heavy in sodium. Taste for salt and adjust according near the end of cooking. During the cooking process you may need to skim off any sort of residue you see at the top of the soup.

The goal is to have the chicken feet very tender and the vegetables/ground provisions must also be tender to the point where they’re starting to dissolve. This will also thicken the soup nicely.. as with traditional Caribbean type soups.

I had the scotch bonnet pepper in the soup ‘whole’ and I tried not to break it. We want the flavor of the pepper and not the raw heat.. well, unless you love that raw Caribbean sunshine! This must be served HOT and (you will) if you have leftovers, you can freeze it for dinner another day. Simply thaw (on your counter) and heat on the stove top on a very low heat. I rather this method than in the microwave.

How To Make A Quick Beef Stir Fry (gluten free).

December 17, 2014September 15, 20143 Comments

This recipe takes me back to a time when I was in my early teens and I’d go to watch movies on the weekend in San Fernando (Trinidad) with my bother and our dad. There was a Chinese restaurant on Mucurapo Street where we’d usually end up as I’ve had a weakness for Chinese food for as long as I can remember and they had a delicious beef stir fry I craved (they enjoyed the food too). This beef stir fry recipe is very different from that one, but it’s just as satisfying and a good fix for my friends who are on a gluten free diet.

You’ll Need…

3/4 lb beef (thinly sliced across the grain)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 scallions
3 cups bell peppers
3 thin slices of ginger
2 cloves of garlic diced
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Caribbean browning

* Be sure to get “Caribbean Browning” that’s gluten free (read the label). It can be purchased at most west Indian type grocery stores.

Thinly slice the beef across the grain and marinate with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, salt and black pepper for about 1/2 hour in the fridge.

Prep the other ingredients so when it’s time to cook everything will be ready. Chop the bell peppers and scallion, slice the ginger and dice the garlic and scotch bonnet finely. Remember to NOT leave any seeds from the scotch bonnet and be sure to wash your hands immediately after with soap and water.

Now heat a heavy wide pan (or wok) on medium high heat and toss in the seasoned pieces of beef. Stir well to cook though quickly. It will cook for about 4-6 minutes and as it does, make a space in the center of the pan and add the diced scotch bonnet, garlic and slices of ginger.

Please add the Caribbean Browning (if you cannot source it, use 1 teaspoon soy sauce and the same amount of oyster sauce – be sure it’s gluten free if you want to maintain a gluten free recipe) and mix it well to add color to all the pieces of beef.

Add the bell peppers and scallions and cook for about 3 minutes (depends on how tender you want the peppers). taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

You’ll notice that I tried to keep this recipe as “Caribbean” as I could, but I must confess that the Chinese version with the Chinese cooking wine, Soy, Oyster Sauce and a bit of Hoisin sauce is till my fave! I also like add a bit of chopped bok choi and thinly sliced carrots when I want to stretch this beef stir fry to feed more people. If using soy be sure to keep that in mind when seasoning the beef with salt as the soy will add a salty element to the dish.

Jamaican Callaloo With Shrimp.

May 26, 2025September 12, 20143 Comments

As I’ve discussed in my Cookbook, there’s much debate in the Caribbean when it comes to callaloo. In the southern Caribbean it’s a delicious soup-like dish made with young dasheen bush leaves, flavored with crabs (for the most part) and simmered in coconut milk. However in Jamaica, callaloo is the bush or plant (amaranth) which is prepared in several different ways, but most popular is Jamaican Callaloo With Saltfish.

In this version of cooking Jamaican callaloo ((amaranth, chorai bhagi), we’ll bypass the salted fish and go with some precooked shrimp. However you can certainly use fresh shrimp for even more flavor.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs Jamaican Callaloo
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (or olive)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (your fav salt)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup small shrimp (pre cooked)
1/2 cup water
1 medium tomato diced
1 scallion
2 sprigs thyme

Wash, trim and chop the callaloo into ribbons. If using some of the stem, do try to use the tender ones and try to scrape of some of the outer skin. Thinly slice the garlic, chop the onion, scallion and tomato and finely dice the scotch bonnet pepper.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame, then go in with the onion, garlic, black pepper and scallion. Drop the heat to low and let that go for about 3-4 minutes.

It’s now time to add the shrimp (if using frozen-precooked shrimp, wash and squeeze to remove most of the water) , stir well and cook for another 3 minutes. Yes the shrimp is already precooked, so you can easily add them near the end, but I quite like adding them now to enhance the flavor of the dish. If using fresh shrimp, cook for about 3 minutes, then remove them from the pan and set aside. Add back the last 3-4 minutes of cooking.

Turn the heat up to medium high and go in with all the other ingredients (not the water or lemon juice yet) and stir well. It may seem at first that your pot is not large enough, but the callaloo will wilt down. After a couple minutes, add the water and cook until tender.

After about 10-12 minutes, taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Here is where you’ll personalize this dish by checking to see if you like the current texture of it. Some people like their Callaloo very tender, while other like a slight bit of texture to it. In my case it was close to where I like it, so I went in with the lemon juice and turned up the heat to burn off the remaining liquid in the pan.

The lemon juice will help balance the flavors of this dish and quite honestly elevate it. This dish (please review all the ingredients) can be considered gluten free and if you want to add a bit more flavor you can use coconut milk as a replacement for the water. Not the classic Jamaican callaloo with Saltfish or Chorai bhagi with saltfish as we would call it in Trinidad and Tobago, but I assure you… you’ll love this take on cooking Jamaican callaloo.

Cooking Collard Greens The Caribbean Way.

November 11, 2014September 6, 20149 Comments

Collard Green or collards is not native to the Caribbean, so it’s not something we would refer to as being traditional. However, with our love for dasheen bush, spinach, Jamaican callaloo (chorai), Bok Choi and just about every other green there is, it’s natural that collards will find a loving home in my kitchen. If I can somehow incorporate greens as part of my daily menu, I’d go for it.. my love for it is that strong.

Rather than going with some sort of smoked meat or salted fish as we would normally add extra flavor to such dishes, I thought I’d keep this collard green recipe fully vegetarian and it just so happens to be gluten free as well.

Disclaimer – please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your gluten free dietary restrictions.

You’ll Need…

1 bunch collard greens (about 2 lbs)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tomato
2 birds eye pepper

To learn how to prepare collard greens, please watch this video: How To Prepare Collard Green for Cooking.

The collard leaves can have dirt between the leaves, so do wash them individually to ensure you get them fully cleaned. Remove the center spine (discard) and roll a few leaves together as if making a cigar. Now slice to form 2/4 inch ribbons.

Dice the onion and garlic, then heat the oil in a pan over medium fame. Go in with the onion and garlic, turn the heat down to low and cook gently for about 4-6 minutes. Also add the whole (do NOT break or cut these unless you want raw heat) peppers.

The goal is to get the flavor of the peppers, but not necessarily the heat (unless you want it spicy). Now raise the heat to medium and add the prepared collard greens to the pot, top with the salt and black pepper… stir well.

Add the coconut milk and diced tomato and bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place a lid on the pot and gently cook for about 40 minutes.

Now remove the lid and go in with the freshly squeezed lemon juice. The citrus will brighten up this collard greens dish and give it a sort of freshness. Cook with the lid off for another 5 minutes or so. Couple points.. taste for salt and adjust accordingly and please modify the cooking time to achieve the consistency and texture you like your collard greens to have. Some people cook it longer and others for a shorter time.

Now I know my friends from the Southern US will be saying.. no smoked turkey, no ham hocks, not even some bacon? All wonderful flavor ingredients to add, but I assure you this vegetarian version of cooking collard greens will rock your taste buds.

Vegetarian Cauliflower With Chickpeas Curry Recipe.

November 17, 2014August 24, 201411 Comments

If you’re looking for a way to add a wicked punch of flavor to boring cauliflower, look no further. Along with the wonderful flavors of a good Caribbean style curry, this recipe is also vegetarian and can be done gluten free (check your curry powder to ensure there’s no gluten-flour additive in it). Based on the technique of cooking curry in Trinidad and Tobago, we’ll toast curry to build a lovely base of flavors to give this curry dish the “wicked” factor I speak about.

You’ll Need…
1 Cauliflower (about 1.5 lbs)
1 can chick peas (drained \ rinsed)
1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garam Massala
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tomato (seeded and diced)

Note: As mentioned above, do ensure that the curry powder and massala you’re using is indeed gluten free and please go through the list of ingredients to also verify that it meets with your gluten free diet restrictions.

Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas, dice the garlic, scotch bonnet and onion. Remember to wear gloves when handling such hot peppers and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after.

Heat the oil on a medium flame then go in with the diced onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 3-4 minutes as we normally do when making curry dishes. With the heat still on low, add the curry powder (your fav) and Garam Massala and toast for 3-4 minutes. This will awaken the spices of which makes up the blends. It will go darker and grainy – that’s normal. Cut the cauliflower into 1/2 – 1 inch pieces (wash and drain).

Turn the heat up to med high and go in with the cauliflower and mix well, then top with the chickpeas, salt, diced scotch bonnet, Caribbean Green Seasoning and black pepper. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook through with the lid on.

Here’s where you get to personalize the dish a bit. Check for salt and adjust accordingly. I cooked this for 12 minutes, removing the lid off the pot the last 4 minutes so any liquid would burn off, but it’s up to you to cook longer or less depending on how you like the texture of your cauliflower. After turning off the heat I added the diced tomato and cilantro.. cover the pot and let the residual heat do it’s thing with the tomato and cilantro.

I do hope you give this recipe a try and not be fooled with the vegetarian and gluten free tags I associated with this recipe. It’s very tasty and a lovely way to add flavor to boring cauliflower.

avocado dip in the middle of a pile of chicken wings

Zesty Garlic Avocado Yogurt Dip

May 29, 2025August 17, 20141 Comment

As I’ve indicated in the past, I’m addicted to avocados or zabouca and/or pear, as it’s also known in the Caribbean. However, the variety of avocados grown in the Caribbean is much different than the ones you’d get from California, Mexico, and other Central American countries. Ours are much bigger, have a different texture (less creamy and more cheese-like), and can be stringy at times.

For this recipe I’ll be using a Hass avocado as I love the rich and creamy texture of it.. plus it’s what I have available. I’ve also included this recipe under the Gluten Free category, but do go through each ingredient to ensure it meets with your dietary guidelines if you’re following a gluten-free diet.

You’ll Need…

1 – 1.5 cups Greek yogurt (plain – or your fav yogurt)
1 avocado (ripe)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lemon (juice)
pinch sea salt
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper diced finely
fresh ground black pepper
pinch sugar (or honey)

Note: While many natural dairy products are gluten-free, some types of Greek yogurt may have gluten-containing additives. You’ll have to carefully read labels and perhaps even contact the manufacturers to determine which types of Greek yogurt are gluten-free. Your best bet is plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt.

Deseed and remove the outer skin off the avocado and give it a rough dice. Finely dice the scotch bonnet pepper and try your best to not include any seeds as that’s where the raw heat will be. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. Give the cilantro and garlic a rough chop as well.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until you have a smooth creamy consistency. The lemon juice will not only give it a lovey citrus finish it will help it maintain it’s lovely colour. Avocado is notorious for going discolored very fast.

Store in a glass container and cover with plastic wrap if storing in the fridge. It’s one of those dips which must be eaten asap, but can be made about 2-4 hrs in advance before serving.

In my case ,I had this dip with the fried chicken wings I shared a while back. Note that the crispy chicken wing recipe in NOT gluten free as I used flour as a dusting before frying.

taro and stewed saltfish and garnish on plate

Taro With Stewed Saltfish Caribbean Comfort Food.

May 26, 2025August 12, 20142 Comments

After seeing the price of dasheen at the market, I opted for the much cheaper taro as I had a craving for what we call ground provisions, in the Caribbean. Dasheen, yams, eddoes, sweet potato and cassava all fall under the ‘ground provisions’ umbrella – also known as ‘food’ in Jamaica. The taro is very similar to our beloved dasheen, the main difference being it’s white in color (when peeled) and a bit milder in taste.

You’ll Need…

2-3 lbs taro (dasheen)
1/4 teaspoon salt
water for boiling the taro
2 medium tomatoes
3 scallions
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs thyme
3-5 tablespoon olive oil
pinch black pepper
1 onion
1 cup shredded saltfish (salted cod)

To learn how to prepare the salted cod (any dry salted fish) watch this video (click): How To Prepare Saltfish.

Do wear gloves or coat your hands with some vegetable oil as the sap/starch from peeling the taro can cause some irritation to your hands/fingers. Using a sharp knife or potato peeler, remove the other skin off the taro (discard). Also remove any blemishes and cut off any previously cut areas (like the stem area) to expose the fresh interior. Cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces and place in a pot covered with water on a high flame. As it comes to a boil add the salt , turn down to a rolling boil and cook until tender. Taro cooks faster than dasheen, so in about 10-15 minutes it will be fully cooked. Pierce with a sharp knife and if there’s no resistance you know it’s fully cooked.

Drain and set aside as we get to the next step of the recipe..stewing the saltfish!

Prepare the salted fish by boiling in water, drain, rinse with cool water and shred (watch the video mentioned above). Then slice the onion, garlic, scallions and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember you can use more or less scotch bonnet pepper and do wear gloves when handling them (wash your hands with soap and water immediately after).

Heat the olive oil on a medium flame (large sauce pan) and go in with the shredded salted fish. Let that cook for about 3 minutes (low heat) before adding the onion, garlic and black pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, then add the thyme.

After 2 minutes add the tomato, scallions and cooked taro. Stir well and cook for another 3-5 minutes to infuse the taro pieces with the stewed salted fish.

We didn’t add any salt to the stewing of the salted cod as the residual salt from the curing process will be enough to season this dish. If you want you can also add some bell peppers for extra flavor and vibrancy (with the colours). Besides being very delicious, this dish can be considered gluten free as well.

Do serve warm.. btw this is a one-pot dish!

The Ultimate Curry Oxtail Recipe.

November 11, 2014August 8, 201440 Comments

Looks interesting, but I’ve never heard of ‘Curry Oxtails’… a comment left after I posted a pic of this “Ultimate Curry Oxtails” on the facebook fan page earlier today. With the natural toughness and sort of gamy finish of oxtails, it would be a natural fit for cooking in a rich curry sauce. The bones will release a ton of flavor as we’ve proven when we did curry goat in previous recipes.

The goal here will be to create the perfect curry sauce to slowly braise the pieces of oxtails in, until the meat is falling off the bones with delicious goodness.

You’ll Need…

4 lbs oxtails cut and trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1 onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (diced fine or crushed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
4 allspice (pimento) berries
4 sprigs thyme
5 cups water
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 cup diced celery
thick slice of ginger – optional

Trim off as much fat as you can off the oxtail pieces, wash and drain. Then season with salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, tomato and ketchup. Mix well and let marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Heat the oil in a heavy/deep pot on medium heat, then add the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Now add the curry powder (heat still on low) and toast for another 3-4 minutes. This step will awaken the spices which makes up the curry blend.

Add a bit more oil if it’s overly dry. The curry will go darker and grainy – that’s natural. Raise the heat to high and go in with the seasoned oxtail pieces. Stir well to coat with that lovely curry goodness we created. The wet pieces of meat will deglaze the pot.

Meanwhile in the same bowl you marinated the oxtail, add the water and move around to pick up any remaining marinade (set aside). Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. It will release natural juices.. as it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 10-15 minutes. Remember to stir. Then remove the lid, turn up the heat and burn off all that natural liquid. We’re infusing the oxtails with that rich curry sauce.

When you start seeing the oil we started with at the bottom of the pan it’s time to go in with the water, thyme, WHOLE scotch bonnet pepper, diced celery and all spice berries. Bring this to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover the pot. Lets that slowly braise for a couple hours, until tender. This is where you would add it to a pressure cooker (less water though) or slow cooker if you choose to go that route.

Since we started with oil and knowing that oxtails can be VERY fatty, halfway through cooking you’ll need to use a large spoon and skim off some of the fat you’ll see at the surface. No matter how you trim the oxtail pieces, you will get fat. PLEASE remove that.. lets try to do things a little healthy.

After 2.5 to 3 hours (depends on how tough the oxtails you got are), it’s time to remove the lid, bring up the temperature and burn off the liquid until you have a nice thick gravy. Remember to NOT break the scotch bonnet pepper unless you want that raw Caribbean heat. Taste for salt and after you’ve got tender pieces of oxtails in that wicked curry sauce, it’s time to shut the stove off and top with the chopped shado beni (culantro). If you cannot source shado beni, feel free to use cilantro.

Do remember to remove the sprigs of thyme and scotch bonnet before serving and be mindful that the allspice (aka pimento in Jamaica) berries will be in the gravy. This is indeed the ultimate curry oxtail recipe – I assure you. IMPORTANT! If doing this the gluten free way do pay attention to the ingredient list above, especially the ‘curry powder’ as some brands of curry tend to add flour as a filler to their curry blend and will not conform to your gluten free dietary needs.

Vegetarian Stir Fry Bodi (yard beans) With Cashews.

November 17, 2014August 5, 2014Leave a Comment

As a young fella on the islands, my brother and I usually helped mom with the kitchen garden after school and on the weekends. I enjoyed seeing plants go from seeds to actually bearing fruit and harvest time was usually my favorite. Picking bodi (yard beans) off the bush (grows on a vine-like bush) was like a treasure hunt and it didn’t hurt that I LOVE beans of all shape and form. So the meals which would follow the time spent harvesting, was a glorious time for me. Traditionally mom did this one of two ways, in a curry or stewed with some sort of leftover meat or bits of salted cod. But in this recipe I’ll show you another take on cooking bodi (or any green bean).

You’ll Need…

1 lb Bodi (aka yard beans)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic (finely diced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger (grated)
1/2 cup cashews (raw)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 cup water
Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

* Taste for salt near the end and adjust as the soy and oyster sauce may have enough salt to season this dish. I used oyster sauce in this recipe, so please visit your local Chinese grocers for a vegetarian option if you want to make this 100% vegetarian. If you cannot get bodi, feel free to use string beans or french beans, but note that they may cook faster than bodi. Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce and oyster sauce if cooking this according to a gluten free diet.

Prep the yard beans by trimming off the ends, then cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Wash and drain. Dice the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper – remember to wash your hands after handling the scotch bonnet, don’t use any seeds and only use as much as you can handle. The recipe works fine without it as well. (I grated the ginger)

Heat the oil on a medium flame, then toss in the garlic, onion and ginger… lower the heat to low and let this gently cook for about 3 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium and then go in with the trimmed bodi pieces, stir well, then add all the other ingredients (except the tomato) and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook on a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, then go in with the cashews. Stir well.

Here’s where it’s up to you to personalize the dish a bit… taste for salt and determine how tender you like your beans. If you like it really tender you may need to add a bit more water and cook for an extra 5 minutes or so. As you turn off the heat toss in the diced tomato to brighten up the overall stir-fry. The residual heat from the pan will be enough to cook the tomato enough (so it’s not melted away).

If you didn’t already know, Chinese immigrants (as contract laborers) came to the Caribbean over a century ago (between 1853 and 1879), so you’ll find many of our dishes are heavily influenced by their delicious contributions.

I do hope you give this bodi stirfry with cashews a try as the flavors and texture is simply stunning.

Grilled Spicy Mango Chicken Wings.

May 27, 2025July 27, 201412 Comments

As mentioned in the video for this recipe (see below) I had a serous craving for buffalo style chicken wings and with the mango habanero chicken wings we had a few weeks back at Buffalo Wild Wings still on my mind – I had to do my version. The actual spicy mango sauce can be used as a typical dipping sauce for fried chicken, chicken strips or for coconut shrimp as well.

You”ll Need

3 lbs chicken wings
1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus a pinch for the sauce)
2 scallions
2 cups mango puree
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon melted butter
1 table spoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Notes: If you can’t get scotch bonnet peppers, you can use Habanero pepper or use your fav hot sauce or traditional Caribbean pepper sauce. If you want you can replace the corn syrup with honey and be sure to add more scotch bonnet if you like HEAT!

Trim off the wing tips (or leave – it’s up to you) and cut the wings into pieces, wash and drain. Then season with the salt, black pepper, chopped scallion and finely chopped thyme. Mix well and let it marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.

In a sauce pan on medium heat, bring the mango nectar to a gentle simmer and go in with a pinch of salt and finely diced scotch bonnet pepper. If you cannot get scotch bonnet, Habanero pepper will give it a wicked kick with a fruity undertone. Or you can reach for bottle hot sauce or traditional Caribbean peppersauce. Let that reduce for about 8 minutes, then go in with the melted butter, corn syrup and lime juice. Cook on the gentle bubble for about 4 minutes then remove it off the heat.

Oven Method: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or if using tin foil..drizzle on some veg oil or cooking spray so the wings don’t stick. Place on the middle rack at about 375F for about 1/2 hr (depends on the size of your wings) and remember to flip them so they brown evenly. When fully cooked, toss in 3/4 of the sauce (leave back some to dip the wings in while eating) and put them back in the oven on the broil setting to caramelize (just a couple minutes).

On the grill! On a medium heated grill (about 350-375) grill as you would normally grill chicken wings. For me that was about 25-30 minutes – flipping a few times during the grilling process. Then I removed them off the grill and gave them a bath in the spicy mango sauce and back on the grill to get more flavors as the fame did it’s thing with the sugars in the sauce.

Serve warm.. top with some chopped scallion and wedges of lime or lemon and it’s always nice to have the reserved mango sauce on the side for those who like to dip their hot wings. You can double up on the sauce and store it in the fridge, so you always have a batch handy when you want to enjoy a spicy mango dipping sauce or for your next batch of Caribbean style Buffalo hot wings.

rum raisin ice cream in glass cup next to a shot glass of rum

How To Make Rum And Raisin Ice Cream

May 26, 2025July 22, 201430 Comments

Whenever we would have relatives come over for the classic Caribbean Sunday lunch, our dad would always dust out his old crank-ice cream pail and all US kids knew we were in for a delightful treat. I’m yet to find an ice cream which even comes close to Joe’s creamy coconut ice cream. Funny how we made ice cream with many of the tropical fruits of the Caribbean, but when it came to rum and raisin, we always went for the plastic containers at the grocery store! My weakness for rum and raisin ice cream is REAL!.. at one point I would cross the boarder into the US just to get the Häagen dazs rum and raisin which were only sold in the US!

You’ll Need…

4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup fine sugar
1/2 cup raisin soaked in rum
pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Soak the raisins in rum overnight or as in my case I had it soaking a few days in a covered container so the rum does not evaporate. If you’re in a rush you can place 1 cup of rum in a deep saucepan (high sides) with the raisin and place it on a low flame (be careful as it can be flammable). As it heats the raisins will be infused with the rum.. PLUS it will remove the raw rum from it so kids can enjoy the ice cream.

Put the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until creamy/smooth. It will go from the brilliant yellow to a very pale color.. that’s normal. At the same time place the milk and cream in a saucepan and let it warm through (almost to a gentle simmer).

Before we add the sugar/egg mixture to the pot, it’s important that we add a little of the warm milk to the bowl with the egg and whisk. Do that a couple times so the egg mixture warms up. If we added it directly to the pot we risk having scrambled eggs. Now add all the egg mixture to the pot and whisk. Go in with the pinch of salt and vanilla.

When your custard is somewhat thick … dip a spoon into it and run your finger along the back of the spoon.. it should coat the back of the spoon and leave a clean line where you passed your finger. Now it’s time to pour it into a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours. This chilling will help your ice cream maker make less work of making the actual ice cream.

You have two options.. you can add the marinated raisins into the mixture now (as I did) or you can pour the mixture into your ice cream maker (when chilled) and then add the rum infused raisins.

After the custard is properly chilled, work it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

You can serve this immediately. But I much prefer firm ice cream and not necessarily soft sever, so I usually remove it out of the maker and into a plastic container, which I then place in the freezer to firm up for an hour or two.

You can make the base of the ice cream the day before and have it chill in the fridge until you’re ready to make the ice cream. You can certainly customize this ice cream by adding chopped pineapple, cubed mango.. even play around with some spices? BTW.. you can make frozen treats with the base custard we made. Get Popsicle molds or do as our mom did.. pour into ice cube trays and freeze. We called those ‘ice blocks”!