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curry beef with pigeon peas
Meat & Poultry

How to Make a Caribbean-Inspired Curry Beef with Pigeon Peas.

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As a lil fella on the islands, I had a love hate relationship with pigeon peas. Allow me to explain, nothing beats a Chicken Pelau made with fresh shelled pigeon peas, so too a delicious offering of curry peas with hot Sada Roti. Frozen (shelled) or the stuff in the tin (can) simply cannot compare. However I HATED shelling (removing the peas from the pod) with an absolute passion.

You’ll Need…

3 tablespoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon garam masala
3/4 tablespoon roasted geera (cumin)
3/4 tablespoon anchar masala
1 cup water (for curry slurry)
6 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (chopped)
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
2.5 lbs beef
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
3 cups pigeon peas (from frozen)
8-10 cups water

Notes! Please use the video below to follow along as much more about the recipe is discussed there. I used a cheap cut of boneless beef, however I find that you get a deeper flavor by using beef with bones. Use as much Scotch Bonnet or whatever hot pepper you like or can source or you know you can handle.

In a bowl add the curry powder, black pepper, ground roasted geera, garam masala, anchar masala and 1 cup of water. Mix well to combine. Then add the onion, ginger, garlic, Caribbean Green Seasoning and scotch bonnet pepper to the bowl and mix again.

Heat the oil in a deep/large pot on a medium flame and add the curry slurry we created. Allow this to cook uncovered for about 5-7 minutes. The goal is to burn off the liquid, until your spoon can divide the curry on the bottom of the pot (as explained in the video). The curry slurry will go to a darker color sort of paste.

At this point add the beef pieces. In the video I explained that I washed the cubed beef with the juice of a lemon (a lime or 1/2 cup of plain white vinegar will also work) and cool water. After which I drained it dry. Stir well to coat the beef pieces with that lovely curry base we created. Cover the pot and cook on a medium/low flame for 10-15 minutes.

It will spring it’s own natural juices.

Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium/high. The goal is to burn off all of that liquid until we can see the oil we started with (hopefully). This will further infuse the pieces of beef with that curry base.

Add the pigeon peas to the pot. They were frozen peas, so I had them thawing in cool water, which I also used to give them a wash. Rinse and drain.

Mix well to coat the peas with the curry as we did with the pieces of beef. Then top with water and bring to a boil. Don’t forget to add the salt.

You’ll need to have some patience moving forward now as we want both the beef and peas tender. I mean falling apart with the use of our fork. This means we’ll bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to a rolling boil/simmer and cook anywhere from 2 hours to 2.5 hours.

I had the lid on slightly ajar and you’ll need to keep an eye on the liquid level in the event you need to add more water.

The two sort of personalization with the recipe is.. taste and adjust salt at the end and determine if the gravy’s consistency (thickness) is to your liking. I recommend that you use your spoon to crush some of the pigeon peas to help thicken the gravy. However, do keep in mind that the residual heat in the pot will further cook this and as it cools, it will thicken further.

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curry beef with pigeon peas
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Curry Beef with Pigeon Peas

Cuisine: ,
Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 20 mins Cook Time 1 hr Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Diet:
B Beef

Description

A rich and comforting Caribbean curry made with seasoned beef and hearty pigeon peas simmered low and slow in bold spices until tender and flavorful.

Ingredients

Instructions

Video

  1. In a bowl, mix curry powder, black pepper, garam masala, roasted geera, anchar masala, and 1 cup water to form a slurry. Add onion, ginger, garlic, green seasoning, and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir well.

  2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the slurry and cook uncovered for 5–7 minutes until thickened and fragrant.

  3. Add washed beef cubes and stir to coat in curry mixture. Cover and cook over medium-low for 10–15 minutes.

  4. Remove lid and raise heat to medium-high. Cook until liquid evaporates and oil is visible again.

  5. Stir in rinsed pigeon peas. Add enough water to cover ingredients. Season with salt.Stir in rinsed pigeon peas. Add enough water to cover ingredients. Season with salt.

  6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook partially covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

  7. Mash some peas to help thicken the curry. Simmer until gravy reaches desired consistency.

  8. Taste and adjust salt before serving. 

  9. Let rest 5–10 minutes before serving.

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Oxtail soup
Meat & Poultry Soups & Stews

The Best Oxtail Soup Recipe You’ll Ever Taste!

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As we dig deeper into #SoupSeason it occurred to me that I’ve never shared this version of Oxtail Soup with you. For most people outside the Caribbean, the texture and consistency (loaded with root vegetables) of this soup will be more comparable to a stew. However such is the case for most soups from the Caribbean. And yes, it’s one of those dishes you must reserve about four hours of your time to put together.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs oxtail
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 large carrots
2 1/2 lbs pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cloves garlic (smashed)
6-8 sprigs thyme
3 scallions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup yellow split peas (washed)
8-10 cups hot water
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper
2 tablespoon coconut cream (or 1 cup coconut milk)
3 large potato
2 large sweet potato
6-8 medium eddoes
10-15 okra
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5-8 cups water
1/3 lb baby spinach
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup water (adjust)

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as I discuss much more about the recipe there. You’ll notice I didn’t combine (total) all of the water and olive oil I used as it’s easier for you to follow along with the way I listed the ingredients. The goal is to cook the oxtails low and slow in the soup to get it fork tender. You’ll need a LARGE soup pot and a few friends to enjoy this soup. Or feel free to freeze leftovers.

Wash the cut oxtail pieces (get your butcher to cut it) with the juice of a lemon (lime or 1/2 cup vinegar will work also) and water, then pat dry with paper towels. Place them onto a baking tray and top with 1/2 tablespoon sea salt (use your fav salt, I just happen to only use sea salt in my home), 1 teaspoon black pepper and two tablespoon olive oil. Mix well to coat, then into the oven for one hour at 350 F.

Since I had the oven on, on another baking tray I placed my carrots and pumpkin (large pieces) and drizzled them with a tablespoon olive oil and roasted them as well. I scraped the carrot and peeled the pumpkin. If you cannot source calabaza pumpkin, just about any squash will work.

Once your oxtails are roasted, it’s time to add one tablespoon of olive oil into a large soup pot (I ended up having to switch over to a larger pot), then add the onion, garlic, thyme, scallions and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper on a medium flame. Stir well, turn the heat to medium/low and cook for 3 minutes.

It’s time to add the roasted oxtail pieces to the pot . As explained in the video, I used 1/2 cup of hot water to loosen the bits on the bottom of the roasting tray, which also went into the soup pot.

Raise the heat to medium high and cook for 2 minutes, before adding the tomato paste, 10 cups of water and Yellow Split Peas (washed). As it comes to a boil, toss in the Scotch Bonnet pepper (in the video I explain why you should or avoid breaking the pepper) and the Caribbean Green Seasoning. Reduce the heat to between a rolling boil and simmer and add 3/4 tablespoon salt. The oxtail will take a long time to get tender… this is just the start.

After 1 hour it’s time to add the roasted carrots and pumpkin (chop into smaller pieces as they cool from being in the oven).

Continue on that rolling boil/simmer for another 30-40 minutes. The pumpkin is meant to fall apart and along with the yellow split peas, thicken the soup.

I used eddoes, potato and sweet potato for the body of this oxtail soup, but you can also add dasheen (taro), green cooking banana, green plantain, cassava, yam.. just about anything you want basically. What I would recommend is that you cut the pieces large (as I did) so they don’t totally fall apart during the long cooking process.

This is when you’ll add okra if you’re a fan of it, as well as the coconut cream.

At this point I was forced to switch over to a larger pot as the soup needed a further 8 cups of water, since it was getting too thick for my liking.

One hour after adding the root vegetables, add the baby spinach and flour dumplings to the pot. The flour dumplings were shaped as what we refer to as being spinners.. from a dough made from 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon brown sugar and about 1/2 cup of water. Add more water if needed to form a soft dough. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before pinching off tablespoon size pieces and shape by rolling between your hands to form a sort of small cigar.

Twenty minutes later and you’ll taste and adjust the salt, ensure the oxtail is tender and make sure you have a good amount of broth. Add more water if needed and adjust the seasoning a bit to compensate. Remember to be very gentle in stirring near the end or you’ll disintegrate the eddoes, potato etc.

Serve HOT!

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Oxtail soup
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Hearty Caribbean Oxtail Soup with Root Vegetables and Dumplings

Cuisine: , Recipe Keys: Dairy Free Non Vegetarian Spicy
Difficulty: Advanced Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 4 hrs Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins
Diet:
B Beef

Description

This hearty Caribbean oxtail soup combines tender oxtail, a variety of root vegetables, and traditional island spices to create a soul-warming dish perfect for sharing.

Ingredients

Instructions

Video

  1. Wash oxtail pieces with lemon juice and water, then pat dry. Place on a baking tray, season with sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Mix well to coat. Roast in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour.

  2. On a separate tray, place large pieces of carrots and pumpkin. Drizzle with olive oil and roast alongside the oxtail. Once done, peel and cut into smaller pieces.

  3. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, smashed garlic, thyme, scallions, and black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until fragrant.

  4. Add roasted oxtail to the pot. Use hot water to deglaze the roasting tray, scraping up any browned bits, and add this liquid to the pot.

  5. Stir in tomato paste, 10 cups of hot water, and washed yellow split peas. Bring to a boil. Add Scotch Bonnet Pepper (whole), Caribbean Green Seasoning, and salt. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

  6. Add the roasted carrots and pumpkin to the pot. Continue to simmer for another 30–40 minutes, allowing the pumpkin to break down and thicken the soup.

  7. Introduce chopped potatoes, sweet potatoes, and eddoes to the soup. Ensure pieces are large to prevent them from disintegrating.

  8. Add okra and coconut cream (or milk) to the pot. If the soup is too thick, add additional water to reach desired consistency.

  10. After the root vegetables have cooked for about an hour, add baby spinach and the prepared dumplings to the pot. 

  11. Cook for an additional 10–15 minutes until dumplings are cooked through.

  12. Ladle the soup into bowls, ensuring each serving has a mix of oxtail, vegetables, and dumplings. Enjoy hot.

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Meat & Poultry

Turn Leftover Ham into a Quick Breakfast or Brunch.

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Here we have a quick dish fit for breakfast or brunch and should you want to be creative and add some cabbage or noodles, it can easily be a guest on your dinner table. Like the leftover ham I used, it’s also a great opportunity to clear your fridge of vegetables (mushroom, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots.. be as creative as you like).

You’ll Need…

2-3 cups diced Ham
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups assorted bell peppers (rough chopped)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon mushroom Soy sauce
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 sprigs thyme (leaves only)

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more is discussed about the recipe there. Especially what other ingredients you may add to this dish.

Prep the ingredients as this is a very quick dish to put together.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame and add the diced ham (cut it as large as you like). Cook for 3-4 minutes to render out some of the fat and in doing so, flavor the oil with the smokey flavor of the ham.

If you find that it’s starting to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down to low. After which you’ll add all of the other ingredients (except the parsley), stir well and cook on medium low.

Stir well and cook until the peppers are tender to your liking. Should you want to add a crushed garlic clove or a bit of heat with Scotch Bonet or your fav spicy pepper, now would be the time to do so.

Five minutes later and it’s time to taste for salt and adjust to your liking. As explained in the video I didn’t add any salt as the ham and the soy sauce were enough to season this dish for me. As you turn off the stove, toss in the parsley and stir.

Served with eggs of your choice and toast.. It’s as simple as that!

Beef stew with beans
Meat & Poultry

One-Pot Stewed Beef with Red Beans for a Quick, Easy Dinner.

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Yea not so much quick, but hear me out. Cook a large batch and freeze (and thaw), for days you want a quick dinner with steamed rice or maybe you have time to make hot Sada Roti. This combination of tender beef and red kidney beans is a rich and delicious coconut gravy, with hints of herbs and ginger. Simply Delicious!

You’ll Need…

3 lbs stewing beef (large cube)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
7 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 scotch bonnet (cut in 1/2)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 tablespoon golden brown sugar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 large can Red Kidney Beans (rinsed)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Notes! May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Especially the ‘browning’ step, which is essentially the base of this recipe. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure that they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Worcestershire sauce.

Wash the pieces of beef (any cheap cut will work) with the juice of a lime or lemon or 1/4 cup white vinegar and cool water (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and drain. Then season with the salt, black pepper, onion, ginger, tomato, Scotch Bonnet (optional), Caribbean Green Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Should you have time, allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Use the video as a guide for this step. Place a deep pan (heavy one will work best) on a med/high flame and add the oil and brown sugar. The sugar will melt, go frothy, then a deep amber. At this point is when you’ll add the seasoned beef to the pot (carefully) and stir to coat with the caramelized sugar (no the dish will not be sweet). Should the sugar go BLACK, you need to STOP immediately. Allow the pot to cool completely, wash it and start over with a dry pot. If not, you’ll be left with BITTER tasting beef.

Place the lid on the pot (slightly ajar), turn the heat down to med/low and cook for 15 minutes. It will sprout natural juices. Remember to stir a couple times.

Now remove the lid, crank up the heat and burn off that liquid to the point where you see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot.

Once all of the liquid is gone, add the coconut milk and stir well. Then pour the water into the same bowl you marinated the beef in, swish it around to pick up remaining marinade.. pour that water into the pot now. Stir well.

Once it comes to a boil, reduce it to between a rolling boil and a simmer (med/low flame) and allow it to cook for 30 minutes.

At this point we’ll add the kidney beans (any large bean will work) and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, lid slightly ajar and cook for another 30-35 minutes. Basically until the beef is tender. I explained why we added the beans at this point in the video.

During the cooking process, keep an eye on the liquid level and add more water should you need to. Once the beef is tender, adjust the salt to your liking. Determine if the gravy is at the consistency you like (cook longer to thicken or smash some of the beans, should you want it thicker). Keep in mind that the residual heat in the pot will further cook and thicken the gravy.

Once you’re happy with the results, add the parsley as you turn off the heat.

Are you interested in the chicken version of this dish?

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

How To Make The Perfect Lamb Pepperpot.

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When my Guyanese friends speak about Pepperpot, there’s a certain passion and pride that lights up their faces. And to be honest, I know why. The deep rich flavors of this meat-packed dish is simply outstanding and very comforting. And while most pepperpot includes an assortment of meats, in this version we’ll stick to using lamb alone.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs lamb (with bones)
3/4 cup cassareep
2 cinnamon sticks
3 pieces of orange peel (1 inch each)
3 cloves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4-8 sprigs thyme
2 scallions (chopped)
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion (diced)
water
2-4 wiri wiri peppers

Notes! Please watch the video below to follow along as much more is discussed there. Optional ingredient includes, 2 bay leaves, 1 star anise and a thick slice of ginger. I like pepperpot spicy so I used 8 fine wiri wiri peppers, should you not be able to source those peppers, any spicy pepper (in the amount you can handle) will work. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

With my lamb washed and drained, it went into a deep pot (no oil) on a medium/high flame. Cheap cuts of lamb can be fatty, so I do it this way (as explained in the video) to render out and remove some of that fat. The goal is NOT to brown the meat.

After about 6 minutes, turn the flame down (so you don’t get burned) and tip the pot to allow for the fat to accumulate. Remove the fat and discard (NOT down your sink).

Turn the heat back up to medium and add all of the other ingredients mentioned. Stir well, then cover completely with water and bring to a boil.

After coming to a boil, reduce the heat to low as we want this to slowly cook on a simmer until the lamb is tender. I did place the lid on slightly ajar.

Depending on how old the animal was when the meat was harvested, it can take between 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours.

It took just over 2 hours of cooking slowly and me stirring every 30 minutes or so for the lamb to be tender. At this point you’ll taste for salt and adjust to your liking. The gravy’s thickness is a personal choice, so if you want it thicker, cook with the heat raised a bit. However be mindful that as this lamb pepperpot cools, it will thicken further.

In the video I explained how at the end, I used a spoon to scoop out even more fat out of the dish. All you need now is some homemade plait bread to break and dip in this wickedly delicious gravy.

Meat & Poultry

How to Make Epic Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice.

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With leftover Crispy Pork Belly from the video I shared a few days back and with rice in the fridge from visiting my parents last weekend, a quick and delicious fried rice was in the works. Usually I get the roasted pork from the Asian BBQ joint when I get a craving for this pork fried rice. Not Today!

You’ll Need…

1/3 lb Crispy Pork Belly (1/2 inch pieces)
1 tablespoon veg oil
3 cups precook rice (I used par-boiled brown rice)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 medium onion
3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
3 Bird’s Eye Peppers (diced) – optional
1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon Chili Crisp
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Note. Follow along with the video below as I explain why I used red onion, no eggs were used, why I prefer chilled day-old rice and why it’s such a great dish to put together.

You may need… The Ultimate Guide to Making Perfectly Crispy Pork Belly

May I recommend that you prep the ingredients in advance as we know from experience that fried rice is very easy and quick to put together.

Heat the oil on a medium flame in a wok or any wide pan, then add the pork, turn the heat down to medium/low and allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes. This will render out some of the fat from the pork and in doing so, flavor the oil with the crispy pork’s flavors.

Turn the heat back up to medium and add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Keep stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

As this happens, add the chopped Bird’s Eye Pepper (optional).

It’s then time to add the chili crisp and sesame oil. Stir and cook for 3 minutes before adding the rice.

Add the soy and hoisin sauces and give everything a good mix. All you have to do at this point is heat through the rice and you’re done.

In goes the chopped scallions, shut off the stove and you’re done. As explained in the video, I didn’t add any salt to the finished fried rice. And as discussed in the video, you may add diced carrots, bell peppers, cabbage… basically any vegetable you want. Keep in mind that the pork will no longer be crispy, however the flavor and texture will be delightful.

Remember you can always check your local Chinese BBQ joint for that roasted pork.. the one they usually got hanging in their window.