New Year, New Approach

Alright everybody, I have been continuing with my mission to preserve the cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago in my own little way. I have come up with a way to approach this, that is different compared to the normal, post a recipe and pictures thing. I figured, why not actually record myself demonstrating the recipes so the viewer can have a visual reference to refer back to when they hit a road block?! So anyways, here is the first video recipe focusing specifically on trinidadian food. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think.

Update for 2009(Enlightenment)

Alright, as you may have noticed, I've been pretty M.I.A. on this blog or have posted some things/recipes that weren't so "trini." Well, the goal for 2009, is to get back to the roots, my roots and tackle some topics and recipes that are 100% TRINI. Stay tuned cuz I am in the process of mastering some recipes to post. They will hopefully include:

Stew Chicken
Curry Chicken
Callaloo
Macaroni Pie
Pholouri(I been at this one for a minute,lol)
Dhal
Doubles
Pepper Sauce,etc.....

New Year's(Part Deux)

Here's the pics from the night of...More partyin' and more grubbin'! This time we hit up Ocha, which has some bomb azz thai food, so if you in vegas, you need to check them out. To Be Continued.....

Some More Pics(New Year's)

These were from the Rock House endeavor earlier today.

Happy New Year!!!

So it's officially the year 2009 and it also means, I'm about to be a year older. So since 2008 was not the best year for me, I figured I would go back home to ring in the new year and start fresh for once. So I got off work and hit the road in route to vegas. I arrived in vegas around 9:00pm and began my night by visiting some old friends that I haven't seen since we were kids back in 1994! After that concluded, I in turn met up with some of my current homies and went to a new years eve house party(If you haven't attended a vegas house party then you ain't knowin for real!). I concluded my night around 5:45am.

Next,I went to sleep and 3 hours later I'm back up and makin the necessary calls to see what's on the agenda for the day. After all the calls were made, my boy steve and I decided to go have our first meal of 2009 in style, so we headed out to chinatown(yes, vegas has a china town). We landed at Cafe Noodle & Chinese Barbeque. Our order consisted of chinese broccoli with a garlic-wine sauce, Chicken & Salted Fish fried rice, a WHOLE Peking Duck and Barbeque duck, Wonton & Egg noodle soup with 2 large thai iced teas! It was definitely a proper invite for 2009! LAstly, we went to see my boy June who was working a double at The RockHouse Bar(He bartends) and that fool was already trying to get me faded with a "Katrina(Category Five: meaning it had at least 5 types of rum in the mix)"Now we went back to crash out in preperation for tonight's endeavors...Part Two coming soon..

Trini-Style Split Pea Soup...

Well, I have to clear up something here first. This version is not 100% trini-style split pea soup but it is indeed, TASTY!!! Hahaha, anyways, with that aired out let's get started.

I remember the first time my mom made split pea soup for us and how I swore I would hate it just due to the name "pea" being included in it's title alone. Man, was I about to be proven very wrong. So I took that first bite of that warm, silky, yellow-colored soup and I was blown away as to how damn good it was...I must have devoured that first bowl within 5 minutes flat, hahahaha!!!!! And it didn't stop there, my mom made dumplings that she put in the soup, they were dense yet slightly chewy(in a good way) with a hint of sweetness that balanced out the entire thing. I love those dumplings sooo much that I used to fish them out of the pot and try to add as many to my bowl as I could. I had just met my newest culinary addiction and loved every second of it.

Split Pea Soup(Rough Draft):
4 strips bacon, minced
1 medium onion, diced(about 1 1/4 cups)
1 carrot,diced(about 1/3 cup)
1 celery stalk,diced(about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chives, minced
8 cups chicken broth
2 yellow or white potatoes
1 lb. split peas yellow(about 3 cups,you can substitute with green or lentils)
1 smoked ham hock( or salt pig tail)
6-8 ears of corn, cut in half
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


(Basic pureed soup method)
Cook the aromatic vegetables in the rendered fat.
Add the liquid and long cooking ingredients; bring to a simmer.
Add additional ingredients at the appropriate time and simmer until all ingredients are very tender.
Puree the soup and adjust the consistency and seasoning.

Method:
cook bacon on medium-high until fat is rendered and bacon is cooked through. Next, add the carrot, celery, chives and onion to the bacon fat and cook on medium-low until the onion is translucent. Now add the split peas and if using, smoked ham hock. Bring to a boil, stir to incorporate then drop to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until peas are softened(about 1 1/2 to 2 hours).When ham hock is finished cooking, remove and dice meat. Strain the other solids through sieve, reserving the liquid. Puree the solids, return to pot with enough of the reserved liquid to achieve a thick but smooth consistency. Blend well. Garnish with minced chives(if you have any left over).

*Note: If you wish to give the soup more body but without the potatoes, take a can of corn and pour the entire thing(water and all)into a bowl and puree with an immersion blender or alternately, use a blender or food processor. Once pureed add to the soup.


Dumplings:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp sugar
3/4 to 1 cup of ice cold water

Method:
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Slowly add all water and knead to a stiff dough. Divide dumpling dough
into two pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 12 inches long. Cut into two-inch lengths and drop into boiling soup or pot of boiling water. boil for 4 minutes. Serves six to eight.


Total yield:
8 servings.

Canele de Bordeaux

This has to be one of my all-time favorite things to consume alongside a parisian macaroon. The jewel I speak of is a canele'...My first experience with this exquisite pastry was when I was working at Osterio del Circo/Le Cirque at The Bellagio in vegas. i have been on a quest to find a proper recipe and I may have found one.

The canelé de Bordeaux (a.k.a cannelé bordelais) is a magical bakery confection, a cake with a rich custardy interior enclosed by a thin caramelized shell. It's a brilliant construction developed long ago by an anonymous Bordeaux cook, whose innovation has been subjected to 300 years of refinements.

Nearly black at first sight, bittersweet at first bite, the crunchy burnt sugar canelé-shell makes an exquisite complement to its smooth, sweet filling, fragrant with vanilla and rum.

Small enough to eat out of hand, these little cakes have recently gained cachet after years of neglect to the extent that they may one day rival the popularity of crème brûlée in the category of caramelized French sweets.

Many recipes don't carry a tale; the canelé carries many. One of the oldest refers to a convent in Bordeaux, where, before the French Revolution, the nuns prepared cakes called canalize made with donated egg yolks from local winemakers, who used only the whites to clarify their wines. Any records that might verify this were lost in the turbulent revolution, thus relegating the convent story to legend.

But the alternative tale may be even better: residents of Bordeaux, who lived along the docks, gleaned spilled low-protein flour from the loading areas, then used it to make sweets for poor children. The small canelé molds, fluted and made of copper or brass, were nestled in embers to be baked.

Whatever the actual derivation, the popularity of canelés has risen and fallen numerous time over the years. Twenty five years ago, when I first started working in Bordeaux, I never heard of these little cakes. No local guide or notable cookbook published since the start of the 20th century even mentioned them. Later, I heard that a few Bordeaux bakers were working to revive their local specialty.

Soon, the little cakes, described by a local culinary historian as shaped like "a Doric column without a base," began cropping up in all sizes and flavorings throughout France. In 1985, stunned by this surge in popularity, 88 Bordeaux patissiers formed a confrérie, or brotherhood, to protect the integrity of their canelés. They staged a "linguistic coup d'etat" by removing one of the n's from the old spelling (cannelé) to differentiate their cake, with its secret method of preparation, from bastardized versions. Today, canelé de Bordeaux is the official cake of the city, while cannelé bordelais is a generic name used in Paris, New York City, Osaka, Los Angeles, etc.

"Our canelé de Bordeaux had to be protected and promoted as our own," says Daniel Antoine, a jolly, stocky patissier who operates patisserie Antoine in Bordeaux. "Recently, chocolate and orange cannelés have appeared," he tells me. "We don't want them confused with the real thing."

The official recipe, he told me, has been written down and locked in his vault. All 88 patissiers have sworn to protect its secrets. This much is known: the general recipe calls for a cold batter to be poured into an ice-cold fluted, tin-lined copper mold, then placed in a very hot oven and baked for a very long time. After baking, the canelés are firmly tapped out onto a grill while still hot, then left to cool while their exteriors harden. They're at their most glorious one hour out of the oven; within five or six hours they begin to turn spongy. patissiers have all sorts of tricks to revive them, ranging from putting them back in a hot oven for a few minutes, to flaming them with quality rum to crisp the shells. I believe they're so delicious that they're worth the expense of buying the special copper molds. (See below in recipe notes.) Silicone-coated Gastroflex molds are also available although I don't think they produce as good a result. On the other hand, the Cannele Silicon Flex 2.2" x 1.9"Ý mold available at Bridge's Kitchenware.com is a decent substitute for the copper molds. I brush the insides with a thin coating of "white oil" before using.

"The canelé is an artisanal product, so sometimes it doesn't come out perfectly," Antoine says. When I tell him that my canelés sometimes have pale yellow spots on their tops, he replies, "Oh, sure, I know that problem well. It's due to the puddling of oil in the crevices of the molds. When they come out that way, we say they have 'a white ass'!"

Antoine then compliments me on having figured out one of the major secrets, the special method of combining flour and butter. I had based my findings on a letter I received from him several years back. He smiles as I tell him how I finally succeeded in making delicious canelés with a custardy center. "Yes, I see you understand," he says unbegrudgingly.

Many patissiers line their molds with a film of "white oil" containing beeswax, a messy and highly flammable substance that may deter home cooks. In my opinion, this step is helpful if you want to successfully make canelés (see Cooking Notes below on an easy handling of beeswax).

To fully understand the fabulous quality of a true canelé de Bordeaux, eat it out of hand as a snack, with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.


Yield 10 - 11 canelés

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

3/4 cup cake flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons baker's sugar
4 extra-large egg yolks

1 Tbsp. dark rum

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

"white oil"
(see Cooking Notes)



1. Rinse a saucepan with cold water; add the milk; set over low heat; heat to 183 degrees F

2. Place butter, flour, and salt in the bowl of a processor; pulse until combined. Scatter sugar on top; pulse once or twice to mix.

3. Add egg yolks; process until mixture begins to tighten.

4. With the motor running, quickly and steadily pour hot milk into batter; stop motor; strain through very fine sieve into clean container; press any congealed yolk through; stir in rum and vanilla extract; cool to room temperature; cover; refrigerate 24 to 48 hours.

5. About 6 to 7 hours before serving, lightly brush the interior of each copper mold with lightly warmed white oil; set on paper towels crown side up to avoid pooling of oil in crevices; set molds in the freezer at least 30 minutes before baking.

6. Heat oven to 400 degrees F; SEE STEP 8 IF USING A CONVECTION OVEN.

7. Place chilled molds 1 1/2" apart on baking sheet; gently stir or shake batter; fill each mold almost to the top; place on lower oven rack; bake 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until canelés are deep, deep brown in color, or if desired, almost black.

8. If using a convection oven, bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour, 15 minutes for deep, deep brown canelés.

9. Remove the molds from the oven. Unmold as quickly as possible. To unmold, use an oven mitt to grasp a hot mold; firmly rap the crown side against a hard surface to loosen the canelé; tip out onto a rack; cool to room temperature before serving (about 1 hour); repeat procedure with other canelés while they're still hot (if any canelés resist, bake 5 to 10 minutes longer; OR if necessary, use a toothpick to loosen).

Notes:

Canelés de Bordeaux is the "politically correct" name for this recipe. Additions or alterations to the recipe will run afoul of the "canelés gendarmes," transforming the baked product into cannelés Bordelais.

To season new molds: heat oven to 350 degrees F; wash the molds in soapy water; rinse; dry thoroughly; heavily grease the interiors with vegetable shortening or oil; place on sheet tray; place in oven 1 hour; remove from oven; place upside down on a rack; return to oven; heat 15 minutes; turn off heat; leave in the oven until room temperature.

After baking, don't wash or scrub the interiors of the molds. To remove baked debris: place the molds in a moderate oven; heat until debris burns; remove debris with paper toweling.

Store lightly oiled molds in a cool covered place.

To make "white oil": Place 1 ounce round of bee's wax in a 1 pint glass measuring cup; melt in a microwave; while still warm, gradually stir in enough safflower oil to make a whitened mixture, light enough to coat the back of a spoon); cool to room temperature; store in the glass container at room temperature.

To coat pre-seasoned canelé molds with "white oil": use dabs of warmed oil to coat the interior and shake out excess.

Canelé batter can be frozen up to two weeks; defrost in refrigerator.

Canelés turn spongy and heavy after 5 to 6 hours. To refresh: heat (without molds) in 450 degrees F oven 5 minutes; remove from oven; let cool until exteriors hardens.

Leftover baked canelés can be frozen up to 1 month; to freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap; to serve, remove from the freezer; while still frozen, bake unwrapped in 500 degrees F 5 minutes; remove from oven; let rest 30 minutes; bake 5 minutes; remove from oven; cool until exteriors harden.

Canele Molds: The copper, tin-lined molds can be ordered from J.B. Prince (800/473-0577; jbprince.com), which carries three sizes (1 1/2" round by 1" high, 1 oz. capacity; 1 1/2" round by 1 1/2" high, 1 1/2 oz. capacity; 2 1/4" round by 2 " high, 3 oz. capacity), or from the Parisian culinary equipment store Culinarion (011-33-141-90-09-11; culinarion.com). Culinarion carries only one size, the three-ounce capacity mold, because it is the only one that is "politically correct."

Beeswax can be ordered from J&N Sales (765/459-4589 ; jandnsales.com.)

Note: You can substitute Nordic Ware's mini-bundt molds available at cooking.com. You will not need to use the "white oil."

From The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook
©2001-2003 Paula Wolfert, All Rights Reserved

Still compiling....

In between caring for my kids and working, I have still been on a quest to compile family recipes. I will not stop until this is completed...I am also hunting down and mastering sonoran styled/southwest mexican food while I'm still out here, 'til then stay tuned.....

Govind Armstrong: A Chef I Respect

Along with Marcus Samuelsson, Chef Armstrong is the man!!

Table 8 Restaurant in Los Angeles with chef Govind Armstrong



Govind Armstrong interviewed by John Gabaldon

Compiling/Creating/Adapting

I am in the process of Compiling/Creating/Adapting family recipes in order to preserve them for future generations of my family. I have tried to convince my mom for a few years now but I finally decided to take matters into my own hands in order to accomplish this task. You see my mom wasn't against the idea but she isn't one for stopping along the way to compose a recipe. She is one who improvises her dishes on the spot. So you could just imagine how it was when I would stop her during cooking in order to figure out the measurements used for a particular dish. HAHAHA, she could have strangled me for that!!!

My next conquest is to compile our family recipe for pelau and my grandmother's calalloo.

Diggin' through the archives(To all the people who have posted comments)

First off, my bad, I am still kinda new to the bloggin' ting and I just spotted all the comments today...lol, I been under a rock I guess. Anyways, My bad and I appreciate the comments and I will do my best to respond in the future. Now, as for the sorrel from my original post, I wish I could find sorrel that fresh in july but i found that flick online y'all. I hope y'all like the recipe I posted and if ya have additional ideas, holla at me. Until then.....

Jevon

Sorrel(My Favorite Drink, continued...)

So, I finally got around to making some sorrel. Well, mom gave me a refresher course on the fine art of sorrel brewing. Sorrel is actually a member of the hibiscus family, and it is used in red zinger tea by a well known tea company as well. So technically, sorrel can be classified as a "tea." I can't express how much I love sorrel but let's just say, I usually can't wait until christmas before I have to get my sorrel "fix." I mean, how can one resist the tempting siren's call of that familiar crimson nectar that most trini's consume during christmas time?!? I for one cannot...as a matter of fact, as I type this, I have a nice cold glass within arms length, LOL! Anyways, I am posting the recipe for my mom's sorrel for you guys to try your hand at. You will first need to brew what I call the concentrate. Once you have made that, you can dilute with additional water in order to cut down on some of the sweetness(before doing so, see my side note below). Enjoy.

Note:

If the sorrel, you end up with is a bit on the sweet side, that is ok. because the reason we brew it a bit sweet is because the ice you put in the glass will weaken it's potency significantly. Another thing to keep in mind is, the longer you let your freshly brewed sorrel sit, the more potent it will become. in other words, the flavor's will be much more pronounced. It is a two-part process(but a simple one, so don't be alarmed y'all).

.::Part one::.


Sorrel Concentrate:

• 8 qts. water
• 4 1/2 oz. Sorrel, dried
• 2 tbs. cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks(if long) or 8 cinnamon sticks(if shorter)

.::Part Two::.


Additional Flavorings(when preparing to serve):

• 1 tsp. Angostura Bitters
• 2 cups. Sugar

Method of preparation:

1. Strain off sorrel, cloves and cinnamon sticks until you are left with approximately 8 cups of sorrel "concentrate"
   
2. Next, add sugar and angostura bitters to "season" your sorrel.
   
3. Finally, sample and adjust/dilute according to your taste preference.

Yield: 2 quart pitcher.








Note#2:





you will have, sorrel concentrate left over to make additional pitchers as you need them.

I missed you mommy...

So, it's been almost six years since I last saw my mother. I am still uncertain why it took me this long to have her come visit or to hop on a plane myself. But all I know is that now that she is here, I really understand how much I've missed her. Now, another thing that any homesick trini misses is........her "sweet hands(cooking)." So I have went down the list of things I've been craving and couldn't cook myself. The one meal that truly hit the spot was sunday dinner! It consisted of Stew chicken, Calalloo, Macaroni pie, Lentils, White rice & a side salad(trini style: seasoned tomato & cucumber). Tonight I had some roast bake & buljol. Tomorrow, we shall feast on Pelau!!!!!!!!!!! Now, saturday, I will be making Sio Pao("POW") for my mom to freeze and take home. All I can say is thank you mommy, thank you.

Hip Hop Chef

I created this 3-d version of myself at http://www.meez.com/

So here's how it currently stands. I am looking into some new continued education classed at The French Pastry School out in Chicago for next year BUT I am also, considering enrolling at The French Culinary Institute to get a formal education on "hot foods" in order to pursue my dream of one day putting west indian food(especially trinidadian food) on the culinary map in a major way...but my dilemma is parting with $38,000 dollars. I fear debt y'all and in a major, major way! Any opinions are welcomed...

Long Lost Me

I know, I know, I know....it's been a loooooong time since my last post. My appologies, 2 kids is harder than many think, especially when one is teething. i haven't forgotten about my sorrel post by the way. That recipe is still on it's way. Let me catch you up to speed on my happenings. I am currently debating which culinary path to take concerning my career that I put on hold to spend time with my children. I am looking at two schools in particular. the French Pastry School in Chicago, Il. or the French Culinary Institute in New York, Ny. My long term goals are to be happy, have a prosperous career and to introduce the rest of the world to trinidadian cuisine on a grander scale. I just need to get my college funding together first and these goals shall be attainable. Until then check out a few chefs who inspire me.

Govind Armstrong:






Marcus Samuelsson






Anthony Bourdain - Leftovers

My favorite drink

That's right people, I will be posting a blog & recipe for my favorite drink, period....SORREL or Jamaica as the latinos know it. Until then check this picture I found of sorrel on the net. I can't recall where I found it...my bad.

Oink, Oink.....

So here's the deal, last night I concocted a last minute dinner for the extended family in the form of smothered pork chops a la big sexy(lol).

5-6lbs. pork chops(pork loin, bone in)
4 12 oz. jars of pork gravy(or you can make from scratch)
1 1/2 onions(combination of 1/2 white and 1 yellow), thinly sliced
1 1/2 cans(12 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 packets Goya Ham flavored concentrate(powdered)


Seasoning/Marinade for chops:
Paprika
Garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
black pepper, freshly cracked

*Note: I kinda eye balled the initial marinade so apply as much as you like but NOT too much.


Method:
Add olive oil to the pan turn heat to high

next add thinly sliced white onions and saute'

next place pork chops on top of onions and brown chops

next, add jars of pork gravy, mushrooms and top with 1 yellow onion thinly sliced

place in over to continue cooking at 325 degrees fahrehiet

cook at that temperature for 45 minutes

finally, increase oven temperature to Broil and continue to cook for 50 minutes.

serve immediately.

Total cooking time: 1hr & 30 mins.

Not bad for some last minute dinner plans.

Happy Cinco de Mayo(Belated)!!!

Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo a.k.a. The Fifth of May is primarily a regional, and not a federal, holiday in Mexico; the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. It commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

So naturally, as a current resident of Tucson, this is a time of celebration for many! In the spirit of the day we had some taqueria style food whipped up by the household. I am usually the one cooking all of it but today I only took on salsa duties. I decided to keep it simple since I had worked earlier in the day. I put together a roasted tomato & tomatillo salsa. Now I know you're probably wondering what I know about salsas or mexican food in general but believe me I know a thang or two homie. I have a HUGE advantage by residing in the southwest just shy of the mexican border. As you may also know, I used to cook full time as a profession. During that time, I came across a kind co-worker who just so happened to reside from Mexico City. She was the first person to introduce me to the traditional mexican cuinary fare. I mean when I learned my first salsa, I made this right in her own molcajete( mexican style mortar & pestle, made of lava rock), she brought from home. It was a roasted serrano & tomato salsa. I also learned how to make refried beans, antojitos("little whims") such as, sopes & quesadillas, I also learned how to make Horchata...the list goes on, so like I said Im pretty well versed but would LOVE to learn even more! Anyways, enough tootin' of my own horn. Here's a basic recipe of that salsa. Hope you like it. If it seems too hot, cut back on the chiles or take out the seeds inside.

Roasted Tomato & Tomatillo Salsa:

3 tomatoes
3 tomatillas
5 jalapeno chiles
11 serrano chiles
1-2 garlic cloves
handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
salt(to taste)

Method:

Roast All ingredients until charred a bit on the outside. You can place in a plastic sandwich bag(closed) and later remove them to take off the darkened skins. Alternately, you can leave the skins on for a more rustic appearance. It won't affect the overall taste much.

Note #1:

You can do this on a comal or put it in an over on "broil" for 5-8 mins on top shelf(spray ingredients with a little pam or alike spray)

Grind ingredients in the following order:

1.)garlic & chile peppers(make a paste to use as a flavor base, add salt here to use as an abrasive to aid in grinding)

2.)tomatoes & tomatillas

3.)Lastly, roughly chop cilantro and add just before serving.

Note #2:

You can use a food processor(pulse feature)or an immersion blender(stick blender) to make the salsa but keep in mind the traditional method and far superior method would be to use a molcajete.


Oh yeah, before I forget we also had tacos de carne asada(Carne Asada tacos)& Nachos(far from traditional mexican food....LOL).

To make your own tortilla chips:

1 bag of corn tortillas of your choice, white or yellow
vegetable oil
fryer

turn oil in fryer up to 375 F.

take the stack of tortillas and slice in half horizontally, making semi-circles

now with each individual semi-circle slice a "V" into it diagonally

you should end up with roughly 3 stacks of pyramid shaped chips, if you want more

slice down the middle of each chip stack(this entire process is called quartering)

repeat process with other semi-circle

once oil has come up to correct temperature drop chips in but DO NOt over crowd the fryer, because each time you drop chips in it will drop the temperature of the oil and you want the oil as hot as possible, in order to get a crisp chip with as little grease as possible.

cook chips for 3-15 minutes until crisp. *See note below.

*Note: cooking times will vary depending on brand of tortillas. just experiment and keep a close eye on them as they cook.

Curry Chicken: Revision pt. 1

I wanted to post this video of Chef Dex throwin' down on some Trini style curry chicken. My method is very similar to his and I will post my current recipe shortly. Until then,here's the lesson.

Kuchela

Mango Kucheela (Kuchela)A specialty of Trindad made from air-dried green mango, hot chile peppers, vinegar, salt, spices and brown sugar. The condiment is a very hot, salty, sweet mixture which is served with everything from curries to a traditional pelau (pigeon peas cooked with meat and coconut milk). Serves: 4

I N G R E D I E N T S

12 green mangoes

1 head garlic (peeled cloves)

5-6 hot peppers (congo) or scotch bonnet

1 pkt. Anchar masala (amchar masala see recipe)

1-1½ c mustard oil

2 tsp. light brown sugar

salt to taste

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Peel and grate mangoes Squeeze some liquid from mangoes

Spread out on a flat surface and dry for 1 day or leave in an oven on low heat for a few hours Mince garlic and peppers together Combine grated mango, garlic, pepper, sugar, anchar massala and salt

Blend in mustard oil and place in a clear jar with a tight fitting lid.

The following recipe is from "Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail." by Madhur Jaffrey, Crown Publishing.

Amchar Masala: A Trinidadian mixture using many of the spices used in Indian pickling. Here they are roasted first, acquiring a dark color and an intense flavor. This mixture is often sprinkled in toward the end of the cooking period.

Makes about 8 Tablespoons

4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds Put all the spices in a small, cast-iron frying pan and set over medium heat.

Stir and roast for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the spices turn a shade darker.

Remove from the pan, allow to cool, and then grind as a finely as possible in a clean coffee or spice grinder.

Empty into an airtight jar and store in a dark cupboard.