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.

Spicy Curried Shrimps

Spicy Curried Shrimps

Gosh it has been a super hectic Sunday thus far but I just had to spare a few moments to share with you my spicy curried shrimps. My dad is probably devouring this at the Queen's Park Oval right now.

For the CPL T20 finals he requested i make curried shrimps to go with the whole wheat bread. It was quick and very simple to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb shelled, de-veined shrimps  (seasoned with salt and green seasoning)
• 1 hot pepper (cut up)
• blended green seasoning
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• chopped chive
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp geera seeds

METHOD

• Heat pot  and add coconut oil. When hot, add geera seeds until toasted.
• 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 shrimps, tomatoes and some chopped chives, cover and  let it simmer in its own juices for a few minutes on low heat. 

• When shrimp grips pot add some blended green seasoning,  Please ensure the texture of the shrimp is not rubbery. 

• Garnish with chopped chives as seen below. 
  

I sampled one shrimp and it was awesome. Hope you try this soon. This also goes well with dhalpourie or sada roti. 

All the best to the TT Red Steel team today!!

Remember to cook with love and good vibes.

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.

Curried Mushrooms And Aloo

Curried Mushrooms And Aloo

To accompany the Roti on Father's Day we needed a vegetarian curry dish ( because when in doubt you can never go wrong with curry). Curried Aloo (Potato) was the first option however, my mom decided it was best to take it up a notch and incorporate fresh mushrooms in the dish thereby resulting in her famous Curried Mushrooms and Aloo. The mushrooms simply add a new dimension  to the meal which is very easy to prepare. It basically follows a similar procedure to regular curried aloo.

For this dish you will need the following ingredients.

3 Medium sized potatoes, washed, peeled and quartered                                            

1 lb fresh mushrooms wiped clean with tea towel & chopped                                             

1 hot pepper

1 bunch thyme (optional)

1 medium sized onion chopped

1 head garlic – ½ peeled + ½ amount crushed

1 bundle chadon-bedi blended with peeled garlic and water

1 tbsp organic coconut oil

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp geera (cumin) seeds

1tsp salt

METHOD

• In separate bowls season potatoes and mushroom with blended liquid seasoning and set aside.

• Heat large skillet and add oil. When hot, add geera seeds until popped.
• Add chopped onion and stir, then proceed to add the crushed garlic.
• Add curry powder and stir until it gives off a good aroma. It must grip the bottom of the pot.

• Add potatoes, salt, hot pepper, thyme then stir.

• Cover tightly and simmer for approximately 7 minutes.
• Remove lid, stir and test to see if it is cooked properly. If still firm add a little hot water and finish cooking.
• When potatoes are tender, add mushrooms, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

NB: Canned mushrooms may be used instead of fresh mushrooms.

It's ready to serve and goes well with Roti or Basmati rice.

Bon Appetit!!!
Remember to cook with love and good vibes.