Recipe Request: West Indian Recipes for My Son and Me
My son is adopted, and mixed-race...we know his father was from the West Indies, but not much else. As my wife and I are among the palest people on earth, and as he was five when we adopted him, he's cottoned on to the fact that he's not our biological child.
However, I really do want him to learn something about his heritage, and food seems like a great jumping off point. He'll eat anything (I mean it...play-dough and elastic bands aren't safe) but I thought if he and I could learn to cook some West Indian dishes together, it could be just a fun thing for us to do. We've done fried plantains, but I am eager for any recommendations. If you submit something tasty and great, I promise you he'll jump up and down with happiness (and lord it over his little sister).
So any tips on Caribbean or West Indies cooking would be appreciated. Problem is, we don't eat chicken (we keep them as pets). Sorry for that...I know it must complicate matters.
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11 Comments:
I think its awesome you want to cook with your son!!
I dont know much about West Indian food, but most Caribbean cuisines have some version of rice and beans, which is sometimes called Moros y Cristianos, which might appropriate =)
This looks like a good recipe
http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/recipe?id.10026
Good Luck!
blankplate at 1:32PM on 01/17/09
Good on you, Not American! This is a terrific way for you and your son to celebrate his heritage. Here is a real easy dish which I made up to feed a vegetarian niece who stopped in unexpectedly. Cut up a couple of onions and fry them until soft in oil on medium heat, add in some flour and stir for a minute, then add one can chick peas (with juice), a large potato cut up into thin slices, a couple of small or one big tomatoes cut up (canned ones will work as well), mix in curry paste to taste (or curry powder) and cook, stirring often until potatoes soft (about 20 minutes.) Salt & pepper to taste. Serve with rice. My niece now makes it weekly and passed it on to all her friends - she sometimes adds fresh baby spinach in the last ten minutes.
bareneed at 2:24PM on 01/17/09
Thanks bareneed and blankplate, those are both really useful tips.
This summer, he and I are going to build a barbeque out back...then I'll be pressing everyone for barbeque recipes!
NotAmerican at 3:29PM on 01/17/09
This is one of my all time favorite things to cook, Trinidadian Curried Chicken and Dumplings. (http://chookooloonks.typepad.com/chookooloonks/2005/04/curry_chicken_d.html) It is so good, whenever I make it my husband licks his dish clean. My one variation to this recipe is that Ilike to add veggies to mine.
missjess at 8:18PM on 01/17/09
@missjess, do you think it would work with pork or mutton? It sounds delicious, and we are huge fans of Indian food around here, so anything with curry should work a treat. I also like your idea of adding some veg to it. Thanks.
NotAmerican at 2:29AM on 01/18/09
Hi,
I dont have many recipes of my own to contribute, but you might want to check out a food blog called Tastes Like Home. The author is originally from Guyana, but her recipes seem to cover a pretty broad 'Caribbean' spectrum - Barbados, Trinidad, Dominican etc...
http://www.tasteslikehome.org/
hmneilson at 6:01PM on 01/18/09
@hmneilson; Thanks for that! Looks great, and I think a book he and I could choose recipes from together would be a lot of fun.
Guess I'd better start rebuilding my spice tolerance...
NotAmerican at 2:27AM on 01/20/09
Not american- I've never tried with either but I'd bet it would taste good. Hmm it might be time to experiment.
missjess at 12:19PM on 01/21/09
@Missjess; we tried it with butterflied pork chops and it was great! We had it with cooked kale leaves and sweet fried plantains on vanilla ice cream for the pudding. Again, thanks so much.
I par-fried the chops in palm oil and garlic, and then simmered it in a closed pot with the rest of the recipe. The dumplings were divine, and although the seasonings were limited, still very tasty with a nice bite. Lovely recipe, and one that's not too fussy...you can leave it on the cooker for a while (useful when you have children...I think that's why I was raised on stews!).
NotAmerican at 2:13PM on 01/26/09
Hi, you did not say from where in the West Indies you would like recipes from. I am from Trinidad and if you would like some of our recipes i would be delighted to share some with you from Coconut bake to Bake and Shark to Roti to Calloo.
Talk to you soon!!!!
Trinimom
trinimom at 9:08PM on 04/15/09
Hi trinimom. To be honest, we don't know exactly where in the West Indies his birth father is from, but any and all recipes would be appreciated. We've found a local baker who does some specialties, and we cook curry together, but we'd love some more ideas. Thanks for replying.
NotAmerican at 2:25AM on 05/19/09