Much like the tomatoes choka dish
that I made last time, baigan choka is made with eggplant that is
roasted either over an open flame, or in the oven. If you are eggplant
lover, this dish is a must for you. It is a similar dish to baba ghanoush, in that they are both roasted
eggplant dishes, however the way they are seasoned is where the
similarity stops. Whereas with baba ghanoush one would use tahini
paste and parsley for its beautiful, distinct flavours, our Caribbean
dish uses hot oil, peppers and onions to give it its wonderfully unique
flavours.
Recipe 1 large eggplant
1 clove of garlic(peeled)
1 small onion (peeled)
2 tablespoons canola oil
hot pepper to taste
salt to taste.
Method You can either roast your eggplant on a (gas) stove top or in the
oven. Firstly however, you are going to make a slit in your eggplant and
place your clove of garlic snugly inside it, so that the garlic is no
longer visible.
Stove Top Method
1. Cut a piece of foil, (roughly 14 inches), fold it in half and place it on your stove top. 2. Place the eggplant on it and turn your stove on the highest setting. 3. Starting at one end, let the eggplant roast for about 5 minutes
before shifting the eggplant ever so slightly to the next uncooked part.
Be careful not to burn yourself. You may want to turn the stove off
during shifting. 4. Repeat the process for each uncooked part until the entire side is cooked. 5. CAREFULLY flip the eggplant over, so that the other side can
be roasted as well, using the same technique as described above.
Oven Method
1. Set your oven to broil – 500 degrees fahrenheit. 2. Place the eggplant on a roasting tray. 3. Place the tray in the oven. 4. Broil until the eggplant is tender. 5. Remove from the oven and turn the eggplant over. 6. Place the tray back into the oven and continue broiling until the
entire eggplant is tender/fully cooked. You can use a fork to test this.
Now that your eggplant is roasted:
1. Cut the eggplant open, scoop out all of the flesh and the garlic and discard the skin. 2. Add salt to taste and set aside. 3. Using a fork, mash the eggplant and the garlic together and set aside. 4. Thinly slice the onion and hot pepper. 5. In a pan, place the onion, pepper and oil. 6. Turn your stove on a low heat setting and place the pan over the it. 7. Cook until the onions are translucent and have lost their harsh bite. 8. Add all of the contents of the pan, including the oil, carefully to the eggplant, while it is still hot. 9. Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!
Cook
the rice following pack instructions. Meanwhile, season the salmon and
steam over a pan of simmering water for 8 mins or until just cooked.
Keep the pan of water on the heat, add the eggs and boil for 6 mins,
then run under cold water.
Heat
the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the onion and cook for 5
mins. Throw in the kale and cook, stirring, for 5 mins. Add the garlic,
curry powder, turmeric and rice, season and stir until heated through.
Peel
and quarter the eggs. Flake the salmon and gently fold through the
rice, then divide between plates and top with the eggs. Sprinkle over
the lemon zest and squeeze over a little juice before serving.
Heat
the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook for 5 mins. Add the garlic and
beef, turn up the heat and cook until the meat is browned. Add the
potato, half the turmeric, the purée and thyme, plus 200ml water. Cover
and simmer for 15 mins, then remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more.
Add the hot pepper sauce and leave to cool.
Heat
oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a
£1 coin. Cut out 6 x 15cm circles, using a small plate as a guide.
Divide the mince between the circles, piling it up on one side. Mix the
egg with the remaining turmeric, brush around the edge of each circle,
then fold over and use a fork to seal the edges. Arrange on a baking
tray lined with baking parchment, brush with a little more egg and bake
for 20-25 mins. Serve with a green salad.
Trinidadian Corn Soup! Corn soup is a hearty soup, beloved by the locals and sought after by
those who come to visit our twin islands. This triple threat is
filling, good for you and tastes amazing too! Confession time! I had not made this soup for a long, long time prior
to this, so I basically tossed the ingredients together without
measuring a thing. While I had a pretty good average of most of the
ingredients, the measurement of water for this dish escapes me. I did my
best to put in an average amount for you, so please bear with me.
Thanks much! Xoxo! Ingredients For the soup
3/4 cup split peas/dhal
1 medium carrot peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 ears of corn on the cob sliced into 2 inch pieces
3/4 cup whole kernel corn
1 medium onion diced
1 stalk celery – diced (This is the kind that you get with your buffalo wings.)
3 pimiento peppers – diced
3/4 cup pumpkin – diced
1 whole garlic clove
3 cloves garlic – grated
1 teaspoon ginger – grated
1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon bouillon powder
1 tablespoon chadon beni or cilantro- finely chopped
1 tablespoon chives – finely chopped
3 sprigs of thyme
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
10 cups water (approximately)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
For the dumplings
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup water
Method
In a separate pot, add 3 cups of water, split peas, turmeric, a teaspoon of salt and one clove of garlic and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and boil the split peas on medium heat for roughly 40 minutes or so, adding more water if necessary.
After your split peas has been cooking for 35 minutes, in another pot, on low heat, add 1 tablespoon canola oil, 3 tablespoons garlic, 1 teaspoon of ginger and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the onions and sauté for an additional minute.
Add the carrots, pumpkin, pimientos, whole kernel corn, celery, chadon beni, chives and thyme and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add the pre-boiled split peas.
Add the 6 cups of water, bouillon powder, and coconut milk.
Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low once it comes to a boil, and allow the ingredients to simmer.
After about 25 minutes, add the sliced corn on the cob and allow the
soup to simmer for about 20 more minutes. Add more water if necessary.
In the meantime, mix together your dumpling mixture to form a soft
dough by combining the water, baking powder, flour and corn meal. Set
aside.
Fish out the corn cobs and the thyme sprigs after the 20 minutes of cooking. Set the corn aside and discard the thyme.
Blend the remaining liquid and ingredients with an immersion blender until you have achieved a puree.
Using a spoon, drop 1 inch pieces of the dumpling mixture into the soup.
I am stupid, really stupid. I bought a rubbish recipe book - £6 for 42 pages!
So what I am going to do is post 42 recipes this evening - and you can then have your own recipe book! FREE! You can make crab noodle salad if you wish!
But there will be plenty of other recipes - and the method!
If yuh can't be bothered to go through my blog then visit this site where there are plenty of recipes!
Now I have done SIX recipes maybe I should tell you all where to eat!
Lobster
Don't miss the opportunity to taste some freshly caught and
reasonably priced lobster while on the island. An ideal spot is The
Watermill, which reopened in May this year under the management of
Santos Dillon, who previously ran Dillon's Seafood Restaurant. The food
is elegantly presented, with a diverse menu that reflects co-owner and
chef Kevin Pariag's training in the UK. Be sure to try the grilled
lobster tail, but save room for guava cheesecake or creme brulée for
dessert. •Where: The Watermill restaurant, Shirvan Road, (+1868 639 0000)
Doubles
A perfect snack or savoury breakfast, doubles are "chana" (curried
chickpeas) sandwiched between two "bara" (lightly fried bread). They may
include a spoonful of cucumber, mango or tamarind sauce – and ask for
slight pepper. •Where:
look out in the morning for vendors who set up outside Penny Savers in
Carnbee on the Auchenskeoch-Buccoo Bay Road; Crown Point airport;
Lowlands Mall and Scarborough
Creole lunch
Store Bay is an ideal spot to taste traditional Creole dishes. Here
you'll find stewed pigeon peas, macaroni pie, pelau (a one-pot rice
dish), callaloo (dasheen bush, which is similar to spinach, with okra
and coconut), oxtail, cowheel soup, stewed chicken, pork or beef, and a
variety of "provision" – starchy crops such as plantain or cassav
Chow
This is fresh fruit with a twist: chopped pineapple, mango or pomme
cythere is marinated in lime juice, pepper, garlic and chadon beni (also
known as Mexican coriander). Buy and eat it on the beach. Chow can be
addictive and it may be hard to resist the temptation to spice up
seemingly boring fruit when you return home. •Where: roadside stalls and beach vendors, in particular Peggy's at Store Bay
Coconut water
Forget images of William Hague sipping out of a coconut with a straw
at Notting Hill Carnival or the latest trend at your yoga centre, the
best way to enjoy coconut water is unflavoured and ice cold. At one of
the many coconut stalls, get a plastic bottle (it's cheapest if you
bring your own) filled from fresh coconuts while you wait and put it in
the fridge for a refreshing drink. Even better, order it in a bar as a
mixer for rum or whisky, with plenty of ice.
•Where: look out for coconuts piled high on stalls by the side of the road and a vendor with a cutlass
Barbecued pigtail
Like chicken-foot curry and souse (marinated trotters), pigtail is
part of the tradition of not wasting any part of the animal and turning
cheap cuts into delicious meals. Put the image of a curly tail out of
your mind and enjoy it grilled, served with barbecue sauce and rice. •Where:
there may not be much else for tourists in Hope, but this village has
the best barbecue pigtail on the island, particularly D'Coals Spot
restaurant, Windward Road (+1868 736 6918)
Curried crab and dumplings
This is Tobago's signature dish – when Trinidadians mention their
sister isle, they'll talk about the quiet life, the relaxed beaches, and
argue about where to get the best crab 'n' dumplin'. Try any of the
kiosks at Store Bay beach. Locals have their favourite, but, at busy
lunchtimes, it may be a case of picking the stall with the biggest queue
– or the one with food left – from Miss Esmies, Sylvia's, Alma's, Miss
Joycie's, Miss Trim's or Miss Jean's. If you're there in the morning,
try bake and shark, or bake and buljol (shredded saltfish and vegetable
salad) for breakfast, and watch the beach spring into life.
•Where: Store Bay beach
Burgers
For the best burgers on the island, head east to Kings Bay Cafe, on
Kings Bay, a roadside eatery that offers a spectacular view. Try the
freshly grilled tuna-steak burger or homemade beef burger with chips and
coleslaw. If you have room, wash it down with a cup of coffee and a
chocolate brownie. •Where: Kings Bay Cafe, Delaford/King's Bay (+1868 771 2716, closed Wednesday and Thursday)
Gyros
The first Syrian-Lebanese immigrants to Trinidad and Tobago arrived
at the turn of the 20th century, but businessman Mouner Nassar proudly
told me he was the first person to bring gyros – meat roasted on a
vertical spit – to Tobago, in 2006. Spit-roasted meat served in a wrap
is now a staple on the islands, as recent years have seen more Middle
Eastern restaurants and takeaways springing up around Tobago. Try a lamb
gyros, or a shrimp kebab with salad and (very) garlicky potatoes from
Andre's Gyros, Pigeon Point – and wash that down with a Carib beer from
Illusions bar next door. •Where: Andre's Gyros Arabian Restaurant & Bar, Milford Road, Pigeon Point
Roti
Roti,
an east Indian dish meaning "bread", is a national staple. While you
might find sada (normally served for breakfast) or paratha (also known
as "buss up shut"), you're most likely to be served dhalpuri if you ask
for a roti in Tobago. This roti has a thin layer of ground split peas
and is normally served in a wrap to mop up curried goat, chicken or
vegetables. Head to the fishing village of Charlotteville in northern
Tobago, where Jabba's bar on the waterfront serves the roti with curried
pumpkin. Watch the man-o'-war birds that gave the bay here its name
circling and swooping for fish while you eat. Customers will also be
supporting the owner's one-man legal battle to save the soul of the
village. The rest of the vendors, save Irwin "Jabba" Hercules – many of
whom had been there since the 60s – have been evicted to make way for a
controversial project to build a huge glass-and-steel mall on the
beachfront. •Where: Jabba's bar, Charlotteville beachfront
