banana fritters (12)

With all the recent requests I’ve been getting for more dessert type recipes, I’ve decided to share a classic banana fritters recipes with you guys. In all honesty I don’t like banana as I once did as a child. I strongly believe I had too much growing up on the islands as it’s common to have trees around your home, so we always had various varieties of ripe bananas to snack on. I recall my mom making this treat for us when the bananas were going a bit discolored (at it’s ripest) and she wanted to use them before they got chucked into the rubbish bin. But back then there were no confectionery sugar topping!

You’ll Need…

3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
3 cups of vegetable oil for frying
confectioner sugar (optional, but nice finishing touch)

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In a fairly large bowl, peel and cut the ripe banana into chunks, then mash using a fork or potato masher into a smooth consistency. It will have the consistency of baby food … parents will know what I mean.

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Whip the egg, then add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.. then whip some more until the sugar breaks down. Now add that to the bowl with the mashed bananas. You can certainly use an electric mixer if you wish, but I much prefer a wire whisk (burn some calories before replacing them with tasty ones).

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The final step in preparing the batter is to slowly start adding in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you have a smooth batter, without any lumps. After that… all you have to do is heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add spoonfuls (tablespoon) of the batter into the hot oil. It will take about 1 minute to get golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute until that side is also golden brown. Once cooked you will notice that it will start floating in the oil. Remove and drain on paper towels. Final step before eating is to dust with the confectionery sugar. Serve warm… good with vanilla ice cream on the side as well.

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Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below… even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….

Vegetarian

The Simplicity Of Cassava Dumplings.

March 5, 2012August 1, 201132 Comments

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Our dad grew up on the family cocoa and coffee plantation with my great grandparents, so basically his meals consisted of what we refer to “blue” food. Ground provisions (yams, dasheen, eddoes, cassava etc), green bananas, dumplings and other very traditional dishes passed on from slavery days. So when we were growing up many of these dishes were a strong part of our diet as well, since mom would make stuff the old fella enjoyed. To this day my sisters have no love for many of these foods, but my brother and I crave them. Especially since we’re not at “home” where it’s in abundance… such is the life of immigrants I guess.

Today’s recipe takes me back to when my uncle and I would make our own little “cook” with ingredients we could easily salvage around the house or garden. Cassava dumplings and dasheen bush simmered in coconut milk and a rosy green scotch bonnet pepper… if we were lucky we’d also have a few ochroes to go into the bhaji mix.

You’ll Need…

1 cup grated cassava
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
6-10 tablespoon water
pinch baking powder

* if you can’t get fresh cassava to grate, you can also try using cassava flour. Many Latin markets will stock it (may be called yucca flour)

Peel the cassava with a potato peeler or sharp pairing knife to remove the bark-like outer skin, then using a box grater (be careful) as it’s very easy to catch your fingers as the cassava pieces gets smaller as you grate. I’m sure this could probably work in a food processor, but I’ve never tried it.

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In the same bowl with the grated cassava add the flour and baking powder. Knead into a firm but elastic dough… since the grated cassava will have a bit of moisture, work the flour into it before adding water. This will see it go like ‘peas”, but it will give you an idea of how much water you’ll need to add. Then start adding water one tablespoon at a time. Since I cannot comment on how moist your cassava will be, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time. It may take a bit of muscle to really work the dough, but try to get a nice smooth finish.

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Now cover the bowl with a bit of plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 20-25 minutes. The next step is to bring about 7 cups of water to boil in a fairly large pot and add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water.

As the water comes to a boil…

Dust a flat surface with flour and lets get ready to make the dumplings. Cut the dough ball into 8 smaller ones, then give each a sort of cigar roll and then work with your fingers to form the shape of a tongue. BTW, these dumplings are sometimes called cow’s tongue (due to it’s shape). See the pics below for a pictorial explanation.

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The water should be boiling now so gently add each dumpling and give it a stir. This will cook on medium heat (make sure it’s boiling) for about 5 minutes or so. You’ll know when they’re done, when you see them float to the to[ of the pot.

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The final step is to drain and get ready to serve (best hot). Today I enjoyed mine with saltfish buljol, but if you’re looking for something even more basic.. simply stir in some butter and enjoy. This goes great with many curry meats, stewed meats and if you were to go to Tobago you must have it with curried crabs. I had three of them and was stuffed.. so this could easily serve 4 small eaters. You’ll notice that I added some red cabbage to my saltfish buljol.. had some in the fridge and figured I’d use it. Added a nice crunch to the overall dish.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

A Tantalizing Tamarind Sauce.

May 28, 2025July 12, 201142 Comments

tamarind sauce

After posting the tambran (tamarind) ball recipe a couple days ago (sweet spicy sour tambran balls) , I realize that I still had some tamarind left back so I decided to share this recipe with you guys. Originally when I told my mom I purchased some tamarind in a box at the Asian store, she jokingly said “buh son, dais not the real thing” (gosh trinbago accent sweet eh!). So she got my dad to go out and get some of the ‘real thing” for me and sent it down with my sister (they live in Toronto and I’m in Hamilton). Sure enough it was the “tart” or sour type of tamarind we’re accustomed too in the Caribbean, but already out of the hard shell-like exterior.

This tamarind sauce is used primarily as a condiment or topping for such things as saheena, aloo pie, pholourie and doubles. But I also recall (back to my school days again) a thicker version, with a sort of amchar massala undertone that was a hit with the kids at my primary school. Maybe I’ll post that recipe the next time I get some of the ‘real’ tamarind.

You’ll Need…

200 grams tamarind pulp (about 7 oz)
3 cloves garlic
1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 leaves shado beni
1 1/2 cup water

* add some salt and extra sugar if you find that the finished sauce is overly tart.

Before I go further I must let you know that there are 2 variations of this recipe. The first being the way I’ll show you below, where I’ll simmer the sauce on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The 2nd method you’ll use the same ingredients, except no cooking is involved. You simply add everything to a blender and give it a good pulse. I like to cooked version better as I find that the pungent ingredients like the shado bein and garlic is infused within the sauce and has a much milder after-taste.

The first step is to crush the pepper, garlic and shando beni into a sort of chunky paste. I give those things a rough chop and work it well in my mortar and pestle.

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BTW, you’ll notice that my shado beni looks a bit starving… I’m just thankful I could get fresh shado beni here, so I’m not complaining. The next step is place the tamarind paste into a sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups water. Now using your fingers, (if you didn’t get seedless), work the pulp away from the seeds and try to crush the flesh between your fingers. It will get a bit messy so you can wear disposable gloves if you wish.

Now remove the seeds and discard. Place the saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar (pinch of salt) and the crushed pepper/garlic/shado beni to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Now turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and with the pot closed, allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

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Stir every 2-3 minutes and if you find that it’s getting really thick, add a bit more water. You’re looking for a sort of thick tomato soup consistency (a little thinner than ketchup). Allow to cool before serving as the taste when it’s hot is totally different than when it’s cool. If when you taste it you find that it’s more tart (sour) than anything else, add a bit more sugar. It should be the perfect balance of tart, savory and spicy.

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This tambran sauce rocks when you dip some saheena, aloo pie or pholourie into it!

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

I almost forgot. I’m not sure how many of you saw the message I posted on Facebook, but I mentioned that if you’d like to post any cooking/food related questions to a certified chef, who’s traveled all over the world doing his culinary thing.. now is the time to do so. A couple weeks back we met with the Rhyming Chef (Philman George) for coffee and during that meeting he agreed to take time from his hectic schedule to answer any questions you guys may have. All you have to do is leave the questions in the comment section below and I’ll send them off to him. I’ll then post the answers on the website for everyone to participate in the discussion.

You can learn more about The Rhyming Chef at his site http://www.therhymingchef.com/ A super cool ‘soldier’ with a massive passion for the culinary culture and history of the Caribbean, especially his home island of Barbuda.

I urge you to post your questions below and do check out Philman’s website for some amazing tips and cooking videos.

Main Dishes Vegetarian

Pommecythere Amchar Talkari.

May 28, 2025June 1, 201142 Comments

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You’re probably wondering what the heck is wrong with Chris, when you read both Amchar and talkari as the heading of this recipe. I didn’t know if this would be considered amchar, talkari or curry Pommecythere considering I didn’t use any curry in cooking it. All I know is that the few times I had this growing up, was the occasional time I would purchase some from the many street food vendors outside the gates at our high school. Are there still food vendors outside schools today in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is the first time I was making this dish and I must say that I’m quite proud of the results.

You’ll Need…

3 Pommecythere (green / fully developed)
2 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon salt
1 scotch bonnnet pepper (any hot pepper would work)
3 cloves garlic – crushed
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon brown sugar (golden.. not dark)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 medium onion sliced thin (optional)

Note: Depending on how sour or tart your Pommecytheres are, you may need to add a bit more salt. The idea is to get a sort of savory taste, with the richness of the brown sugar and amchar massala. So if at the end you find it to be a bit tart, add a bit more salt or sugar.

Some people tend to pre-boil the Pommecythere pieces before actually cooking it in the massala. By doing so you achieve two thing. 1. Speeds up the cooking time, as it will already be tender. And 2. The pre-boiling tends to remove some of the tartness from the Pommecythere. If you decide on pre-boiling, you’ll only need about 1/4 cup water as mentioned in the ingredients listed above and you’ll cook it only a few minutes after adding all the ingredients to the pot.

If you’re wondering what Pommecythere is…

From Wikipedia : Spondias dulcis or Ambarella, (and its alternative binomial, Spondias cytherea, Malay Apple), Golden apple, is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. It is known by many names in various regions, including Pomme cythere in Trinidad and Tobago, June plum in Jamaica, Juplon in Costa Rica, Jobo Indio in Venezuela, and Caja-manga in Brazil.

Give the Pommecythere a good rinse under running water, then using a cleaver or heavy knife, cut through them into wedges (see pic below). Give them a another rinse if you like. Then get the other ingredients ready. You’ll notice that I didn’t bother peeling the Pommecythere as I find that the skin adds to the overall texture at the end. And you will find that the center of the Pommecythere is somewhat spiny and tough.. this is why I used a heavy cleaver to cut through them.

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Heat the vegetable oil in a fairly heavy/deep pan and add the onion and garlic. Allow that to cook for a few minutes, then add the slices of pepper. Remember (I learned the hard way today) that the fumes from the pepper meeting the heated oil will be strong and cause you to cough. Open your kitchen windows and turn on the vent fan if you have one over your stove.

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Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes, then add the pieces of cut Pommecythere and give it a good stir. Next up.. add the amchar massala and stir again. Now add the sugar, salt and water and bring to a boil.

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After it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to between a rolling boil and simmer.. place the lid on the pot and allow this to cook for about 25-30 minutes. Basically until it’s tender and becomes a thick sort of sauce. Remember what I mentioned in the note above and check to ensure it’s not to tart or sour as we would say on the islands.

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This is used as a condiment for many curry dishes, spicy snack or as a side with roti in many instances. Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Vegetarian

Lentils And Split Peas Dhal

May 26, 2025May 10, 201138 Comments

trini dhal recipe (9)

This recipe is pretty much a clone of the traditional dhal recipe I shared with you a while back, except this one we’ll be using lentils along with the yellow split peas. I still recall our grandmother making this when we were kids and eating it as we would soup. Last week I was going though the menu of a local Caribbean restaurant when I noticed they had dhal on their menu. Sold by the bowl-full (small $4.50 and large $9… imagine that). Right away I was taken back to those days when we lined up in my grandmother’s kitchen with bowl in hand, jostling with my cousins for the first serving. I just had to make some – the craving was on.

I didn’t follow my grandmother’s recipe, as she would use geera (cumin) somewhere along the line of cooking, but I’m not a huge fan of that spice so I tend to avoid it when I can.

You’ll Need…

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup lentils
4 cloves of garlic diced (divided)
3/4 teaspoon salt * see note below
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 small onion sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 hot pepper (I used habanero – use whatever you like)
8 cups water * see note below
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like using olive oil for it’s sort of nutty taste)

Note:

– It’s easier to add more salt if necessary than remove excess salt. So at the end, do taste to see if there’s enough to your liking. It took me a few tries of making this before I got the salt just right. I added too much at the start and had to work with salty dhal. So take my advice and start with a little and add accordingly. BTW for some reason this goes a bit more salty when it cools down.

– I started with 8 cups of water, but if you find that it becomes overly thick, feel free to add more.

Sort out the split peas and lentils to ensure there’s no foreign particles between them (I’ve seen twigs and pebbles at times), then give it a good wash with cool water and drain. Also get the other ingredients ready.

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In a large pot, put the water to heat and when it comes to a boil, add everything except 1/2 the garlic and the oil (including the split peas and lentils). Bring back up to a boil, then lower to the most gentle simmer you can get. Now place the lid on the pot slightly ajar and allow this to cook for about 80 minuets or until the split peas are tender and starts to dissolve. If you have a pressure cooker, this will only take about 15 minutes or so.

You will be required to stir occasionally and do remove any sort of build up which may float to the top of the pot.

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After the 80 minutes both the lentils and split peas should be tender but still keeping it’s shape. We’ll now use a wire whisk or swizzle stick as you’ll see in the picture below and give it a good whisk. This will break down most of the peas and give the dhal and nice thick consistency. I’m sure you can use one of those electric submersion blender, but try not to overwork it r risk having a sort of frothy final dish (see note above regarding water)

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Turn off the heat from the dhal and in a small frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the remaining sliced of garlic. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, until you start seeing the edges of the garlic start to go a dark brown.

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This final step you must show some caution as we’ll be adding that hot oil to the pot with the split peas and lentils that we cooked down. I usually use the lid of the pot as a shield when pouring in the heated oil/garlic mixture to the pot. So with one hand I have the lid protecting my body and the other, the frying pan with the oil. Pour and then give the entire pot a good stir. now check to see if there’s enough salt to your liking.

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This will be enough for about 4 people if you’re drinking it as a soup, but if you’re having it with rice and something else (like curry chicken or tomato choka), you’ll have enough for about 6-8 people. I usually freeze portions in freezer containers and heat them up the next time I have a craving. So far I’ve had them last in excess of a month in the freezer. When it’s time to reheat, I free it from the container add a little water to a pot and put it on a very gentle heat to thaw. I guess you could also use the microwave.

Before you go I’d love for you to leave me a comment below… it’s appreciated (even if it’s just to say hello). Remember you can always connect with us on Facebook and watch the cooking videos on our Caribbean Cooking Channel.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Vegetarian

A Delectable Trinidad Corn Soup Recipe.

November 12, 2014April 18, 201173 Comments

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I think it was about 6 years ago when for my birthday, we (my sister and I) surprised our parents with a visit down the islands. That visit marked the first time in about 15 years that my mom had all of her children in the country at the same time. My sister who lives in Trinidad knew of our planned visit, but my mom, dad and brother (who now lives in NY) didn’t – Yea! it was a good birthday gift for me… to all be under one roof. On that trip, we spent a couple days on the sister island of Tobago and one night while out a bar called “Shade” I recall my sister asking me if I’d like a cup of corn soup. Corn Soup? I had been away from the islands too long. I had no clue what corn soup was and I’ll be honest, a soup made from corn was not appealing to me. Long story short… it was another 3 years later that I had my first cup of corn soup. That one was from a street vendor around the savanna in Port Of Spain late one night.

Normally I like my soups with some sort of meat in it and there are times when I use salted pig tails in making this dish, but this time we’ll go strictly vegetarian. FYI – corn soup is one of those hearty meals on the go, you get after fetes (party / night club) and a meal that’s made it’s way into the fabric of good street food on the islands.

You’ll Need…

2-3 corn on the cob
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (substitute – cilantro)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon chopped chives
3 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon parsley
1 cup yellow split peas
1 scotch bonnet pepper (any hot pepper you like)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 large sweet potato cubed
4 medium potato (I used Yukon gold) cubed
1 lb pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups) cubed
1 can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can creamed corn
1 large carrot diced
EDIT: Seems I forgot to list the 1 cup of celery (special thanks to Renata for pointing this out)

* If you’re making this with salted pig tails, remember to pre-boil the pigtail first to remove some of the salt, and you may not need any added salt in the soup itself. The remaining salt from the pig tail will be enough to flavour the entire dish.

For the dumplings…

– 3/4 cup flour
– pinch of salt
– pinch of sugar
– water *

* Add 2-3 tablespoon water when making the dough for the dumplings and add more as necessary. You’re trying to achieve a firm dough.

trini corn soup recipe

Start by preparing the vegetables for the dish. Peel, cut, chop, cube etc. You’ll notice in the pic below that I cut the scotch bonnet into pieces, this is because I love the heat. Feel free to leave it whole in the dish and remove after cooking, if you’re concerned about the heat level. I also add the sprigs of thyme whole, but later in the cooking process I’ll fish them out of the pot.

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With the cobs of corn all you have to do is clean them, rinse under cool water and cut into 1 inch pieces.

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* I encountered a problem with my camera while putting this recipe together, so I do apologize for the lack of pics depicting the steps as I normally do.

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, then add the diced onions, garlic, celery, herbs and hot pepper (see my note about the pepper above). Let that saute for a couple minutes, then add the split peas and stir well. Now add everything else mentioned in the ingredients list above, except the pieces of corn and dumplings. Bring that up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 70 minutes. The idea is to cook the split peas and allow everything else to cook-down and melt away into a lovely thick soup. Leave the pot slightly ajar and remember to keep stirring the pot.

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After the 70 minutes, go ahead and add the pieces of corn and dumplings. Allow that to come back up to a boil and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remember to keep stirring the pot and if you notice that it’s overly thick, feel free to add more water of vegetable stock if you have.

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Here’s how simple it is to make the flour dumplings.

Basically all you’re doing is making a dough from the ingredients listed above, then allow that to sit for about 10 minutes. Then pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll that into small cigars using both hands.

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NOTE: I’ve seen people add the sweet potato, pumpkin and potato later in he cooking process so it’s doesn’t melt away too much. But I like putting everything in the pot and allowing it to do it’s thing. Not only do I cube the potatoes and pumpkin rather large, I love my soup thick and rely on these ingredients melting away.

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This makes enough soup that could easily fill 4 adults as a main course, and about 6-8 people as a starter. I encourage you to give this recipe a try as it’s very simple to follow along and it makes for a very hearty and tasty soup your entire family will love. Especially if you’re based in colder climates and you’re looking for something to warm you up on those cold winter nights. Or maybe you’re having a party this summer and you’d like to do as we do in Trinbago and have some soup for after the main festivities.

Before you go, don’t forget to connect with us on Face Book, Twitter and do check out the cooking videos.

Share your thoughts below… maybe you have a different way of making this soup that you’d like to share? All comments are appreciated.

Vegetarian

Banana Fritters A Caribbean Favourite.

The Simplicity Of Cassava Dumplings.

A Tantalizing Tamarind Sauce.

Pommecythere Amchar Talkari.

Lentils And Split Peas Dhal

Recipe Card

Lentils and Split Peas Dhal (Trini Lentil Dhal)

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Ingredients

Instructions

A Delectable Trinidad Corn Soup Recipe.

Here’s how simple it is to make the flour dumplings.

Hi, I'm Chris.

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