Jamaican Steamed Fish in Coconut Milk

Fish topped with pickled Jalapenos and accompanied by Chayote, Carrots and Korean Yam

This is a dish my Mother would make whenever I was recovering from some illness. She was a firm believer in the nutritional goodness of fish. It is a very delicately flavored dish, not spicy but also not bland, and with an added sweetness that comes from cooking in coconut milk. I use a whole Red Snapper but any thick, firm fish filet would also work just fine. This is a very quick dish to prepare. I usually have it with steamed vegetables like chayote squash, carrots and Korean Yam. This method of cooking in coconut milk is very common throughout the Caribbean, and features prominently in Rastafarian cooking. If one wanted, this dish can easily be converted to a curry by the addition of curry powder, sauteed with the scallion greens, prior to adding the tomato puree and coconut milk. It would then be similar to a Malayan Rendang.

Ingredients

1 shallot

1 Tbsp Coconut oil

3 cloves garlic

1 ½ lb Fish (whole or a thick filet.)

Grace Caribbean Traditions Fish Seasoning (though I would imagine Old Bay Seasoning would do just as well)

A handful of Scallion greens

1 Roma tomato, cut in wedges

½ cup thick Coconut milk ( I like the Badia brand)

1 Wylers chicken bouillon cube

4-5 slices Habanero pepper

Method

1. Season the fish liberally with the Fish Seasoning. Coat with oil and put on a rack in a broiler pan
2. Cut the shallot and Roma tomato into small wedges, leave the garlic cloves whole. Thinly slice the scallion greens.
3. In a frying pan or wok, heat the coconut oil, and sauté the garlic, tomato wedges, and shallots for about 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat. Take them out of the oil and put them in a bowl. Put the scallion greens and the habanero slices in the oil so that they can gently infuse the oil with their flavors as it cools, and you are preparing the fish.
4. Puree the sautéed garlic, shallots and tomatoes in a blender.
5. Crumble the bouillon cube into the coconut milk
6. Place the fish under a broiler for about 5 minutes while you prepare the sauce. On medium high heat, sauté the scallion greens and habanero that is already in the frying pan or wok. Add the tomato puree, and the seasoned coconut milk. Bring to a boil while stirring.
7. Remove the fish from under the broiler and carefully place it in the bubbling sauce. Cover and steam for about 5-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Baste with sauce intermittently while cooking.
8. Plate and enjoy.

Jamaican Jerk Scrambled Eggs with Chinese Yu Choy Vegetable

Jerk Eggs with Yu Choy, Bacon, and Afghani Naan

As I mentioned, I like to do cross cultural cooking, mixing ingredients from different countries and using them in ways that are different to how they are used in traditional recipes. This breakfast dish is one such example as I am using Jamaican, Chinese and Thai ingredients to make a delicious and tasty dish! I eat it with either Pita Bread or Afghani Naan. The recipe is very versatile and lends itself to using other vegetable combinations and seasonings. Variations might include using Jalapenos instead of Thai Chili, and Mexican Taco Seasoning instead of Jerk Seasoning.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp dried jerk seasoning

½ tsp salt

1 green or red Thai chili, chopped

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

2 stalks Yu Choy, chopped

2 strips bacon

Method

1. Wash the Yu Choy and chop it up finely. Do the same with the garlic cloves and shallots. Combine all together and add 1/2 tsp jerk seasoning to this and and set aside
2. Rough cut the Thai chili and add to the above mixture.
3. Season the two eggs with the remaining 1 tsp Jerk seasoning and salt, lightly beat.
4. Fry two strips bacon until crisp. Remove to plate. Discard the bacon fat leaving just 1 tbsp in the frying pan.
5. Sauté the Yu Choy, garlic, shallots, pepper in the oil and when softened, stir in the beaten eggs to scramble with the vegetable mixture. Add salt and pepper if needed. Plate and enjoy. 

   

   Chinese Yu Choy

Variation: Add some chopped Red Bell Pepper, and a small piece of Habanero, finely minced to the mix.

Jerk Scrambled eggs, Yu Choy, Red Bell Pepper, Bacon, Lebanese Pickled Wild Cucumbers and Afghan Naan

Bitter Melon and Pork. A Hakka Chinese Jamaican Inspired Version

Eaten with rice and Vietnamese Dua Choa (pickle)

This recipe belongs to no country but I took my inspiration from a Hakka Chinese dish the Mother of my best fried used to make. This is similar but yet totally different. The flavors are very strong, the preparation a bit lengthy and labor intensive. It will not be a dish for everyone. The original dish is much simpler in that it uses just soy sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese black beans. This is a more “turbocharged” version and reflects the flavors of the Caribbean blended with Hakka Chinese Jamaican cooking, and prepared to my own taste.

XO sauce is pretty expensive and usually only available in Chinese supermarkets. A cheaper, more available substitute would be 1-2 tsp Vietnamese Fish Sauce which is carried by many mainstream supermarkets. If you opt to use that, just sprinkle it on top of the mixture prior to steaming.

Bitter Melon is said to have beneficial effects on Diabetes. It is used in India, China, and Vietnam in a variety of recipes. 

Some ingredients you need

Ingredients

1 lb Bitter melon
½ lb ground pork
3 dried Chinese Mushrooms

4 Wood ears fungus
1 tsp Soy sauce
½ tsp each Salt and pepper
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp Chinese Guizhou Chili black bean sauce
3 cloves Garlic, minced

3 shallots, minced
1/2 yellow Habanero pepper
1 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tsp dark Soy sauce

2 tsp chili bean paste
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
½ tsp Sesame oil

1 tsp XO sauce

3-4 thin slices of ginger root

Cornstarch slurry of 2 tsp cornstarch and 4 tsp water

Method

1.      Season the pork in a bowl with salt, pepper, soy sauce, 1 tbsp cooking wine, and 1 tbsp cornstarch and ½ tsp sesame oil. Mix well and let marinate in fridge

2.      Soak dried Chinese mushrooms and fungus by pouring boiling water over them, and soak until soft. Drain and chop both finely

3.      Wash and core bitter melons, and slice to fit steamer. Blanch in boiling water and drain.

4.      Arrange slices in steamer and stuff with pork mixture, leaving a little mound on top like a muffin top

5.      Heat cooking oil in a wok then fry shallots, garlic, chopped mushrooms and fungus till fragrant. Add the black bean sauce, Oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili bean paste, sugar, cooking wine and the remaining ½ tsp sesame oil. Thicken this sauce with the cornstarch slurry and pour over the stuffed bitter melons in the steamer.Spread the XO sauce over the top and put the ½ Habanero in the middle of the steamer. This will flavor the dish while steaming but not make it too spicy. Place the slices of ginger root over the top as well and steam for 40 minutes.

Lebanese Makruns.....My version

Growing up in an overseas Lebanese community, Makruns are a type of Lebanese cookie that was pretty standard fare for me. Everywhere you visited, the host would have these as an accompaniment to the obligatory cup of Turkish Coffee that had to be offered to guests. They were put on a large plate that also had Baklava, and Ma’mool, and other very delectable pastries! It’s a wonder that we did not all become Diabetic or end up piling on the pounds! Sometimes the cookies were served with a sweet lemon and orange blossom water flavored syrup, other times not. My mother, aunts, and their friends all knew how to make them but no one had a recipe with measurements. I guess the method was something passed down through families. It took me a while (and many discarded batches) to get my version to where I was satisfied, and I found out that double baking them like I do when I bake Biscotti, gave them a better texture, somewhat like a shortbread. This is not done in the traditional method but I prefer it this way. I also do not eat them with syrup as that’s just too sweet for me.  Some of the ingredients like Mahlab, are optional but if you can get them from a Lebanese or Greek store, do make a difference in taste. Mahlab is an aromatic spice used throughout the Middle East in baked goods. It is made from the seeds of a species of cherry, Prunus mahaleb (the St Lucie cherry, aka the Mahaleb cherry). The cherry stones are cracked to extract the seed kernel, which is about 5 mm diameter, soft and chewy on extraction. Because the flavor diminishes very rapidly, the seed kernel is ground to a powder just before use. Its flavor is quite specific but is similar to a combination of bitter almond and cherry. 

Ingredients

 500g flour (250 all purpose, 250 durum Atta flour). I like the Durum Atta flour in this as it gives the cookies some “snap” but you can use just ordinary flour as well )

½ cup oil (I mix 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil but you could use only olive oil)

2 tbsp anise or 1 or anise 1 fennel, crushed (sometimes I also add Caraway seeds just to get a different flavor)

½ tsp salt

150 grams butter

135g sugar (if you like it sweeter you can add more sugar or make a “simple” sugar based syrup to dip the cookies in when serving)

100ml water

1 tsp freshly ground Mahlab (optional)

1 Tbsp Orange Blossom Water

Method

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1. Bring the water to a boil then add the crushed anise and fennel seed in so that they flavor the water.  Add the Orange Blossom water to that and let it then cool to room temperature.
2. Work the butter into the sugar, ground Mahlab and flour, and salt to look like coarse meal. Mix the oil and water in to form the pastry. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Once the dough forms, I bring it together with my hands.
3. Take small golf ball sized balls, roll out on a lightly floured board to a small circle (not too thin, about 2-3 inches in diameter) then roll up the edge to make a cylindrical shape (like rolling a cigar). Some people score the surface to make a pattern. I do it when I am not feeling too lazy!
4. Bake it on parchment paper at 350 degrees F until they are very light brown. Take them out, cool for about 20 minutes, then put them back in for another 20 minutes at about 275 degrees F…like you would do with Biscotti.

 They are very good with tea or coffee, and keep well in an airtight container.

A Trouble Free Way to Make Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

Nothing pleases a Jamaican’s heart, and satisfies hunger like a big bowl of Chicken or Beef Pumpkin soup for dinner on a Saturday evening. Growing up there, as I did, soup preparation was quite a lengthy procedure, staring in the morning with the ritual catching and killing the chicken, throwing boiling water over the carcass to make the removal of the feathers easier (so gross), gutting the bird (even more gross), cleaning it with limes picked from the ubiquitous lime tree in the yard, chopping up the chicken, then boiling it for hours to make the stock as rich, and nourishing as possible.  Living in the US , that way of cooking is just not possible. I doubt it is even still possible in Jamaica, given the busy lives most people now live there.

This means that the recipe has to be adapted to try and get the long cooking process made as labor (and worry) free as possible, and then just having a short finishing time to bring the meal to table. I have modified the method but sacrificed none of the flavor thanks to a 6 quart slow cooker, roasted chicken from Costco, and packets of Grace Chicken Noodle Soup, and Grace Cock Soup, now available in many mainstream American and UK based supermarkets. The slow cooker does the work during the day, and does not have to be carefully monitored like you would have to with a pot boiling away on the stove. The soup is finished on the stove, in a stock pot. That takes about 20 minutes, maybe less. In addition, from one Costco Chicken, I get seven meals (I remove both leg quarters and have those as separate meals). The chicken is a 4 lb bird, and at $US5, that’s hard to beat. You can work out the cost yourselves.

The pumpkin that forms the base is not the US type pumpkin; it is the Caribbean or Central American variety which is simply called “Pumpkin” in the English speaking Caribbean, and “Calabaza Amarilla or Calabaza Centroamericana” in the Latino stores in the US. This is to differentiate it from “Calabaza Mexicana” which is a green, squash like vegetable but which many Latino stores, especially Mexican owned, refer to as just “Calabaza”. So, if you were to go to a Mexican store and not ask specifically for “Calabaza Amarilla”, you would end up being shown the Mexican Squash. I have not added any starchy, root vegetables like Yam, or Malanga to the soup (this is a low carb version) but these could be added at the finishing stage if desired. They would have to be peeled just before use as they oxidize, and darken quickly when exposed to air.

So this is my compromise that gives me my pumpkin soup on a Saturday, and many Saturdays after, thanks to the portions that I freeze!

Some ingredients you will need:

 

Ingredients

1 Roasted Chicken, breast and wings (from any supermarket, Walmart etc)

64 Fl oz chicken stock
1 medium sized tin of corn

1 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Pepper

1-2 Spicy Andouille Sausages (I like the "Ragin Cajun" brand), sliced (I used to use a smoked ham hock but found it made the soup too greasy. I would imagine that smoked turkey neck bones or a smoked turkey wing would be a safe substitute if you don’t want the soup too spicy. That however is not an option for me!)

1-2 lbs Pumpkin, washed, peeled, cubed

1 medium onion

2-3 Ripe, red, Roma/Plum tomatoes

3-4 green onions

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Chayote (Cho-Cho) Squash, and 2 Medium Carrots, all peeled and cut into chunks (put these in the fridge until ready to finish the soup).

Some fresh or dried thyme sprigs

A couple of whole Allspice grains

1 packet of Grace Cock Soup

1-2 Packets Grace Chicken Noodle soup

Method

1. Put the chicken breast and wings in the crock pot, and add the chicken stock and drained tinned corn. Turn the slow cooker to high and cover.
2. In a food processor, chop the pumpkin, onion, garlic, and green onions. Place in a bowl with the thyme and Allspice grains. Do the same for the Roma tomatoes. Process those to a puree. Place in a separate bowl.
3. Put a little oil in a suitable sized frying pan and when hot, sauté the sausage for a minute of two. Add the chopped onion mixture, sauté for another minute or so, and then add the tomato puree. Once all start to bubble, add to the chicken and broth already in the slow cooker. Throw in the whole Habanero or Scotch Bonnet pepper, cover and leave this all to cook for 6 hours on high while you go and do other stuff.
4. Six hours later, turn off the slow cooker, and transfer the contents to a stockpot or large saucepan. Remove the meat from the chicken, and shred or cube the meat. Discard the bones.  Put the stockpot with the broth and meat on the stove and bring to a boil. Remove the Habanero pepper taking care not to burst it, add the carrots and Chayote squash, and also the packets of Grace soup. Taste after you have added 2 packets to determine whether you need to add the other. Stir vigorously while adding the soup packets to prevent the soup mix from clumping then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally….and that’s it! Soup is ready with a minimum of effort!

 

A VERY Spicy Tamarind Ginger Chicken

This is a VERY spicy Tamarind Ginger glazed chicken. It is not for people who cannot tolerate spicy food. You have been warned! It is also not for people who don’t like recipes involving a lengthy preparation, and uses a variety of oven techniques. The final result is however well worth the effort.

Some of the ingredients you will need:

Ingredients

2 lb Chicken Drumsticks, skin on

Grace Jamaican Caribbean meat or Chicken Seasoning powder

1-2 dashes Worcester sauce

1 tbsp Jamaican Pickapeppa Sauce

3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

3-4 medium shallots, OR 1 medium onion, finely chopped

A small piece of Habanero or Scotch Bonnet Pepper

1-2 inch piece of fresh, peeled ginger root, finely grated

¼ cup Tangy Tamarind Chutney (I use the “National” brand but would imagine any would do)

¼ cup Maggi Tomato Chili Sauce

1 tsp Honey

2 heaping tsp Garam Masala powder

Method

1. Score the drumsticks by making 2 cuts in each one down to the bone. Put in a plastic storage bag (Ziploc). Season well with the Caribbean seasoning powder, Garam Masala, a dash or two of Worcester sauce, the Pickapeppa sauce, finely chopped garlic, habanero pepper, shallots, and grated ginger root. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil over the lot and let this marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. The next day, line a 13 X 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil (makes cleanup easier) and put the drumsticks on a wire rack that will fit on top of this. I have a special broiler pan that comes with its own rack. Put under broiler and brown the chicken until the skin begins to char, turning the legs so that one side does not burn too much. This will burn the seasoning powder a bit and release the flavors. Remove from oven, take drumsticks off the rack and place in the foil lined tin. Add the Tamarind Chutney, 1 tsp Honey, and Maggi Tomato Chili Sauce, and cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes. This steam bake method allows the chicken to make its own seasoned juices in the pan, and form a thick brown sauce like that seen in the picture.
3. Remove from oven, and take foil cover off. The chicken pieces will be in a richly flavored sauce but now need to be broiled for a short period just to get a bit of char, and thicken the sauce a little more. Place under the broiler, and watch carefully until the sauce starts to bubble, and the chicken skin just begins to char in areas. Remove and enjoy. I have this with steamed brown rice with the sauce put over that.

 

Anzac Biscuits......My Version.

UPDATE: 6/20/15 I decided to try something different with the baking process for these cookies. I like a hard, dry cookie. I therefore decided to try baking these like I do Biscotti. So, I baked them as I usually do but then I let them cool for 20 minutes then put them back in the oven at a temperature of 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for another 20 minutes. The results are outstanding, and because the cookies are now drier, and crisper, they also last longer when stored in an airtight container.

Anzac Day was celebrated a few days ago. Thought I'd try to modify the traditional version I found all over the Web. I love a good, crunchy biscuit with a cup of coffee or tea, or just as a quick snack when the craving for something sweet kicks in! I included things like Durum Atta flour and flax meal. I find that baking with Durum flour gives baked goods a nice "snap" to the bite, and flax I think tends to have overall health benefits, in addition to being gluten free. So while not completely gluten free, it's low gluten content. Instead of Golden Syrup, I included Maple Syrup, and instead of including dessicated coconut (of which I am not particularly fond), split the butter requirement with coconut oil. The result was a delicious, crisp, knobbly biscuit/cookie that is totally addictive. They keep well in an airtight container.

• ½ cup self raising cup flour+1/2 cup durum atta flour
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup flax meal
• 2 cups oatmeal (I did not use whole oats but used Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal as it is already ground)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75g butter+50 grams coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place flour, caster sugar, oatmeal, salt, and flax meal in a bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre.
2. Place butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a saucepan to melt, or microwave in a bowl to melt. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water. Add melted ingredients and dissolved baking soda to dry ingredients and mix to combine.
3. Roll spoonfuls into balls ( I used a measuring tablespoon as a scoop) and press onto prepared baking trays, allowing space for biscuits to spread while cooking. I coat the bottom of a drinking glass with a little cooking oil and use that to "press" the dough. I also put a little cooking oil in the spoon to start with and the dough "drops" out much easier. The dough can be both a bit crumbly, and sticky so that makes it difficult to "unscoop" the drops. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy!