Please share your west Indian recipes!

[Daphine2004]

Hi,

I’m 35 and have two mixed raced kids, 1 and 5. I am very keen for them (and my partner) to have the food I was brought up with regularly but my mum doesn’t cook that any more and can’t remember what she used properly anyway...

She did make chicken, rice and peas. Now, I’ve attempted this loads and it isn’t the same. The rice my mum made turned purple in colour and the peas were just amazing. She suggests I use dry kidney beans not out of a tub - if I have to, I will. Has anyone got a good recipe for this?

Also, for brown chicken stew?

and finally, I’ve been attempting to make my great gran’s rum cake. First time was a success as I had her recipe, but that was years ago and I’ve lost the paper I wrote it on. She is now in her 90’s and I can’t quite get on with the recipe she remembers.

We call it rum cake, but it’s basically a Christmas cake soaked in rum and tastes amazing.

Would anyone be able to help at all?

Thank you in advance, especially if you got to the end!

@BIWI

My Bajan Macaroni Pie :-)

To fill a large foil tray - grease with butter

Bag of macaroni (sometimes you can get longer macaroni from polish shops)
500g block of extra mature cheddar- grated
2 cans evaporated milk

1 onion
1 red pepper
2 spring onions
1tsp Bajan hot sauce (the orange one)
1tsp mustard powder
2tbsp ketchup
Ground pepper

Blend everything below the dairy and pasta in to a thick paste

Fry off/Simmer down for 10 /15 min while you boil the pasta in a large saucepan

Add 70% of the cheese and a can and half of milk. simmer on low until all the cheese has melted in

Mix with pasta, top with cheese and the rest of the milk.
Let it stand for 15 min before putting in the oven

Bake for 30min 180 till brown

I'm loving these recipes, thanks.

Wow! Thank you for that @FightTheFrizz - sounds amazing!

Terri-Ann uses old bay seasoning a lot. I don't have any Caribbean shops near by, what spices could I use that might be similar?

There's a recipe here if that helps?

@zatarontoast - if you have a Costco near you, you can get Old Bay there - that’s where I buy mine. Or alternatively Amazon has it although quite pricey. I like it a lot, much nicer than All Purpose seasoning I think and lot less salty. Goes with everything.

I’ve taken a pic of the back of the jar for you so you can see the ingredients if you want to make your own.

My sister lived and worked in Jamaica for 6 years and had a wonderful Ginger cake recipe which I now can't find.
I know it used oil rather than butter and was quite a 'heavy' (bread-y ?) type cake rather than a light sponge. Quite dark (I suspect som black treacle might have been involved ?)

Can anyone help ? I'd love to make it again.

Never made a ginger cake but expect that in Jamaica molasses would have been used to get that dark colour and it will be the proper stuff.

Molasses is v similar to treacle which is a bit sweeter and less bitter.

Found a recipe but it uses butter instead of oil (you could make an adjusted substitution) and treacle (you could use molasses which is more likely to follow the recipe you had).

thyme-and-envy.com/recipe/2015/12/26/jamaican-ginger-cake

Thank you @maggiethecat

Does anyone know of spice mixes I can make myself to use instead of shop bought curry powder and all purpose seasoning etc?

I developed some kind of intolerance and even the smallest amount of garlic and onion powder makes me violently sick. Fresh onion I am ok with but I can't eat garlic in any form. Powdered garlic and onion are in all the curry powders, all purpose seasoning and even Maggi cubes. I managed to find some stock that does not contain garlic or onion so I have that but I can't find any curry powders or all purpose seasoning without it.

I tried to make my own versions of things minus the garlic and onion powder but I can't get the flavours right. If anyone has any recipes for these it would be much appreciated as there are some foods I miss so much.

Try the Old Bay Seasoning @Shizzleshizshiz

From what I can see it doesn’t contain any onion or garlic.

TeamGhanaJollof. Thank you!

I second the Naparima Girls cookbook. Absolutely a Trini rite of passage!

@trinibrit

I second the Naparima Girls cookbook. Absolutely a Trini rite of passage!

I find that recipe book has a lot of lime / lemon in the recipe that overpowers the food. But it come sup so much maybe it's just me! ;p

Also, I am always wary of caribbean recipes that use ketchup. I never saw my mum / gran using ketchup inna dem life!

I do sometimes follow the jamaicancookingjourney online with Debbie from dung a yard (;p) to check I have the recipe right, especially during lockdown when I can't just pop in the see the oldies!!!

I just can't get on with my gran's or dad's recipe for stew peas and rice. Mine NEVER tastes the same. Anyone have one of those?!

RECIPE REQUIRED😊*

At weddings, christenings and funeral. There is always some slaw. For Xmas day I really want to make Caribbean coleslaw, but I can’t find a good recipe online. Fines anyone know how to make this wonderful concoction ?

I like this one

www.inspiredtaste.net/26522/coleslaw-recipe/
scroll to near the end for the ingredients/recipe. I adjust it and add half a red onion and sometimes add half a thinly sliced apple (matchstick strips) which complements the apple cider vinegar. To avoid soppy cabbage avoid using a fine grater and finely chop instead - you'll get a nice crunchy texture. Finally, I find that a little cabbage goes a long way so maybe start with half a cabbage and see how you get on according to how much slaw you need.

Enjoy!

cookingwithria.com/

I’ve found this website to be really good for trini food. I’ve actually been able to make sada roti that puffs up based on her video of kneading the flour!

If anyone is looking for Guyanese recipes, there are some really good ones here: www.alicaspepperpot.com/category/caribbean-foods/

AMemebyAnyOtherName all the main supermarkets stock 'Tamarind slab' in the Indian aisle of their 'World Foods' section. This is the sour kind with seeds. If you live near any South Asian grocery shops, they will stock it too.

Cool like a Jamaican on YouTube! I learnt how to make cornmeal porridge (obviously not as good as my nans) from her