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guyana curry

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Gluten Free Vegetarian

Delightful Curry Tomato.

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Not necessarily a dish you’d find commonplace in the Caribbean and as I’ve explained in the video below, my take on this was born out of necessity (in my home). A combination of having pieces of tomatoes from the Preparing 25lbs of Tomato For the Winter post, and times when I have an abundance of tomatoes from garden. Vegan, Vegetarian, Ital and Gluten free, while not sacrificing taste.

You’ll Need…

3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 medium onion (large chunks)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 green peppers (watch the video)
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups tomato puree
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (adjust)
5 medium tomato in chunks
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 tablespoon ground masala
3 tablespoon water
10 cherry tomato
1/2 cup chopped chives

  • Notes! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements. Especially the curry powder you use as some commercial ones may contain fillers. I didn’t add any overly spicy peppers (scotch Bonnet), but you’re free to add if you want the finished curry to have a pronounced kick. Refer to the video below where I explain why I used 3 different types of tomato in the dish.

Heat the oil (you may use any oil you prefer) on a medium flame in a deep pot (I used a glazed clay pot I purchased at a Hispanic store at the Hamilton Farmer’s Market), then add the mustard seeds, followed by the garlic, onion and green peppers two minutes later. Top with the black pepper, crush the bay leaf (add) and turn the heat down to low. Gently cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the curry powder and give it a good stir. Continue cooking on a low heat as we don’t want to burn the garlic nor the curry. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn the heat to medium and add the tomato puree. Basically I placed chunks of tomato into my bullet blender and created the puree – you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water.

Add the salt and cook on a medium flame to help the liquid in the tomato burn off. It will take about 8-10 minutes. Do remember to stir every few minutes. You’ll see the oil we started with start rise to the surface.

The base will be thick and chunky from the big pieces of onion and peppers. Add the chunks of tomato at this point, followed by the turmeric, cinnamon and ground masala. Should you want to add a teaspoon of brown sugar (if your tomatoes are tart) do so and toss in the 3 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Cook for 4-5 minutes on that simmer (don’t over-stir as we want to maintain some texture from the chunky pieces of tomato), then adjust the salt to your liking (taste). It’s now time to add the cherry tomatoes and chives. Yes, you may add chopped Shado Beni (culantro) or Culantro (coriander), but as explained in the video, I prefer chives as I want that finishing garlic/onion flavor note on my tastebuds.

Turn off the heat and allow the residual heat from this clay pot to soften the cherry tomatoes. You may cook for an extra minute or two should you wish.

A delightful vegan curry, with wonderful flavors and interesting textures from using tomato three ways. TIP! Instead of using water as I did, you may use coconut milk for a wonderful sweet and creamy undertone.

curry chicken ready to serve
Meat & Poultry

Curry Chicken With Potato And Spinach.

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Curry Chicken With Potato And Spinach is a HIT in my home, especially when we have buss-up-shut (paratha) roti to dip into that rich flavorful gravy and scoop tender pieces of chicken with pieces of potato, in the same motion.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs chicken (legs with back) cut into pieces
3 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon Cumin (geera) seeds
1 teaspoon Anchar Masala
3/4 tablespoonsalt (adjust)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 Scotch Bonnet Peppers (chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/2 cup water for cooking out the curry
4 large Potato (cut into 1/4 s)
2 cups water to cook the chicken
1/4 lb Baby Spinach (rough chopped)

Note : Please follow along with the video below as I share tips and give reasoning why my technique may differ from other recipes you may encounter. I used an entire Scotch Bonnet pepper in this recipe, but it’s optional or use as much as you can handle. Do remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such fiery peppers.

Before we get started with the curry element of the dish, may I suggest you peel, chop and boil your potatoes in salted water (about 1/2 teaspoon salt – not mentioned in the list above).

All you have to do is bring the potato to a boil, reduce to a rolling boil and cook until they are about 80% cooked. About 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a wide pan on a medium flame, add the olive oil followed by the diced onion. Take the heat down to low, then add the garlic, cumin seeds, black pepper and scotch bonnet pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.

Now add the Caribbean Green Seasoning and stir well to combine and flavor the entire pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the curry powder.

After 3 minutes, add 1/4 cup water and scrape the pan to release any bits stuck to the bottom. Cook for 3-4 minutes to cook out the ‘rawness’ of the curry. (explained in the video below). Be sure to add the Anchar Masala at this point as well. Should you not have Anchar Masala, add the same amount of ground dry roasted cumin instead.

Turn up the heat to medium high to burn off any liquid in the pot (see the image above, I can scrape separation in the pan) , then add your chicken pieces to the pot and stir well to coat with the delightful curry base we created. Add the salt at this point.

Allow it to cook on medium heat for 3 minutes, then add the pre-boiled potatoes and washed baby spinach to the pot. Top with the 2 cups of water and turn the heat up to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a rolling boil and cook for 10 minutes.

Since we pre boiled the potatoes (I explained why in the video below) we only need to worry about making sure the chicken pieces are fully cooked. In my case my chicken pieces were relatively small, so it was time to wrap up this dish.

Taste and adjust the salt and make sure the gravy’s consistency is to your liking. Do remember it will further thicken as it cools, but should it be overly runny, crank up the heat for a few minutes to burn off some of that liquid.

While we prefer Roti as a side to the wonderful curry… served with steaming rice is also another tasty option. Or do like my eldest daughter and have fun treating it like a thick soup.. drizzled with peppersauce on the top and she’s in her little culinary delight world.

Meat & Poultry

Incredible Curry Beef With Potato.

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Curry Beef With Potato! Can Caribbean food get any better? Fork tender pieces of beef, potatoes falling apart to form a rich and thick gravy, the overall flavors of curry, herbs and the gentle kick of Caribbean Sunshine (scotch bonnet). Need I say more?

You’ll Need…

3 lbs stewing beef (cubed)
1/2 lemon (juice)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Amchar Massala
1 tablespoon olive oil (for seasoning the beef)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced thin)
2 tablespoon veg or olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
6-8 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup water
6 medium potatoes (cut into 1/4’s)
3 cups water
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

NOTE! I used boneless beef, but pieces with bones will give you a better flavor to the dish. With that in mind I added some oil to the beef when I seasoned it, to compensate for the lack of fat. Additionally (important) If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the complete list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler. Use as much (or none) Scotch Bonnet as you like.

Cut the beef into 1-1.5 inch pieces and wash with lemon juice and cool water. Drain dry and season with the salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scotch bonnet, olive oil (1 tablespoon), tomato and Amchar Masala. Stir well and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you can’t source Amchar Masala, use roasted ground cumin.

Heat your pot (something heavy works best IMHO) on a medium flame, go in with the 2 tablespoon veg (or olive) oil, turn the heat down to low and add the onion and garlic. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes. As it cooks, add the curry powder to the 1/4 cup of water and stir to form a slurry (set aside).

Add the curry slurry to the pot (heat on medium now) and stir. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to cook off the rawness of the curry and to bloom the spices which makes up a good curry powder. It will go dark and start to clump.

Turn the heat to medium / high now and start adding the seasoned beef to the pot. Stir to coat and pick up the curry base we created. Yes, you can add the marinade to the pot too. In the same bowl you marinated the beef, add the water and stir (set aside for later).

Place a lid on the pot (once it comes to a boil), heat down to low and cook for about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the lid, crank the heat up to high to burn off all the liquid it would have sprouted naturally. It may take up to 5 -7 minutes to get back to the oil we started off with (at the bottom of the pan).

Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Then add the water we had reserved in the bowl. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, lid on and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Taste for salt and adjust and get the gravy to the consistency you like (cook longer if it’s too thin). If the beef is not tender, you may need to cook on low for 30 minutes more. Add more water if necessary. Toss in the cilantro as you turn off the heat.

This curry beef with potato is an excellent way to put cheaper cuts of beef to use. Adding the potatoes is a means of stretching this dish to feed more people… something mom would do when we were kids and she had to feed the entire family.