Looks interesting, but I’ve never heard of ‘Curry Oxtails’… a comment left after I posted a pic of this “Ultimate Curry Oxtails” on the facebook fan page earlier today. With the natural toughness and sort of gamy finish of oxtails, it would be a natural fit for cooking in a rich curry sauce. The bones will release a ton of flavor as we’ve proven when we did curry goat in previous recipes.

The goal here will be to create the perfect curry sauce to slowly braise the pieces of oxtails in, until the meat is falling off the bones with delicious goodness.

You’ll Need…

4 lbs oxtails cut and trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1 onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (diced fine or crushed)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
4 allspice (pimento) berries
4 sprigs thyme
5 cups water
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 cup diced celery
thick slice of ginger – optional

Trim off as much fat as you can off the oxtail pieces, wash and drain. Then season with salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, tomato and ketchup. Mix well and let marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

Heat the oil in a heavy/deep pot on medium heat, then add the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Now add the curry powder (heat still on low) and toast for another 3-4 minutes. This step will awaken the spices which makes up the curry blend.

Add a bit more oil if it’s overly dry. The curry will go darker and grainy – that’s natural. Raise the heat to high and go in with the seasoned oxtail pieces. Stir well to coat with that lovely curry goodness we created. The wet pieces of meat will deglaze the pot.

Meanwhile in the same bowl you marinated the oxtail, add the water and move around to pick up any remaining marinade (set aside). Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. It will release natural juices.. as it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 10-15 minutes. Remember to stir. Then remove the lid, turn up the heat and burn off all that natural liquid. We’re infusing the oxtails with that rich curry sauce.

When you start seeing the oil we started with at the bottom of the pan it’s time to go in with the water, thyme, WHOLE scotch bonnet pepper, diced celery and all spice berries. Bring this to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover the pot. Lets that slowly braise for a couple hours, until tender. This is where you would add it to a pressure cooker (less water though) or slow cooker if you choose to go that route.

Since we started with oil and knowing that oxtails can be VERY fatty, halfway through cooking you’ll need to use a large spoon and skim off some of the fat you’ll see at the surface. No matter how you trim the oxtail pieces, you will get fat. PLEASE remove that.. lets try to do things a little healthy.

After 2.5 to 3 hours (depends on how tough the oxtails you got are), it’s time to remove the lid, bring up the temperature and burn off the liquid until you have a nice thick gravy. Remember to NOT break the scotch bonnet pepper unless you want that raw Caribbean heat. Taste for salt and after you’ve got tender pieces of oxtails in that wicked curry sauce, it’s time to shut the stove off and top with the chopped shado beni (culantro). If you cannot source shado beni, feel free to use cilantro.

Do remember to remove the sprigs of thyme and scotch bonnet before serving and be mindful that the allspice (aka pimento in Jamaica) berries will be in the gravy. This is indeed the ultimate curry oxtail recipe – I assure you. IMPORTANT! If doing this the gluten free way do pay attention to the ingredient list above, especially the ‘curry powder’ as some brands of curry tend to add flour as a filler to their curry blend and will not conform to your gluten free dietary needs.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Vegetarian Stir Fry Bodi (yard beans) With Cashews.

November 17, 2014August 5, 2014Leave a Comment

As a young fella on the islands, my brother and I usually helped mom with the kitchen garden after school and on the weekends. I enjoyed seeing plants go from seeds to actually bearing fruit and harvest time was usually my favorite. Picking bodi (yard beans) off the bush (grows on a vine-like bush) was like a treasure hunt and it didn’t hurt that I LOVE beans of all shape and form. So the meals which would follow the time spent harvesting, was a glorious time for me. Traditionally mom did this one of two ways, in a curry or stewed with some sort of leftover meat or bits of salted cod. But in this recipe I’ll show you another take on cooking bodi (or any green bean).

You’ll Need…

1 lb Bodi (aka yard beans)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic (finely diced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger (grated)
1/2 cup cashews (raw)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 cup water
Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

* Taste for salt near the end and adjust as the soy and oyster sauce may have enough salt to season this dish. I used oyster sauce in this recipe, so please visit your local Chinese grocers for a vegetarian option if you want to make this 100% vegetarian. If you cannot get bodi, feel free to use string beans or french beans, but note that they may cook faster than bodi. Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce and oyster sauce if cooking this according to a gluten free diet.

Prep the yard beans by trimming off the ends, then cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Wash and drain. Dice the onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper – remember to wash your hands after handling the scotch bonnet, don’t use any seeds and only use as much as you can handle. The recipe works fine without it as well. (I grated the ginger)

Heat the oil on a medium flame, then toss in the garlic, onion and ginger… lower the heat to low and let this gently cook for about 3 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium and then go in with the trimmed bodi pieces, stir well, then add all the other ingredients (except the tomato) and add the water. Bring to a boil and cook on a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, then go in with the cashews. Stir well.

Here’s where it’s up to you to personalize the dish a bit… taste for salt and determine how tender you like your beans. If you like it really tender you may need to add a bit more water and cook for an extra 5 minutes or so. As you turn off the heat toss in the diced tomato to brighten up the overall stir-fry. The residual heat from the pan will be enough to cook the tomato enough (so it’s not melted away).

If you didn’t already know, Chinese immigrants (as contract laborers) came to the Caribbean over a century ago (between 1853 and 1879), so you’ll find many of our dishes are heavily influenced by their delicious contributions.

I do hope you give this bodi stirfry with cashews a try as the flavors and texture is simply stunning.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Grilled Spicy Mango Chicken Wings.

May 27, 2025July 27, 201412 Comments

As mentioned in the video for this recipe (see below) I had a serous craving for buffalo style chicken wings and with the mango habanero chicken wings we had a few weeks back at Buffalo Wild Wings still on my mind – I had to do my version. The actual spicy mango sauce can be used as a typical dipping sauce for fried chicken, chicken strips or for coconut shrimp as well.

You”ll Need

3 lbs chicken wings
1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus a pinch for the sauce)
2 scallions
2 cups mango puree
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon melted butter
1 table spoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Notes: If you can’t get scotch bonnet peppers, you can use Habanero pepper or use your fav hot sauce or traditional Caribbean pepper sauce. If you want you can replace the corn syrup with honey and be sure to add more scotch bonnet if you like HEAT!

Trim off the wing tips (or leave – it’s up to you) and cut the wings into pieces, wash and drain. Then season with the salt, black pepper, chopped scallion and finely chopped thyme. Mix well and let it marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.

In a sauce pan on medium heat, bring the mango nectar to a gentle simmer and go in with a pinch of salt and finely diced scotch bonnet pepper. If you cannot get scotch bonnet, Habanero pepper will give it a wicked kick with a fruity undertone. Or you can reach for bottle hot sauce or traditional Caribbean peppersauce. Let that reduce for about 8 minutes, then go in with the melted butter, corn syrup and lime juice. Cook on the gentle bubble for about 4 minutes then remove it off the heat.

Oven Method: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or if using tin foil..drizzle on some veg oil or cooking spray so the wings don’t stick. Place on the middle rack at about 375F for about 1/2 hr (depends on the size of your wings) and remember to flip them so they brown evenly. When fully cooked, toss in 3/4 of the sauce (leave back some to dip the wings in while eating) and put them back in the oven on the broil setting to caramelize (just a couple minutes).

On the grill! On a medium heated grill (about 350-375) grill as you would normally grill chicken wings. For me that was about 25-30 minutes – flipping a few times during the grilling process. Then I removed them off the grill and gave them a bath in the spicy mango sauce and back on the grill to get more flavors as the fame did it’s thing with the sugars in the sauce.

Serve warm.. top with some chopped scallion and wedges of lime or lemon and it’s always nice to have the reserved mango sauce on the side for those who like to dip their hot wings. You can double up on the sauce and store it in the fridge, so you always have a batch handy when you want to enjoy a spicy mango dipping sauce or for your next batch of Caribbean style Buffalo hot wings.

Desserts Gluten Free

How To Make Rum And Raisin Ice Cream

May 26, 2025July 22, 201430 Comments

Whenever we would have relatives come over for the classic Caribbean Sunday lunch, our dad would always dust out his old crank-ice cream pail and all US kids knew we were in for a delightful treat. I’m yet to find an ice cream which even comes close to Joe’s creamy coconut ice cream. Funny how we made ice cream with many of the tropical fruits of the Caribbean, but when it came to rum and raisin, we always went for the plastic containers at the grocery store! My weakness for rum and raisin ice cream is REAL!.. at one point I would cross the boarder into the US just to get the Häagen dazs rum and raisin which were only sold in the US!

You’ll Need…

4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup fine sugar
1/2 cup raisin soaked in rum
pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Soak the raisins in rum overnight or as in my case I had it soaking a few days in a covered container so the rum does not evaporate. If you’re in a rush you can place 1 cup of rum in a deep saucepan (high sides) with the raisin and place it on a low flame (be careful as it can be flammable). As it heats the raisins will be infused with the rum.. PLUS it will remove the raw rum from it so kids can enjoy the ice cream.

Put the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until creamy/smooth. It will go from the brilliant yellow to a very pale color.. that’s normal. At the same time place the milk and cream in a saucepan and let it warm through (almost to a gentle simmer).

Before we add the sugar/egg mixture to the pot, it’s important that we add a little of the warm milk to the bowl with the egg and whisk. Do that a couple times so the egg mixture warms up. If we added it directly to the pot we risk having scrambled eggs. Now add all the egg mixture to the pot and whisk. Go in with the pinch of salt and vanilla.

When your custard is somewhat thick … dip a spoon into it and run your finger along the back of the spoon.. it should coat the back of the spoon and leave a clean line where you passed your finger. Now it’s time to pour it into a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours. This chilling will help your ice cream maker make less work of making the actual ice cream.

You have two options.. you can add the marinated raisins into the mixture now (as I did) or you can pour the mixture into your ice cream maker (when chilled) and then add the rum infused raisins.

After the custard is properly chilled, work it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

You can serve this immediately. But I much prefer firm ice cream and not necessarily soft sever, so I usually remove it out of the maker and into a plastic container, which I then place in the freezer to firm up for an hour or two.

You can make the base of the ice cream the day before and have it chill in the fridge until you’re ready to make the ice cream. You can certainly customize this ice cream by adding chopped pineapple, cubed mango.. even play around with some spices? BTW.. you can make frozen treats with the base custard we made. Get Popsicle molds or do as our mom did.. pour into ice cube trays and freeze. We called those ‘ice blocks”!

Recipe Card

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Homemade Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Cuisine: Jamaican, Trinidadian Recipe Keys: Cold Dairy Gluten Free Sweets

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 20 mins Marinate Time 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 35 mins

Diet:

G Gluten-Free

Description

A luscious custard-style ice cream rich with rum‑soaked raisins and vanilla, a Caribbean twist on a classic favorite.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1 ¹⁄₂ cups milk
2 ¹⁄₂ cups heavy cream
³⁄₄ cup fine sugar
¹⁄₂ cup raisins (soaked in rum overnight or warmed)
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Video

Soak raisins in rum overnight, or warm with 1 cup rum over low heat until plump. Cool before use.
Whisk sugar and egg yolks until pale and creamy.
Heat milk and cream until just below simmering.
Temper yolk mixture by whisking in warm milk a little at a time, then return all to the pot. Add salt and vanilla.
Cook custard until it coats the back of a spoon.
Strain into a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.
Add custard to ice cream maker per machine instructions and churn, adding soaked raisins near the end.

+2 photos
Serve soft-serve, or transfer to a container and freeze 1–2 hours for firmer scoops.

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Desserts Drinks

Classic Caribbean Banana Punch (banana smoothie).

November 17, 2014July 18, 20147 Comments

What’s a month of grilling without a refreshing dessert in a glass? There’s no better way to start (or finish) the day on those hot summer days, than a refreshing glass of banana punch. I guess for most people outside the Caribbean this would be called a ‘shake’ or smoothie, but as with all thick fruity drinks in the Caribbean.. it’s a punch! With ripe bananas and cold milk as the base, we’ll build on that foundation with some spices, rich vanilla ice cream and if you’d like to make this ‘big people’ exclusive, you can go in with some rum!

You’ll Need…

2 ripe bananas
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon honey
3 cups cold milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Basically all you have to do is place all the ingredients in a blender and give blitz until you have a smooth (and creamy) consistency. I didn’t add any ice to this as you’d normally do with a smoothie, but you can do so if you want to impress your kids. I don’t like adding ice to the blender (or in the glass I’m serving it in) as I find that it dilutes the overall flavor of the banana punch, so I start off with very cold milk.

You can always go in with some coconut flavored rum (or any rum you like) to give this banana punch a more grown-up appeal, and it’s also an excellent way to put overripe bananas to use. If you like banana bread, you’ll love the subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg in this drink. Do serve immediately.

Are you liking the food and drinks of this year’s July Month of Grilling? Do leave your comments below and kindly share the recipes on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Special Note: This recipe is traditionally done with sweetened condensed milk and not necessarily the honey and ice cream my version adopts!

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Applewood Smoked Pineapple Chow

May 27, 2025July 14, 20142 Comments

Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way to prevent the traditionalists from becoming active with the hate comments. Yes, this not a traditional Trinbago chow recipe, however your taste-buds will be gratified from the different levels of flavor both the grilling and the apple-wood smoke adds to this classic Caribbean salad. Chow is cross between a salad and pickle, usually made using a tart fruit (like green mangoes | mango chow) and is popular in the Southern Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

1 ripe pineapple
1/2 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon shado beni (or cilantro)
1/2 lime (or lemon)
Pinch fresh black pepper

Apple wood chips for that smokiness goodness.

To learn how to peel and trim a fresh pineapple, watch this video: How to peel, trim and core a pineapple.

Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to say thanks to Chef Marc from http://www.menufortheweek.com for sharing his personal touch in making pineapple chow. In the coming months we’ll have some exciting news to share with you, as Marc and I explore a new dimension to Caribbean cooking. Please be sure to review all the ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

In this recipe we’re using a propane grill, but you can use a charcoal bbq or an indoor grill if you like. If you don’t have access to a grill, you can place the pineapple slices on a lined baking sheet and broil for a couple minutes on each side. You won’t get the rich flavor of the apple wood smoke, but you will enjoy the caramelized flavor of the cooked pineapple.

Create a pouch with a piece of sturdy tin foil with the applewood chips, wrap and poke some holes with a fork. Place it on the side of the grill area (or directly on the hot coals or flame) and cover the lid. Allow the smoke to develop before you begin grilling. There’s no need to soak the wood chips in water as we’ve done in the past as we want immediate smoke.

Peel and slice the pineapple into 1/2 inch slices. Marc didn’t core the pineapple and to be quite honest.. I much liked the texture of the core when grilled.

With your grill on a medium heat (you can oil the grates so the pineapple pieces don’t stick), place the pineapple slices over a medium heat and cover the grill immediately (you don’t want to loose that lovey smoke you created). Grill for 2 minutes, then flip to the other side and grill for another 2 minutes. The goal is to NOT over-cook the pineapple pieces, but to get grill marks, warm for the natural sweetness to come through and to infuse it with that smoke. Also grill the scotch bonnet pepper for a minute or two for a totally different flavor than using raw scotch bonnet.

Slice the onions very thin, crush or dice the garlic (very small) and chop the shado beni (chadon beni or culantro). If you cannot get shado beni double up on cilantro. Remove the roasted scotch bonnet off the grill, deseed and chop finely. The grilled pineapple should be cut into bite sized pieces (like little pizza slices).

It’s now time to assemble everything. Place everything (except the lime juice) into a large bowl and give it a good mix, now top with the lime (or lemon) juice and give it a final spin – taste for salt and adjust. Try to use fresh ground black pepper!

You can serve this up immediately, but Marc recommends that you have it chill in the fridge for about an hour or so to allow the flavors to develop and marry together. I quite agree as I had it the next day with by eggs at breakfast and it was stunning!

I do hope you give this recipe a try and for you traditionalists, be prepared for a whole new take on the beloved Trini chow.

Again… special thanks to Chef Marc for his wicked Applewood Smoked Pineapple Chow recipe.

Recipe Card

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Applewood Smoked Pineapple Chow

Cuisine: Fusion Recipe Keys: Dairy Free Gluten Free Spicy

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 5 mins Total Time 15 mins

Servings: 4

Diet:

G Gluten-Free

Description

A Caribbean twist on classic Trini chow with grilled pineapple, applewood smoke, and roasted Scotch Bonnet pepper.

Ingredients

1 pineapple (ripe)
¹⁄₂ red onion
2 cloves garlic
¹⁄₄ teaspoon sea salt
¹⁄₄ Scotch Bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon shado beni (or cilantro)
¹⁄₂ lime (or lemon)
1 pinch Black pepper
1 handful apple wood chips

Instructions

Create a pouch with a piece of sturdy tin foil with a handful of apple wood chips, wrap and poke some holes with a fork. Place it on the side of the grill area (or directly on the hot coals or flame) and cover the lid.
Peel and slice the Pineapple (1) into 1/2 inch slices.
With your grill on medium heat, place the pineapple slices over a medium heat and cover the grill immediately (you don’t want to loose that lovely smoke you created). Put Scotch Bonnet Pepper (1/4) on the grill as well.
Grill for 2 minutes, then flip and grill for another 2 minutes.
Slice the Red Onion (1/2) very thin, dice the Garlic (2 clove) very finely. Chop the Fresh Cilantro (2 tablespoon).
Remove the roasted Scotch Bonnet off the grill, deseed and chop finely. Then slice the grilled pineapple into bite sized pieces (like little pizza slices).
Assemble everything and place everything into a large bowl and mix well. Drizzle with juice from the Lime (1/2). Season with Sea Salt (1/4 teaspoon) and Ground Black Pepper (1 pinch), then stir.
Serve immediately, or let chill in the fridge for an hour, which would allow the flavors to develop and settle together.