Growing up, one of the things that I gradually began to realize set me aside from my friends and classmates was the fact that in my house Sunday lunch was never a ‘Trini’ affair.
Roasted Chicken, Rice and Peas, Boiled Plaintain (shown above) replaced my neighbours’ fare of Stewed Chicken, Callaloo and Macaroni Pie. Although I eventually became familiar with Trini Sunday lunches in their many varying (yet oddly similar) varieties the above will always be my sentimental fave mmm perfection
Slowly but surely …

This month’s “They Go Well Together” challenge, asked food bloggers to prepare dishes that combined meat and chocolate. Unlike prior challenges this one was rather second nature to me as I have been adding chocolate to my chilis for several years now. Sounds weird? Not really, it’s actually quite traditional

From Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates: Festive Meals for Holidays and Special Occasions:
Using chocolate in dishes other than desserts may seem odd, but it is not so unusual in countries where cocoa beans are grown. Chocolate’s deep flavour provides an ambience …

Every since I learned that peanuts and chicken are a traditional pairing in many African cultures I have been intrigued and curious to try the combination myself. As Emancipation Day drew near I figured what could be a more perfect time to bite the bullet, or should that be “bite the peanut”?
I marinated several chicken thighs in a combination of mint jelly, mustard, and pepper sauce for several hours, after which they were dipped in eggs and coated with a pulverized coating of oatmeal, peanuts and paprika …

Eggplant is one of my favorite plants so it was with great joy that I saw that it was the main focus of this month’s JFI food challenge. Here in Trinidad you can find the eggplant called by many different names. In the course of the day it is not uncommon to here it being referred to as not only eggplant, but also melongene, aubergine, or baigan – even by the same person! This dish is redolent with the flavours of the Middle East and is a personal …

I love burgers and I’ve made no attempt to hide my belief that Trini street burgers are extremely special So, when I saw that Writing At The Kitchen Table was having a burger challenge I knew I had to throw my hat into the ring and represent the ol’ Red, Black and White The only problem… I had never made a Trini street burger from scratch before! No problem, I have certainly eaten enough to have some idea how it is done
One of …

Jamaican fricassee chicken is one of my mother’s favorite dishes. As a result I have submitted this recipe to FF#2: Your Mother’s Favorite Dish. The end result looks quite similar to Trinidad Stewed Chicken (something I should post soon!) but the taste is quite different due to the sweet peppers and the lack of sugar browning (a technique my mother says she never knew before moving to Trinidad).
I will be making this dish again this Friday along with Broccoli with Orange sauce, Cumin Rice and Jamaican Festival. …

Chicken chow mein is a perennial fave of mine, especially with PLENTY of soy sauce It was another of the dishes that I made in February as part of my Year of the Pig menu Last year Trinidad celebrated the 200th Anniversary of Chinese Immigration to our country with a public holiday and a month of festivities that included dragon boat races and more. To learn more about the Chinese influence in Trinidad & Tobago you can see the official BiCentennial website here, it’s quite good! …

Pow is something that is familiar and loved by most, if not all, Trinis. They are basically steamed buns filled with a savory filling (usually pork, but chicken and vegetarian variations also exist). I found them impossible to find when I lived in the US, but some of that may have to do with the fact that at the time I didn’t realize that over there they are called ‘bao’ or ‘baozi‘ Still, they did not seem to be as commonplace as they are here? …

I love recipes that come together in a flash with minimal prep and cleanup. This is one of those recipes and it was delicious! It comes from the GraceFoods.com website. For those who don’t already know Grace is one of the largest (if not largest) producers of canned goods in Jamaica. Their products can be found throughout the Caribbean as well as overseas and their website is certainly one that many Trini companies would do well to model themselves after

The Ultimate Stew Roundup is now available online. My submission was Trinidad Stew Beef with Herbed Dumplings Do check out the many other entries from around the world Unfortunately the roundup page does not display properly on my system. I have written the blog owner about it. Hope you have better luck than me