Crab and Callaloo

Crab and Callaloo 

Hi folks hope you having a wonderful Emancipation holiday. Today I thought I would quickly show you how I make an all time favourite Trini cuisine. My dad loves to have this with Basmati rice however, many people make dumplings to accompany this dish. I would suggest you make whole wheat dumplings which is a much healthier option. 

Dasheen leaves (Taro leaves) are used to make the callaloo portion of this awesome combo and you can see some of the nutritional benefits of the Taro leaves and root by clicking the following links.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2676/2
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/taro-root.html

INGREDIENTS

• 3 crabs (cleaned - not necessary to pre-season it)
• 20 Dasheen leaves (Taro leaves)
• 10 young ochroes sliced
• 1 hot pepper (cut up)
• 2 pimentos chopped
• 1 oinion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• blended green seasoning
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• chopped chive
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp geera seeds (cumin)
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp salt
• boiling water 

METHOD

• Heat pot  and add coconut oil. When hot, add geera seeds until toasted. Meanwhile boil kettle/pot of water.
• Add chopped onion and hot pepper and stir, then proceed to add the crushed garlic.
• Add curry powder and stir until it gives off a fragrant aroma. It must grip the bottom of the pot.

• Add the crabs, tomatoes, pimentos, blended seasoning, some chopped chives, cover and  let it simmer on medium heat. 

• When the crab sticks in pot add more green seasoning, boiling water, cover and let it cook on medium heat. It is very important that the crab cooks properly.

 Approximately 20 minutes after add the ochroes followed by the dasheen leaves.

Squeeze a few drops of  lime juice on the leaves then add salt, stir and cover and continue cooking. Ensure you stir at intervals and monitor the water level.

• This dish should take approx 1hr to cook. Taste for salt and pepper. Remember you always have the power to tweak the recipe to your liking.

Have a look at how mine turned out.

For additional flavour some people use coconut milk in this dish.

Hope you try this soon. Enjoy the rest of the Holiday!!!

Remember to cook with love and good vibes.

Trini Red Bean Pelau

Trini Red Bean Pelau

Yesterday was a very rainy Sunday and once again I decided that I wanted to take the easy way out and make a one-pot dish for lunch. A Trini Pelau was my first choice since I had just gotten fresh veggies from the market. Usually the more popular legume for this dish is pigeon peas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_pea. However, these are currently not in season and I did not have any frozen ones I had to improvise with organic Red Beans (kidney beans). 

Nutritional Benefits of Red Beans

Kidney beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. But this is far from all kidney beans have to offer. Kidney beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars. Persons who are sensitive to sulfites in these foods may experience rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation if sulfites are unwittingly consumed. If you have ever reacted to sulfites, it may be because your molybdenum stores are insufficient to detoxify them. For more benefits see the following link.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=87

The red bean pelau requires some preparation but once you have an organised system everything will flow smoothly. I used the following ingredients.

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken (cut up and seasoned with salt and blended green seasoning)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 3 pimentos, chopped
• 1 hot pepper
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 chives, chopped
• 1½ tbsp brown sugar
• Coconut oil
• Browning
• 1 sweet pepper, 1 carrot,  & 1 christophine, all chopped as seen below

• 1 lb organic red beans (pre-cooked ) - Boil red beans until it is cutting with spoon but not too soft.

•  1½ cups brown rice (pre-cooked) - Steam brown rice for approx 15 mins. This needs to be firm.

• Blended green seasoning (bandanya, ginger, chive, celery, garlic, thyme, hot pepper, podinah).

The following procedure was used. The first part is simply the same method for stewing chicken http://trinifoods2015.blogspot.com/2015/06/stewed-chicken.html. However, I will still review it here.

METHOD

• Heat iron pot.
• On a low flame add about 4 drops of coconut oil and heat.
• Add the brown sugar and heat until golden brown or caramelized. Please ensure that it doesn’t burn.
• Add the onions and heat until are translucent. This doesn’t take long.
• Add the chicken and stir thoroughly. 
• Add chopped tomato, some celery, some chive and some crushed garlic then cover and leave to simmer in its own juices on a low/medium flame. Meanwhile put on a kettle of water to boil.

• About 20 mins after or as soon as the liquids evaporate and the meat is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot add green seasoning, pre-cooked red beans then stir.
• Add the rice and chopped carrots, christophine, sweet peppers and pimentos and stir again.
• Add a few drops of browning and pour boiling water to just about cover the rice. Cover pot and simmer until all liquids evaporate. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

• Ensure that you monitor the pelau carefully since you do not want it to burn. This meal usually takes about 45 mins to 60 mins to cook 

So this was the end result.

A very comprehensive meal indeed and very delicious. I had this while i enjoyed some local Trini soca music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBnXCEvEMtM

This recipe can be modified for vegetarians to experience as well.

Hope this was helpful. Please feel free to comment.

Remember to cook with love and good vibes.

Spinach

Spinach

Brief History

Spinach, made popular by Popeye the Sailor Man, is believed to be of Persian origin. By the 12th century, it spread across Europe and became a desirable leafy green known for good health; a reputation that stands firm to this day. The name Florentine is often used to describe dishes containing spinach (and a creamy sauce). It is thought that this name dates back to the 16th century and the Italian wife of France's Henry II; Catherine de Medici. The unverified tale states that Catherine introduced spinach to the Court of France and to honour her Italian heritage, she then decided to call any dish containing spinach Florentine.

Spinach belongs to the chenopodiaceae family (also known as goosefoot), a family of nutritional powerhouses including beets, chard and quinoa. It shares a similar taste profile with these two other vegetables; the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavour of chard. One of the varieties available in Trinidad is shown below. This is what I used.

Nutritional Highlights

Spinach is available all year round and is well known for its nutritional qualities. It has always been regarded as a plant with remarkable abilities to restore energy, increase vitality and improve the quality of the blood. There are sound reasons why spinach would produce such results, primarily the fact that it is rich in iron. Iron plays a central role in the function of red blood cells which help in transporting oxygen around the body, in energy production and DNA synthesis. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. Vitamin K is important for maintaining bone health and it is difficult to find vegetables richer in vitamin K than spinach. Others include kale broccoli and green cabbage.

A 100g serving provides:
23 calories	3g protein	0g fat	4g carbohydrates	2g fibre

The dark green colour of spinach leaves they contain high levels of chlorophyll and healtho promoting carotenoids ( beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin). These phyto chemicals have anti-flammatory and anti-cancerous properties and are especially important for healthy eye-sight, helping to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.

Spinach has good levels of iron, but not quite as much as originally believed as rumour has it researchers placed the decimal point in the wrong place! It is important to note that there are two forms of dietary iron: 'haem' iron and 'non haem' iron. Haem iron is found in animal products and is the most efficiently absorbed form of iron. Non haem iron is found in plant foods (such as spinach) and is a little harder for the body to absorb in comparison. However vegetarians, those who experience iron-deficiency aneamia and those who are pregnant are encouraged to include green leafy vegetables such as spinach as part of a balanced diet.

Having reviewed the health benefits of spinach it is time to show you how i made this lovely dish.

INGREDIENTS

• Washed Spinach leaves (be generous because it shrinks down very quickly due to high water content)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 pimento, chopped
• 1 celery, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• coconut oil

METHOD

• Heat pot
• Add a few drops coconut oil
• Add onion, garlic, tomato, celery and pimento then stir.
• Add spinach leaves and pinch of salt.
• Stir again, cover and leave to simmer on a very low heat. 

         Spinach cooks very quickly in its own juices.

   The end product should look like this.

   This spinach compliments sada roti very well. Enjoy!

Trini Curried Chicken

Trini Curried Chicken

I hope you all are doing well on this penultimate day of the month. I can't believe how quickly this year is moving along.

Anyway it's time to focus on the curried chicken which i made yesterday for lunch.

I should make mention that there are several types of curry available on the market and the following link will give you a little insight into the history of curry in Trinidad.

http://www.fiery-foods.com/cooking-with-chiles/148-a-world-of-curries/2723-a-world-of-curries-caribbean-curries?showall=1

Curry powder also has several beneficial health properties as discussed in the article linked below.

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-curry-powder.html

For the curried chicken you will require the following.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken (cut up and seasoned with salt and blended green seasoning)
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 pimento
• 1 hot pepper
• 2 celery, chopped
• 2 chives, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder mixed with 1 tsp amchar masala
• Coconut oil
• 1 tsp Geera (cumin) seeds
• Blended green seasoning (bandanya, ginger, chive, celery, garlic, thyme, hot pepper, podinah). See the Stewed Chicken post http://trinifoods2015.blogspot.com/2015/06/stewed-chicken.html  if you have difficulty preparing this.

So here it goes.... this is how I prepare my curried chicken. Again there are alternative sequences which are used.

METHOD

• Heat iron pot.
• On a low flame add about 1bsp of coconut oil and heat.
• Add the geera seeds until they pop
• Add onions and heat until translucent then add the crushed garlic and stir.
• Add the curry powder mix and stir for a few seconds. Ensure the curry grips the pot.

• Add the chicken and stir thoroughly until curry coats the entire surface. 

• Add chopped tomato, some celery, some chive, hot pepper then cover and leave to simmer in its own juices on a low/medium flame. Meanwhile put on a kettle of water to boil.

• As soon as the liquids evaporate and the meat is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot add the remainder of the chopped seasoning, pour some blended seasoning and stir. The aroma is simply divine at this time. Add some boiling water just to the level of the top of the chicken and cover.

• Ensure that the meat cuts with the spoon before turning off. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your desire.

• This dish usually takes between 40 mins to an hour to cook. It all depends on the size of the chicken and how stiff the texture is. So again i urge you please do not leave your pot unattended while cooking.
• You may wish to leave gravy in the curry. However, since I had calalloo for lunch I made a dried curried chicken.

This is the final product which was simply delicious!

Hope this was helpful.

Trini Stewed Chicken

A very popular style of chicken in Trinidad is Stewed Chicken. For many Trinis one of the most important ingredients in their stew is ketchup and they swear by it. I must say this is something I have never done. Instead I use Rouckoo (also known as Annatto) which is a healthier alternative. 

See the link below for details.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto

MAKING THE ROUCKOO

I simply add some boiling water to a spoonful of rouckoo seeds and stir and then the orange liquid strained and used in the stew.

For the stew you will require the following.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken (cut up and seasoned with salt and blended green seasoning)
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 pimento, chopped
• 1 hot pepper
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 2 celery, chopped
• 2 chives, chopped
• 1½ tbsp brown sugar
• Coconut oil
• Liquid rouckoo
• Blended green seasoning (bandanya, ginger, chive, celery, garlic, thyme, hot pepper, podinah). See the following link if you have difficulty preparing this.

http://caribbeanpot.com/how-to-make-the-green-seasoning-paste-thats-so-unique-to-caribbean-cuisine/

The following procedure is what I use when preparing my stew. However, this can be modified accordingly.

METHOD

• Heat iron pot.
• On a low flame add about 4 drops of coconut oil and heat.
• Add the brown sugar and heat until golden brown or caramelized. Please ensure that it doesn’t burn.
• I like to add the onions at this point because it enhances the flavour. Heat until the onions are translucent. This doesn’t take long.

• Add the chicken and stir thoroughly. At this time I add my prepared liquid rouckoo and give it a good stir. The chicken has an orange colour at this time.

• Add chopped tomato, some celery, some chive and some crushed garlic then cover and leave to simmer in its own juices on a low/medium flame. Meanwhile put on a kettle of water to boil.

• As soon as the liquids evaporate and the meat is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot as seen below

add the remainder of the chopped seasoning, pour some blended seasoning and stir. The aroma is simply divine at this time. Add some boiling water just to the level of the top of the chicken and cover.

• About 10 mins before it is done add the carrots, sweet pepper and pimento so they will not be over cooked.

• Ensure that the meat cuts with the spoon before turning off. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your desire.

• This dish usually takes between 40 mins to an hour to cook. It all depends on the size of the chicken and how stiff it is. So please do not leave your pot unattended while cooking.

Tastes scrumptious!!

Have a great lunch!

Roti

Hi ..I trust that you all had a great big feast for Father's Day which was yesterday.... I hope you remembered to keep it healthy.

Anyway I wanted to share with you a modified Roti we had for lunch...it's equivalent to the merger between a Chapathi and a Paratha...thus I have coined it a "CHAPATHA". What I really like about it is the fact that it's not as greasy as some parathas (buss up shot ) that we are subjected to at functions and it does not give you indigestion.

For this roti we used the following ingredients.

• 3 Cups Multigrain Chapathi flour                                            
• 2 tsp organic coconut oil                                             
• 1 ½ cups warm water (approximate)
• 1 tsp salt (optional)
• Unsalted Butter or GHEE
• Oil for basting

METHOD

In a stainless steel bowl mix flour,salt,oil and knead with water. Sprinkle dry flour if mixture becomes sticky. Knead for about 5 mins into log shape and set aside as shown in the photo below.

You may rub with a few drops of oil and cover with damp cloth. Set aside and leave for 20 mins


Break dough into 9 balls (loyahs) as seen below. 

Roll each ball into circle about ¼” thick. 

Paste with ghee / unsalted butter. 

Using a sharp knife make slit from centre of dough to end.

Leave loyahs to sit for 10 mins. Roll out each loyah to ¼” thickness and place on hot tawa (cast iron baking stone).

Baste with oil turning over and repeating oil application.Turn over and cook until golden brown

Yummy! It was so delicious

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Remember to cook with love and good vibes.