One Kitchen, Many Cultures

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Vegetarian

Tasty vegetarian recipes with a Caribbean influence by Caribbean cookbook author Chris De La Rosa.

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Desserts Vegetarian

How To Make Kurma (known as mithai in Guyana).

36 Comments on How To Make Kurma (known as mithai in Guyana).

Kurma is one of those snacks I fondly recall buying with my daily school allowance at recess and at lunch break as it was not something regularly made at home and which kid does not like sweets? Mind-you, come Divali time, mom’s cousin who was a Hindu would always invite us to her home to celebrate with her family where she would prepare an assortment of desserts and snacks along with a ton of curry dishes (good times). Yea, I live for these occasions as she would make some of the best Kurma I’ve ever had.

 

You’ll Need…

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup evaporated milk
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (white)
1/2 cup water
thick slice of ginger
1/2 cinnamon stick

Veg oil for frying. (about 2-3 cups)

 

We’ve got to make the dough so it can rest for a few minutes before we get to making the actual kurma… so in a bowl place the flour, pinch of salt and butter and work with your fingers. It will get like little pebbles. Now start adding the evaporated milk..start with 1/2 and add as needed. Knead until you have a smooth dough ball. Add milk as needed.

Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. The following step is my moms way of making it easier to cut the individual kurma and not necessarily the traditional way. The traditional way would be to simply roll out and cut…fry!

Dust your surface with flour and roll out the dough ball into a large circle.. the size of your tawa (a griddle or non stick frying pan will also work). Heat the tawa on a medium flame, then place the rolled out dough (about 1/4 inch thick) on it, leave for 10 seconds, flip and cook another 10 seconds. You ONLY looking for the dough to set a bit.

Place the now slightly firm rolled out dough onto your cutting board and cut into strips about 1/2 inch thick and about 3 inches long. As you do so, heat your vegetable oil (medium flame) in a wide pan (we used a small Wok) so when we fry the kurma there won’t be oil spilling over the high edges onto the stove.

Have a large metal bowl handy! Now gently place the cut kurma into the heated oil and cook (flip around) until they are golden brown. Takes about 2-4 minutes. Drain and place them immediately into the metal bowl. Remember the metal bowl will heat as you add the fried kurma to it, so handle with care.

In a sauce pan place the water, sugar, cinnamon and ginger over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Allow this to reduce until it thickens up. You’re looking for a thick syrup consistency (coat the back of a spoon). Now pour this liquid over the fried kurma and mix fast and well. The goal is to coat all the fried kurma with this heavenly syrup. It will cool fast, so this step needs quick action. Remember what I said earlier about the metal bowl getting hot to handle. Remove the ginger and cinnamon stick and get ready to enjoy!

The melted sugar will give the kurma a sort of frosting as it cools, so do keep that in mind when serving these to your kids (no need for a sugar rush/overload). Store in a air tight container to maintain it’s freshness.. can store for about 5-7 days.

Special thanks to mom for assisting me with this recipe.. the woman is pure gold oui! Yea.. dad is treating to take legal action against me for not mentioning his participation in some of the recipes on here. So I’m obliged to give him a big-up! Play yourself pops. Maybe I’ll do a series of videos with him in the coming months.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

The World’s Hottest Pepper Sauce Using Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolikia).

13 Comments on The World’s Hottest Pepper Sauce Using Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolikia).

At the time of putting this recipe together the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion was the hottest pepper in the world and in all honesty it was indeed pure fyah! I had never tasted anything as hot and some may think I’m nuts for using them in a pepper sauce. However there’s news coming out of the US that the Carolina Reaper and the Chocolate Bhutla peppers now holds the record for the world’s hottest pepper.

Every summer I do the best with the little area of free space in our back yard and do a little gardening. This year I was fortunate to get an assortment of very hot pepper plants from a local nursery and the crop at the end of the summer was quite plentiful. Along with the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion I planted the Bhut Jolikia, Chocolate Bhut Jolikia, Chocolate Scotch Bonnet, Scotch Bonnet, Habanero and the Seven Pod pepper.

So here’s my take on the worlds hottest peppersauce…

 

You’ll Need…

25-30 HOT peppers *
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup vinegar
10 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon

Notes. This recipe works great with any type of hot pepper, but I used a combination of Trinidad Moruga Scorpion,  Bhut Jolikia, Chocolate Bhut Jolikia, Chocolate Scotch Bonnet, Scotch Bonnet, Habanero and the Seven Pod pepper. You may need a bit more than the 1 cup of vinegar, depending on the consistency you like your pepper sauce. Also note that this is a raw pepper sauce, but you can certainly cook it after you’ve blended it together.

I went for heat and didn’t concentrate too much on added flavor, so you’ll notice I kept things basic, with the use of garlic, cilantro (wish I had shado beni) and 1/2 of a lemon.

Basically all you have to do is give everything a rough chop to make it easier for your blender or food processor to work it into the consistency you like. Remove the seeds from the lemon and cut it into pieces, including the skin. IMPORTANT Be sure to wear gloves, open your kitchen window for ventilation and DO wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such lethal peppers.

Place all the ingredients in the blender and pulse, then liquefy to a somewhat thick but smooth consistency.

For maximum HEAT, do include the pepper seeds.

* Liking the old school blender?

As mentioned above you may need a bit more vinegar and depending on your tolerance for salt you may need to adjust this as well. Store in a glass container (sterilize first) in your kitchen cupboard or in the fridge where it could easily last upwards of 6 months.

 

If you’re looking for some tips on handling such hot peppers, check out: Trinidad Scorpion Moruga The World’s Hottest Pepper.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Breads & Bakes Vegetarian

The Ultimate Pepper Roti Recipe.

30 Comments on The Ultimate Pepper Roti Recipe.

Pepper roti is one of those delightful dishes which became popular after I left the islands for North American shores. I was only introduced to this a few years back when my cousin hosted us for dinner during one of our Carnival visits and I immediately fell in love with it. What a treat! Stuffed with freshly grated vegetables and creamy from the addition of New Zealand cheddar, the layers of roti is really something you must try at least once. With moms help.. let’s go through the steps in making classic Trinbagonian pepper roti!

You’ll Need…

Roti

2 cups all purpose flour
pinch salt
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon butter
1 – 1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon veg oil

Stuffing

1 scotch bonnet pepper finely diced (no seeds)
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated potato
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar aged)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 cup sweet pepper (bell pepper) grated

Note: for the filling you can always add ingredients you like.. even more scotch bonnet if you want it even more lethal!

First we need to make the dough for the roti (basically the same as we did with buss up shut or paratha roti) . In a large bowl place the flour, salt and baking powder and give it a good mix. Then start adding some of the water and start kneading… add more water as necessary to form a smooth and somewhat soft/firm dough.

 

Cover the dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then divide into two dough balls, dust your work surface with flour and with a rolling pin, roll out to a circle. With the aid of the pictures below and by watching the video directly below the post, you can follow along. In a small bowl place the butter and oil and mix well.. the butter should be soft. You’ll need a small brush (pastry brush).

After rolling out one of the dough balls flat (about 12-14 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick… the size of your tawa), make a cut from the center out. Then brush on some of the oil/butter combination over the surface. Now, roll to form a sort of cone.

Then tuck in both ends to seal. This will give the roti the layers that paratha or buss up shut roti normally have when cooked. Tap town to sort of flatten, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the filling in the meanwhile (grate, chop etc).

Then place it all in bowl and mix it evenly so when we spread it on the roti we’ll have a uniform blend.

It’s now time to get back to the dough. On a flour dusted surface, roll out one of the dough balls the size of your tawa (tawa is the baking stone (iron) we’ll be using to cook this on the stove top). With your tawa on a low flame, brush on some of the oil/butter mixture onto the tawa, then place the rolled out dough onto it. The oil will prevent it from sticking, help develop color and give it a sort of fried exterior when fully cooked. Now top with the filling as evenly as you can, but leave about 1/4 inch off the side bare. This way we can seal the roti when we add the other layer.

Roll out the other dough ball the same shape and size as the previous one, then gently place on the one on the tawa. It can be a bit tricky! Then using a fork, press down on the edges to help seal the pepper roti.

By this time the underside will start developing some colour and firm up a bit. Brush some of the oil/butter combo on the top layer we just added, then try to flip the roti so the raw side is now sitting on the tawa. Turn the heat up a bit, so we can cook the inside of the roti with it’s stuffing. I’ve seen some people blanch the grated carrot and potato, but since we grated it finely.. you should be fine. After 3-4 minutes, brush a little more oil/butter on top and flip back so the original side is on the tawa again. Give it a minute or tow and you’re dun!

You’re looking for a golden crust, with a lovey creamy filling as the cheese melts and the other ingredients cook. Give it a minute or two to cool before slicing so you don’t end up with a mess! You can multiply the recipe if you want to make enough for  large crowd.  I guess this is a Caribbean version of  quesadilla?  Serve warm and do tell your guests to expect the kick from the finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper.

Side note: You can use a griddle or non stick frying pan (with low sides) to cook this pepper roti if you don’t have a traditional baking stone or tawa.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Traditional Coconut Chutney

6 Comments on Traditional Coconut Chutney

With mom and dad visiting this past summer I had the help I needed to put together one of the most requested recipes, coconut chutney. A spicy condiment which is an excellent topping for many of the street foods you’d find being sold in Trinidad and Tobago, especially ‘doubles’. Traditionally a mortar and pestle or ‘seal’ (a flat stone with a rounded one for grinding) would be used in making coconut chutney. With this in mind you’ll notice that we did encounter some problems getting the right texture, but we found a good medium in using the box grater along with a food blender.

 

You’ll Need…

1 dried coconut
3 cloves garlic
1 scotch bonnet pepper
teaspoon salt
4 leaves of Chadon Beni (culantro)

 

Notes. If you can’t source shado beni, you can also use twice the amount of cilantro. If you wondering why I needed help in making something so simple.. I hate grating, so I got dad to jump in with the box grater. Grated my fingers as a kid and the memory is still fresh. If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the ingredient list to ensure it meets with your specific gluten free dietary needs. 

When buying a dried coconut be aware of the following. Give it a shake and ensure you can hear liquid moving around inside. The dried coconut may be wrapped in a plastic wrap (especially in North America), this helps to keep them fresh and quite normal.

Using the back (NOT THE BLADE) of a cleaver or a large chef’s knife (a hammer works well also) , tap on the hard shell, to crack open. Do this over your sink so the water inside will pour out without having a mess on your counter. It will take a few hard taps to crack open. With care, use a pairing or butter knife (whatever you feel comfortable using), separate the white flesh from the hard shell. Basically putting the blade between the shell and flesh with a prying motion.

Discard the hard shell part and place the flesh (no need to remove the sort of brown skin on the exterior) on an open flame. I used my grill, but you can use your stove top (it will make a mess) or place on a foil lined tray in a high oven. Let it roast on the open flame, flip often and try to get it a bit charred. Will take a few minutes. It will take much longer if you’re using an oven.

It will go charred.. doh fret! This is exactly what we’re looking for. Allow it to cool a bit so you can safely handle it. Now scrape of any excessively charred bits and give it a good rinse with cool water. It’s now time to grate or you can cut into small pieces and place directly into a blender or food processor. Only after grating did we notice that the texture was not as traditional coconut chutney. So we then placed the grated coconut in a blender, along with the salt, shado beni, scotch bonnet pepper (add more or less according to how spicy you like it) and garlic. Blend!

If using a blender as we did, you’ll need to add a little water to allow it to work. Adding water is not traditional but it didn’t affect the taste at all. You’re looking for a somewhat smooth paste, but with a texture close to grains of sand.

This coconut chutney is meant to be very spicy, but you can control the heat by how much scotch bonnet pepper you add. Do remember that if you’re concerned about raw heat, don’t use any of the seeds of the pepper and do wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such lethal peppers. Store in the fridge for a few days, but it’s best when used fresh.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Recipe Card

Coconut Chutney in a orange bowl
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Coconut Chutney

Cuisine:

Description

With mom and dad visiting this past summer I had the help I needed to put together one of the most requested recipes, coconut chutney. A spicy condiment which is an excellent topping for many of the street foods you’d find being sold in Trinidad and Tobago, especially ‘doubles’. Traditionally a mortar and pestle or ‘seal’ (a flat stone with a rounded one for grinding) would be used in making coconut chutney. With this in mind you’ll notice that we did encounter some problems getting the right texture, but we found a good medium in using the box grater along with a food blender.

Ingredients

Instructions

Video
  1. Discard the hard shell part of the Coconut (1).
  2. Place the flesh of the coconut on an open flame.
  3. Let the coconut roast on the open flame, flip often and try to get it a bit charred.
  4. Allow it to cool a bit so you can safely handle it. Now scrape of any excessively charred bits and give it a good rinse with cool water.
  5. Grate the coconut or you can cut into small pieces and place directly into a blender or food processor.
  6. Place the grated coconut in a blender, along with the Salt (1 teaspoon), Culantro Leaves (4), Scotch Bonnet Pepper (1), and Garlic (3 clove), then blend.
  7. Store in the fridge for a few days, but it’s best when served fresh.
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Gluten Free Soups & Stews Vegetarian

Roasted Tomato And Rice Soup, Memories of Tomato Choka.

3 Comments on Roasted Tomato And Rice Soup, Memories of Tomato Choka.

About 10 years ago I had my first culinary encounter with tomato and rice soup while visiting Caron’s grandparents and though I wasn’t (so I thought..silly me) a fan of tomato soup, the plump grains of rice in it got my attention. I could not believe I was asking for seconds even though my bowl was only half the way through. I had always reflected back to that dish, but for some reason I never ventured to ask Heddi (ma-mere) for the recipe. Somehow I’m glad I didn’t as when it came time to prepare it it this past summer when we had an abundance of vine ripe tomatoes in our garden, I decided to put my own twist on this tomato and rice soup I first fell in love with a decade ago.

Tomato choka is one of my favorite ways to enjoy ripe tomatoes, so I thought I’d mimic the same technique in making this rice and tomato soup for those rich roasted and spicy flavors. Basically, here’s my take on tomato choka soup.

 

You’ll Need…

3 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups chicken stock (or veg)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup parboiled brown rice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
1/2 teaspoon  brown sugar
pinch ground coriander

* If you don’t have access to a grill as I did, toss the tomatoes in about 2 tablespoon of olive oil (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and roast them in your oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes or so. You will notice that I used chicken stock, but the recipe is posted in the vegetarian section. For vegetarians, please use vegetable stock and it will be a complete one-pot vegetarian meal. IMPORTANT: If doing this recipe gluten free do go through the ingredient list to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

As with making traditional tomato choka I placed the ripe tomatoes on my grill, along with a whole green scotch bonnet pepper to cook. The pepper will take about 2-3 minutes (remove), but give the tomatoes about 20-30 minutes, flipping them so they char evenly. Yes, it’s normal for them to look burnt on the outside.

Remove the tomatoes off the grill and place in a bowl to cool. They will release a lot of liquid as they cool, thus the reason for having them in a bowl so you can save this lovely liquid to add to the pot later. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin and give them a rough chop.

Heat the olive oil on a med/low flame in your soup pot and gently cook the diced onion, thyme and garlic for about 4 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. By adding the tomato paste at this point the sort of frying will increase the natural sugars in the paste and give the dish a lovely sweetness.

Now turn up the heat and add all the other ingredients except the rice. Bring to a boil.

Wash the rice to remove any grit and extra starch. Do so by placing the rice in a strainer and run cool water over it while moving it around until the water runs clear. Or you can place the rice in a deep bowl, top with water, then massage the grains of rice. The water will get cloudy. Drain, repeat until the water runs clear. As the pot comes to a boil add the rice, then turn the heat down so you have an active simmer going.

Let it cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice grains are plump and fully cooked.

Skim off any sort of reside off the top of the pot as it cooks and discard. Remember to taste for salt and adjust accordingly. If you used a whole scotch bonnet pepper as I did, you now have 2 options. Remove it so you don’t have that ‘kick’ or burst it open to reveal that Caribbean sunshine. WARNING! It will be live!

Top with some chopped parsley and get ready to serve with a thick slice of coconut bake or bread. This is not your typical Caribbean soup which is usually thick with ground provisions and salted meats (for the most part), but I assure you that this absolutely delicious, quite filling and a great twist on traditional tomato soup and rice soup.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry Vegetarian

Pak Choi With Smoked Bacon A Twist On A Caribbean Fave!

9 Comments on Pak Choi With Smoked Bacon A Twist On A Caribbean Fave!

This is a take on traditional Caribbean technique of cooking “bhagi” or greens especially in Trinidad and Tobago. You’ll notice that I also placed this within the vegetarian section of the website, so before the flood of emails… I wanted to point out that you can leave out the bacon and start with olive or coconut oil for additional flavor. So by simply leaving out the bacon you could have a delicious vegetarian dish.

Traditionally our mom would prepare this dish when she had leftover stewed pork (Stewed Pork With Pak Choi)  from the night before and it’s one of those dishes everyone of my siblings quite enjoyed with hot sada roti. Oh the joy when mom got us all to eat the same thing.

 

You’ll Need…

6 – 8  cups chopped pak choi (about 2lbs)
1/4 lb smoked bacon (I used smoked pork belly)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 birds eye pepper (bird pepper)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 scallion
4-6 cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

* IMPORTANT: If you don’t eat pork or prefer to have this vegetarian, leave out the bacon and start with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If you don’t have bird’s eye pepper, you can use scotch bonnet or habanero (very small piece). If doing this recipe gluten free do go through the list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific dietary needs.

 

Cut the bacon into small pieces and place in a dry pan on medium heat. The idea is to cook until crispy and to render off the fat. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the fat.  Once crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Remove each leaf/stem of pak choi and wash under running water individually as you’ll find dirt between each leaf (natural as it grows), Rinse well and drain – now get ready to chop. I usually cut each leaf lengthwise first (about 1/4 inch, then make into a bundle and cut in the other direction the same thickness. Besides trimming off the very bottom of the white stems (discard), do use the rest of the pak choi (white and green).

Also chop/dice the onion, garlic, tomato and scallions (green onion) and set aside.

In the same pan you rendered the bacon (don’t wash) heat about 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat on a low flame, then add the onion, garlic and scallion pieces. Let it cook on low for about 3 minutes to basically soften up and create a flavor base.

Toss in the birds eye peppers (don’t cut open) then start adding the chopped pak choi to the pot and finish off with the salt and black pepper. It may seem like a lot at first, but it will wilt down (have your heat at med/high at this point). Give it a good mix.

The rest of this dish takes some personalization. I like my greens (still green) and not over cooked. So I let it go for about 5 minutes, then I topped it with the pieces of bacon and stirred well. The pak choi will release a bit of liquid so at this point you’ll need to raise the heat to high and burn off the excess liquid (took another 3-5 minutes).

The last 2 minutes of cooking you can toss in the tomatoes so they too are brilliant in colour, retains it’s shape and give the dish a brightness. Remember to taste for salt and if you wanted, you can certainly cook this a bit longer if you’re not like me and like a little texture to the pak choi. You’ll note that at no time did I cover the pot as it will only help to create liquid you really don’t need.

This is excellent on steamed (or boiled) rice, with roti and when all fails, I make sandwiches with this… lovely! If you break the peppers while cooking it will release the raw heat (though mild since they are bird’s eye) so if you like playing with “the Heat”.. break them open! BTW if you don’t dine with the swine, you can use some prepared saltfish (salted cod) instead of the bacon for additional flavor.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.