Doubles

Is it truly a sacrifice to refrain from meat if you exchange it for a vegetarian dish this delicious?

Probably not. 

Lenten abstinence doesn't have to mean bland food but honestly this feels a little like cheating because it tastes so darn good. One of my favourite things to eat during Lent is doubles. Oh, who am I kidding, like most Trinidadians, I eat this religiously all through the year!

Doubles is the most widely available street food in Trinidad. It is a popular breakfast choice although it is not uncommon to have them for lunch, dinner or even as a snack. Just so you know, in Trinidadian vernacular the name 'doubles' is both singular and plural. That's right, you can have one doubles or two doubles. Yeah, I'll admit that sounds confusing but don't worry,  you won't care to argue the semantics once you've tasted them. Trust me, you will be too busy stuffing your face.

Trinidadians eat a lot of doubles. Perish the thought that you should find yourself in some remote corner of the island without access to a doubles vendor. We are so dedicated to getting our doubles fix that someone actually created an app to help satisfy our mad craving for this food. Using this app you can quickly locate the nearest doubles vendor no matter where in the country you might happen to be. I kid you not.

So what the heck is a doubles? Essentially, it is an adaptation of India's chole bhatura. Originally the channa filling (chole) used to be served with a single round soft bread (bhatura) at the side. Trinidadians call this soft, spongy textured bread bara. Over time, descendants of Indian immigrants made adaptations to the traditional chole bhatura, turning it into something that is distinctly Trinidadian. The chole or channa (chickpea) filling is topped with various condiments and served between not one but two bara (bhatura), hence the name doubles. Think of it as a spicy, vegetarian sloppy joe. 

On its own, the bara and channa can be somewhat bland and underwhelming. However the wizardry of doubles resides in the various chutneys and sauces which are added to the mix. Each vendor has his own signature blend of spicy condiments and it is these robust and piquant sauces which transform a cheap meal into a national addiction. 

Doubles isn't something that is often made at home. They are inexpensive and readily available everywhere so it is much easier to buy them than to prepare it yourself. Although it is fairly simple to make, it does but require a bit of advance planning to allow for the dough to rise and rest. 

Doubles

8 bara 

Serves 4

Bara

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric powder

1/4 tsp ground geera (cumin)

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

approx 1 cup lukewarm water ( or 1/4 cup more if needed) 

oil for frying

Combine flour, salt, tumeric, geera, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl.

Add enough lukewarm water to make a soft dough. Mix by hand knead a few times to form a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Brush the top of dough with 1 tsp oil. Cover and let rise for 1/2hrs

Punch down the dough. Knead it into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10-15mins. Shape dough into 8 balls. This dough tends to be soft and sticky. Moisten your hands with a little water or oil as you work the dough to prevent it from sticking your hands. Divide and shape into 8 round balls.

Flatten and stretch dough into a 4" or 5" circle. Use water or oil to on your fingers to moisten to prevent dough from sticking. 

Heat oil in a large deep pot and fry bara a few minutes on each side on medium high heat.

Channa Filling

2 tins channa

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, minced

2 tablespoons Chief Brand curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

Drain and rinse channa. Put channa in a large pot add water until barely covered and boil for about 10mins. Drain water from channa and set aside.

In a large heavy pot, heat oil. Add garlic and onion to the oil and fry until fragrant. Mix curry with about 1/8 cup of water and add it to the oil. Cook for a few minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add channa and stir to coat well with curry. Use back of a large spoon to smash some of the channa.  Add more water to barely cover the channa. Lower heat and simmer until channa is mushy with a thick sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Cucumber Chutney

2 large cucumbers

10 chardon béni leaves, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp lime juice ( or more to taste)

1/8 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt (or salt to taste)

1/2 scotch bonnet pepper, minced (optional)

Wash and coarsely grate cucumber. It doesn't need to be peeled but you can peel it first if you prefer. Place grated cucumber in a strainer and squeeze off as much of the water as you can. Place in a small bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix. 

Assemble the doubles by placing a spoonful of channa on a bara. Top with cucumber or other chutney, your favourite West Indian pepper sauce and cover with another bara. 

COOK'S TIP: Other popular toppings for doubles are mango chutney, chardon béni chutney, mango kuchela, tamarind sauce, and roasted coconut chutney.

Trinidad Fish Stew

I haven't been on this blog for a long while and I am almost but not quite sorry. I always miss blogging when I have been away from it but at times it is important to show up in other places of my life where I am needed a bit more. One of those places has been my garden. Long time visitors to this site may remember this dream of mine. I am happy to report that my journey to producing some of my own food is becoming more real. Perhaps one day soon some of the dishes on this blog might even showcase produce that I actually grew myself. 

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and after today's Carnival celebration many Trinidadians will be headed to mass to receive ashes. In keeping with Lenten tradition, many homes will prepare a meal of fish.  

This stewed fish recipe is a favourite of mine and in many homes it is often served with cou cou. Trinidadians usually fry the fish first before adding it to a tomato based stew. When this done, it is called by the odd name of Stew Fry Fish to distinguish it from the version where the fish is not fried but added directly the sauce. My preference is to fry first.

Trini Stew Fry Fish
1lb fish (bangamarie)
* other fish like flying fish, king fish, carite, carvali, tilapia can be used

4 tablespoons green seasonings
1 tsp salt
juice of one lime
1  cup flour
oil for frying

Golden Ray cooking margerine or butter
4 goves garlic minced
2 large onions, sliced
3 medium tomatoes sliced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon West Indian pepper sauce (optional)
8-10 Trinidad pimento peppers seeded and finely sliced

Season fish with salt, lime juice,  and green seasoning. Leave in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Mostly I do this the night before so that when I get home from work the fish is ready to be cooked. If seasoning the fish overnight I will omit the lime until just ready to cook.

Heat enough oil for deep frying the fish in a large pot on medium high heat. Fry the fish and set aside on paper towels.

Once all the fish has been fried, melt the butter  in a large and fairly deep skillet with a tight fitting lid..

To the butter,  add the curry, garlic, onions, tomatoes, celery, and cook until nicely fragrant. Add the ketchup, mustard, sugar, water, bay leaf and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a simmer.

Add the fish and pimento peppers to the sauce, cover and simmer about 5 minutes just until the fish is warmed through. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Parsad

Parsad is a Trinidadian dessert that is served at Divali.  Visit any Hindu household during this time and you will be given a bag of parsad. The popular version is made with flour. However I much prefer to make my parsad with semolina. Cream of wheat is also delicious but the semolina version is my favourite.

Parsad
Yeild (4 servings)

1 cup evaporated milk 

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp ground cardamon 

1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup ghee

1/2 cup semolina (or cream of wheat)
* for a gluten free version use cassava flour
2 tbsp raisins

Slivered almonds and maraschino cherries to top it with when serving if you wish.

METHOD
Heat milk, sugar, cardamon and ginger in a medium sized pot over a medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved then remove from heat and put to cool.

In a large heavy duty pot, heat ghee on high. Add the semolina flour and cook on medium high for a minute or two, stirring often. Turn heat down to lowest setting and slowly add milk. Be careful it spatters. I tend to ladle out a couple spponfuls of milk before adding the rest of the milk to control the spatter. Add the raisins. Stir until the milk has been absorbed and the pudding just starts to leave the sides of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat.

The entire process goes very quickly. The pudding will be soft when you take it off the heat but will firm up further once it is cooled.

Fat Pork Jam

It has been a fruitful holiday. We have been stuffing our faces with mangoes, West Indian cherries, yellow plums, and guavas. Wars are being fought over the few remaining sugar apples. 

One  uncommon fruit which we found on a drive through the country side was fat pork.  Bite into it and the unusual texture of it's interior, white pulp will clue you in as to the name. The taste is insipid and to be honest it doesn't inspire a second bite. It looks it but doesn't taste like pork fat. The weird, floury texture is only very mildly sweet with a flavour that is barely detectable. The rest of the Caribbean calls these fruit cocoplums. It is something that I remember foraging as a child, although now I cannot for the life of me remember why! 

Foraging, apparently it's a thing. Back when I was a child. It didn't have a name. It was just something we did. Mom and Dad you might want to look away for this part. Sampling little bits of wild, edible, plants and their fruits was a childhood game which was meant to gross out friends. 

Does anyone remember eating the transparent seed coat of the Pride of Barbados seeds? We called it Dead Man's flesh. Yum. There is that 'ick' factor that's so gosh darn appealing to kids~ especially boys.  Reportedly, all parts of the Pride of Barbados plant are toxic but we didn't know that as children. It's a wonder any of us survived childhood! How about sucking the nectar out of the Ixora flowers or eating 'cheese' (pollen) from the stamen of hibiscus flowers? So tell me are there any strange things which you ate as a child that have you questioning your sanity today?

Back to present day and the point of me buying a large quantity of a fruit that my son says tastes like mashed potatoes. 

He is not wrong.

I don't much care for it myself but I had heard that one could use this fruit to make jam. 

How was it? Well, we all liked it. While not likely to replace our all time favourite strawberry or guava jams, it was pretty decent jam.  I would describe it as having a mild rose flavour with slightly woodsy notes.  Part of me wants to call this by its other name and say cocoplum jelly. That sounds a lot more sophisticated and grown up, doesn't it? However the kid in me...

I can't help myself - the shock factor of offering someone a spoonful of Fat Pork Jam is proving to be just too irresistible. 

Fat Pork Jam

(yield about 1 cup)

*No actual pigs were harmed in the making of this jam.

Ingredients

75 fat pork (cocoplums)

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Method

Put the fat pork into into a deep pot filled with water ~ just enough to cover the plums. Boil for about 3 mins. . After allowing it to cool, use clean hands  to smash the fruit and remove the seeds. Pass the remaining pulp through a sieve removing the larger bits of pulp and skin. To this fruit sludge, add 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar. Cook until jam is set. Click here for useful tips for knowing when your jam is ready 

San Antonio Green Market

I do love early mornings, don't you? Unfortunately I love my bed more and you rarely find me out of bed before the sun.  So what was I doing up in the chill, misty, pre-dawn of the Santa Cruz Valley two weekends ago? For the longest while I have wanted to visit the San Antonio Green Market. This farmer's market is located in a valley not too far from where I live. It's a small market with some noble aspirations as explained in this video.

I was relieved to see that the land which was cleared for the market space has greened up nicely and is now quite scenic. In fact I was happily distracted from my shopping by the numerous hummingbirds that darted among the flowers and the feeders along the walkway.

One of the goals of this market is to encourage farmers to use less pesticides so the produce you find here is organic. It's worth coming back often because what's on offer varies and is dependent on seasonal availability.

In season now are chennette, mangoes and passion fruit. There were yellow and pink passion fruit on the day that I visited. I bought some of these beauties to make passion fruit curd. The yellows are slightly sweeter than the pinks which were just a bit more tart in my opinion. Both are fabulous for making passion fruit curd. Just swap out the lemon juice in this recipe with passion fruit for an easy peasy curd in just 5 minutes.

I freely admit that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the stuff. Passion fruit curd over my oatmeal with mangoes for breakfast ~ a little bit of heaven.

As you walk through the market you are likely to score some fabulous finds by local artisans.  I bought a gorgeous hand-carved, teak, salad bowl but the old fashioned tops also caught my eye. My boys were delighted to be given a demonstration.

Aren't these soaps adorable? I have seen some fancy, French ones that were quite similar, in a high-end store in the mall. These locally crafted soaps are every bit as good.

Now is a good time to mention that you should definitely keep abreast of the market events and latest products on offer by liking San Antonio Green Market's Facebook page. It was here that I learned about this beautiful stained glass piece. I am currently stalking them and simultaneously trying to convince my husband that we need something like this in our home.

Since stained glass flowers are unlikely anytime in my near future it's my luck that there are always lovely tropical blooms on sale. I can never resist these sexy pinks. I am not trying to be cute. Sexy pink is actually the name of this pink heliconia cultivar and it is one of my favourites.

After shopping it was time for breakfast. We were advised to try the arepas and they did not disappoint. Sorry there are no actual photos of the food but after all the walking around, they were inhaled. At this point it was time to put the camera down.

It can be said that food is about community. It takes a community of farmers to grow or rear our food. Then we gather in spaces like this to purchase it before finally gathering around a table to partake. 

This little market has just that kind of friendly, community spirit. While here you should expect to fall easily into conversations with random strangers. Folks here smile at you and pass on advice, like telling you that the locally grown and produced cocoa tea (hot chocolate) is not to be missed.  Unfortunately with all the people I stopped and chatted with along the way,  I missed out on the cocoa tea. In a sense, I am glad since it gives me reason to visit again.

  

Caribbean Smashed Potatoes

I'm here to talk about smashing stuff.

Can I confess that more often than not I arrive home in a mood that is more conducive to smashing things, rather than preparing dinner.

These potatoes are two thumbs up, high five, secret handshake delicious AND they have the added bonus of giving you an outlet for burning off some of the day's stress.
.
Here is how you go about pretending that you are crushing your boss' giant potato head making these smashing good potatoes.

SMASHED POTATOES

Ingredients
12 potatoes (small to medium sized potatoes)
2  tsps kosher salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Herbs (* you can pretty much use any of your favourite herb blends. Fresh rosemary is nice. Herbs de Provence or Italian herbs are great too. Here I have used green seasoning which is a staple in every Trinidadian's kitchen.

METHOD
Boil your potatoes in water salted with 1 tsp of salt. Cook the potatoes until they are tender. Check that the centers are cooked through by piercing with a fork or bamboo skewer.

Preheat your oven to 450°F

Drain the potatoes.  Brush a large baking tray with oil. 

Use a potato smasher to pulverize those puppies.

Brush the smashed potatoes with oil. 

Be generous. 

Sprinkle with your favourite blend of herbs. 

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher or a coarse grained sea salt. The larger grains cling to the crispy skins just a little bit better than table salt. 

Roast potatoes in the oven at 450°F until they are crispy. This should take about 30 minutes.



Cooks Tip: You can do the prep work - boiling and flattening the potatoes- the night before. Then all you have to do the next day is cover them with oil, herbs and salt before roasting them.

As a final note I'd like to make mention that I am very honoured to have been featured in this month's newsletter of Simply Trini Cooking. Click the link to head on over to the website and subscribe to get your free copy. I wonder if you can guess which one of my recipes is being showcased?

Secrets to a Delicious Trinidadian Fish Broth

Today is a feel good day and all you need is fish broth,

or maybe it's not such a great day.

I'm sorry.

Well now you definitely need fish with a squeeze of lime, layered over rough- chopped, root vegetables and green bananas, some salt, green seasoning and a hot pepper. This will cure what ails you.

Promise.

In Trinidad, fish soup is called 'broff' (broth) but there is little about it that is broth-like. In the Caribbean our soups serve as main meals and are heavy, flavoursome and 'chunked' full of high-fibre, starchy root vegetables. 

Fish broth calls for un-fancy fish. When I was a child we would vacation at beach houses in Mayaro and one of my favourite things to do was to wake just before the sun, run down the beach and help fishermen 'pull seine' ( pull in their nets ). At the end of the haul you were sure to be rewarded with the small fish that weren't suitable for sale but which were perfect for making fry dry or broth. 

Pay attention.

This is important.

These are the secrets.

Rule number one:

You can not make fish broth without fish heads. Well you can but my father will tell you that you are making dishwater, not broth. 

Fish heads with their hugely, surprised eyes staring back at you from your bowl of soup are creepy. Believe me I share your pain but get over it because tucked inside those heads are bits of fat, cartilage and connective tissues. All of this will render out into your soup making it richer and sweeter. 

Rule number two: 

Understand that this is essentially just a frugal meal of water, cheap fish and vegetables so that you have to give this the love it deserves in the form of fresh herbs.

This is not a suggestion.

Here is where you will find use for that green seasoning marinade that I told you about two months ago. 

My grandmother used to serve this to me in a chipped enamel bowl. I have yet to taste anything better coming out of a restaurant on a fancy plate, as this humble broth. It's just that good really if you follow two simple rules. 

Trinidadian Fish Broth

For the Marinade
2lbs Fish cleaned ( at least 2 or 3 heads)
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic  (minced)
3 tablespoons green seasoning
1 tsp salt

Broth
6 green figs/bananas (cooked, peeled and sliced)
2 tablespoons Golden Ray margarine ( or vegetable oil, or butter)

 2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium onion ( minced)
1 tablespoon green seasoning
8 cups water

Root Vegetables / Ground Provisions
3 small potatoes peeled and diced
3 small eddoes (taro) peeled and diced
1 medium dasheen (taro) peeled and diced
3 small tannia ( yautia)
* Amounts don't have to be exact if you don't have one type just use a little more of the others that you do have on hand

1/2 stalk celery ( chopped)
1 medium tomato sliced
1 tsp salt
pepper sauce to taste (optional)

Mix 2 tsp lime juice in 1/4 cup of water. Put fish in a glass mixing bowl and wash   in this mixture of lime water. Throw away the excess water. Rub the minced garlic, green seasoning, and salt all over the fish. Cover fish and set aside in fridge for 30 mins - 1hr or overnight.

Next prepare the Green figs. Green fig is the Trinidadian name for green cooking bananas. Cut off the top and bottom ends of the green figs/bananas. Place into a large pot of water with about a tablespoon of oil.  The uncooked peel of the green figs/bananas secretes a sticky juice that might stain your pot. The oil prevents the skin of the green figs/bananas from staining the pot and makes for an easier clean up. Pierce the figs/bananas with a fork to see if they have cooked through. When they are done remove and let cool. They will peel easily now that they are cooked. Peel, slice and set aside.

In a large stock pot, saute the onion and garlic in butter or oil or Golden Ray margarine until translucent and fragrant. Add green seasoning. Saute about 30 seconds then add all the water.

Add all the root vegetables, celery, tomato, salt, vegetables and scotch bonnet pepper and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender. Roughly 15 - 20 mins depending on size of your root vegetables.

Keep an eye on the pepper throughout the cooking and make sure it does not burst. The heat from the pepper will be unbearable if it does.

Add the green figs/ bananas and the fish. Reduce heat and simmer fish 5-7 mins.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Adding more salt, lime and or pepper to your taste.

Trinidad Green seasoning

The foundation of cooking meat the Trinidadian way is all about the seasoning. All meat (beef, chicken pork and fish) is marinated in a seasoning mix of crushed herbs, onions, garlic and peppers. This blend of herbs and aromatics is called 'green seasoning'. It is incredibly versatile and is good in soups, stews, rice, and bean dishes. Many Trinidadians whip up a batch of this stuff on a weekly basis. The blend of seasoning is based on personal preference and varies across households. Traditionally some or all of the following ingredients are used: 

 Celery 

There are three kinds of celery that are grown for cooking purposes.

Stalk celery is imported into this country from America and it is grown for its crunchy stalks which can be eaten raw. 

Leaf celery (pictured above) or Chinese celery is grown primarily for its leaves which are used as a herb. The stem is also edible raw but much more pungent than stalk celery. The stalks of leaf celery taste better cooked. This type of celery is a key ingredient in Trinidad green seasoning and both leaf and stalks are used.

Root Celery also called celeriac is grown for its bulbous root. It is not available in Trinidad.

Culantro

The Trinidadian name for culantro (Eryngium foetidum) comes from french settlers to the island during colonial rule. Chardon béni which Trinis pronounce as shadow benny means blessed thistle. Although not the same plant it's appearance is somewhat remniscent of the blessed thistle plant (Cnicus benedictus) that is native to southern France. 

Bhandhania is the other local name for culantro and it comes from the large East Indian descended population. Dhania comes from the Hindi word for coriander seed. It must be noted that culantro is not related to the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum). Interestingly, both plants have the same smell and taste with culantro being the more intensely flavoured of the two. Use twice as much cilantro if substituting it for chardon béni in your recipe. 

Across the Caribbean it is also known as Chardron benee (Dominica), coulante (Haiti), recao (Puerto Rico) and fit weed Guyana).

Portuguese Thyme

I expect that I might be the last remaining Trinidadian who remembers that this was once called Portuguese thyme, so called because this is used in Garlic Pork (the local version of Carne de Vinagre e Alhos). Garlic Pork is a traditional Portuguese West-Indian Christmas dish.  Over the years Trinidadians started calling this Spanish Thyme which is very confusing because there is another herb that is also called Spanish thyme. 

I remember consulting my grandparents the very first time I made garlic pork. I have fond memories of my 2nd generation Portuguese grandparents guiding me through the process and instructing me that I was to use Portuguese thyme. It is also called by this name in the first locally published cookbook, Sylvia Hunt's cooking: Proud Legacy of our people. Whatever the correct name might be, I will continue calling this herb Portuguese thyme if only for sentimental reasons and remembrances of my grandparents. 

So that there can be no confusion, its botanical name is Lippia micromera and it also goes by the name of False Oregano. In the United States it's called Mexican Oregano. Even thought it smells and tastes very similar to true oregano, the plant is actually more closely related to lemon verbana. The flavour is a little more intense than true oregano so a little goes a long way. 

French Thyme (thymus vulgaris) 


Spanish Thyme (Big Leaf Thyme)

The final variety of thyme that Trinidadians love to throw into this mix is Spanish Thyme (Plectranthus amboinicus). Yet another thyme that is not a thyme but we call it thyme anyway. Yikes!  It's other local name is big leaf thyme because of its broad leaves. I don't often include this one in my green seasoning mix. 

Still confused by the various types of thyme. Here is a photo taken from the blog of my good friend Cynthia and used with her kind permission. This should make it easier for you to identify the different varieties.

Spanish thyme is another herb with an oregano-like flavour. It is even more strongly flavoured than Portuguese thyme and because of the similarities I find it unnecessary to use both at the same time. It can overpower if used too liberally. When I do use it, it's never more than a leaf or two as it has the tendency to darken the seasoning mix and turn dark green to black. I prefer to see a brighter green mix.

In Trinidad no distinction is made between Green onions or scallions and chives. They are all called chives (local pronunciation Sigh-ve ) and are used interchangeable in the making of green seasoning. My preference is for  the slightly more onion flavour of the scallions for my marinade. 

Trinidad pimento peppers 

Trinidad pimento peppers are also known as seasoning peppers. I would have to say that pepper is adored by Trinidadians and is easily the most popular cooking pepper in our country. Unfortunately it is little known outside of the Caribbean or places that have a large West Indian population. The flavour is really impossible to describe. When you cut it it smells like its going to be hot and I suppose it can be said to have the flavour of a hot pepper but without the heat if that makes sense. It is most definitely not a sweet tasting pepper like a bell pepper. Some people will also use scotch bonnet peppers. 

Before I begin, let me assure you that there are no standard amounts for this recipe. I usually judge if it is right by smell not taste. After awhile you will develop a sense of what is right for you. 

Trinidad Green Seasoning

Yeild 9 ( approx 2 cups)

4 bunches leaf celery

2 bundles culantro ( or 4 bunches cilantro)

1 bundle Portuguese thyme - 12 stalks or so ( or substitute with oregano )

2 bundles French thyme

3 bundles of scallions (or chives)

10-12 Trinidad Pimento peppers ( substitute banana peppers)

2 leaves of big leaf thyme (optional)

1 head of garlic ( about 10 cloves)

1/8 - 1/4 cup water or *vinegar  (*optional-  this preserves the seasoning mix if it is to be kept in the fridge longer than a week) 

Method

Wash the herbs and de-seed the pimento peppers.

Rough chop all ingredients and put into a food processor or blender.  Puree the herbs adding a small amount of water, vinegar or lime juice so that mixture can turn easily in the processor. The consistency should be that of a chunky pesto. Some people prefer a more watery blend it's up to you. 

Green seasoning can also be frozen in an ice tray. You pop out a cube or two when needed. If freezing you can omit the vinegar. You will find that over time the colour darkens in the fridge. This is normal and it is perfectly fine. 

Tamarind Ginger Spice Cake

Amazing cake but we'll get to that in a minute.

First a mini rant at the spouse who absolutely is NOT deserving of ANY cake at this point.

Some time last week, my husband was away from work and I had to use his car to drop our children to school.

Note to self:  Self, never borrow your  man's car without first checking for gas.

Children safely transported,  I was on my way to work, tunes happily cranked up way loud, and vibesing along with my boy Bunji. There I was singing along to this and thinking how glorious it was to be travelling in the opposite direction of morning rush hour traffic when I noticed that the gas indicator light was on. No worries because there are like five service stations between me and my place of employment. No need to flip out, right?

Wrong.

Just my bad luck there was a power outage that morning which meant no working pumps at any of those five gas stations. The car eventually ran out of gas...

again.

Yes this has happened to me with this car before. Therefore I was seriously annoyed at myself for allowing it to happen a second time. While waiting to be 'rescued' by my dad and brother, I texted the hubby.

Me: Bloody hell! You have no gas!
DH: What! No way, is the red light on?

*Because to a guy the red light means you still have a lot of gas left.

Me: Yes the red light was on but now it isn't cause I am shut down at the side of the road.
DH: Nah man, my car never shut down on me before when the red light was on.

Me: Rendered speechless by the absurdity of that response.  I chose not to reply and I am happy to report we are still happily married today.

Okay now back to cake.

There is nothing I love more that using a familiar ingredient in an unexpected way. When I saw this recipe over on Anh's food blog, it immediately jumped to the top of my "Recipes to Try" list.

Tamarind is already a star ingredient in many of my savory dishes and I was intrigued by the idea of it in cake.

 This cake is rich and moist, with a tender crumb. Here is what one of my taste testers at work said about it. "There was a flavour I could not put my finger on .....but it was good with a spicy warmth from the ginger and a hint of pepper" 

You don't actually taste the tamarind but you know it's there by the extra kick of flavour it brings. This was definitely a hit with my father who is not usually effusive about food. He never makes a comment beyond,  'Its good,"  or  "It's not good." to describe any dish. To him something either is or it isn't.

He had a slice of this and said nothing. Later he had another slice, but still no comment.
I was concerned. Two slices might mean it was good but why hadn't he said anything?

The next day I had my answer. Dad came home and placed a bag of crystallized ginger on the kitchen and said two words.

 "Make more."

Alrighty then.

Tamarind Ginger Spice Cake

3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
3 tablespoons Matouks Tamarind Chutney
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4  teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
13 tablespoons butter (185 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

Lime Glaze

1 cup icing sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
chopped crystallized ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9x5x3inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ginger, tamarind chutney and vanilla extract.

Place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar) in the bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the egg mixture gradually, in 2 additions beating about 30 seconds after each add in. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is essentially a pound cake recipe albeit a slightly different method from a traditional pound cake. It is quite normal for there to be a crack down the center of this cake.

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This cake can be covered and stored for several days at room temperature or one week when refrigerated.

Make the lime glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the lime juice. Stir unil you have a consistency that you like. Adjust consistency with extra lime juice or icing sugar as you wish. Cover cake with glaze.

Cook's Notes:
Matouk's is a Trinidadian brand of condiments that is well known throughout the Caribbean. It is available from various online sources but should you have trouble finding it you could easily make your own tamarind chutney.

Trinidad Kurma

Trinidad is blessed to have a culture that embraces the festivals of different religions and every year I look forward to Divali, the Hindu festival of lights. If I lived abroad I think this is one of the holidays that I would miss like crazy.

Divali would be incomplete without the many offerings of Indian sweets that make their appearance at this time. Kurma, a traditional, Trinidadian sweet is basically a fried dough that is coated in a sugar glaze. There are two varieties. A thin, crisp variety which is sold in shops all year round. Then there is the version pictured above which seems to be more popular around Divali. This kurma is thicker with a crunchy exterior but with a soft fluffy interior. It is made with a sweeter dough than the thin kurma.  It would be interesting to find out how this snack got its name because although it is Indian in origin the word  kurma in India refers to a creamy curry.

Most recipes for kurma yield impossibly large amounts. Too much for a single family. This is because when one makes kurma it is usually for commercial purposes or to give away to friends and neighbours at Divali time. I seriously had to scale back the recipe that I found. The original called for 5lbs of flour! Feel free to scale it back again by half if you don't plan on sharing with friends.

Kurma
Yeild approx 48 Kurma

Ingredients

10 cups flour
2 cups butter

4 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground  elychee (cardamom)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup condensed milk
1 1/2 cups water (+ or - as needed to for dough)

Vegetable oil for frying

For Phaag (Syrup)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar

Method
Cut butter into small cubes and rub into flour until it looks like bread crumbs.

* You can use a pastry cutter for this or if you wish blitz it with your food processor in two batches.  Put 5 cups of flour and 1 cup butter in food processor. Give it a whir then process the second batch. This is not a pastry dough that you can mess up with over processing. No stress promise.

Mix in the grated ginger, elychee and cinnamon

Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and water. Combine everything to make a soft dough.

Let rest 5-10 mins

Divide dough into two balls

Heat enough oil for deep frying kurma in a pot over high heat.

Roll out dough about 1/2 " thick

Cut into strips about 1/2' wide.

Roll each strip until rounded.

Cut rounded strips into finger length or slightly shorter lengths.

Fry on low heat until golden brown.

Drain on brown or absorbent paper and place in a large bowl that can take heat.

Boil water and sugar until it forms a syrup that is just about to crystallize.

Pour all over kurma. Get someone to hold the bowl steady  so you can turn the kurma briskly  so that it does not stick. Turn kurma until the sugar crystallizes.

Cook's Tip:
The most difficult thing for me in making this was the frying. If the flame is too high the outside will cook but the insides remain as raw dough. It took a couple tries to get it going. Bring the oil up to high heat, then turn down to a low heat before putting the kurma to fry. Frying the kurma takes a bit of patience which if you know anything about me from following this blog, I do not have. I am am an impatient cook. So, in order to ensure that the kurmas cooked through, I took a bamboo skewer and poked holes in them while they were frying. Perfect results.