Fish Cake

Here's another Guyanese dish for you: fish cakes!  I love recipes that have multiple uses.  Fish cakes can be an appetizer, side dish, part of a whole meal for lunch or dinner, or a light snack!  It uses a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your home.  This recipe can be multiplied for catering-sized trays or just stick to the portions below to feed a few family members.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb frozen whiting fish fillet, fully thawed
  Seasoning tip:  2 portions of the below ingredients are needed (1 portion to season the fish to fry and 1 portion to add to the fish after you fry it)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoon chopped onion
• 3 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup veggie oil
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup bread crumbs

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in pan – medium heat
2. Wash and pat the fillets dry
3. Lightly season the fish with all of the above ingredients except the eggs and the bread crumbs
4. Put fish in oil to fry until slightly brown on each side (about 2-3 mins)
5. Take the fish out of the pan and put it in a medium-large basin
6. Use a fork to break the fish apart, adding bread crumbs, egg and another round of the ingredients from above (then mix to incorporate)
7. Form cake-like patties out of the mixture
8. Re-heat the ¼ cup of oil to medium heat
9. Place the fish cakes in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side
10. Enjoy with brown rice, dhal, and mango chutney or pepper sauce of your choice!

Eggball

Hard-boiled eggs covered in seasoned mashed potatoes & a homemade batter then fried to golden perfection! Try this delicious Guyanese recipe for breakfast, an easy snack, or appetizer.

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:  

• 6 hard-boiled eggs  
• 2.5 cups vegetable oil for frying  

Potato mixture: 

• 3 potatoes, washed & scrubbed
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons ground onion  
• Salt to taste  

Batter:

• 4 tablespoons ground split peas 
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour  
• 1/2 cup water (or more, added slowly to create batter consistency) 
• Salt to taste

Recipe:

1. Boil potatoes for 15 mins.
2. Mash them in a bowl with all the potato spices above, set aside.
3. Peel the hard-boiled eggs.
4. Use your hands to cover the eggs one by one with the mashed potatoes, creating a large ball.
5. Dip the ball into the batter so it's evenly coated.
6. Place the ball into the hot oil & fry for about 1 minute (or until golden).
7. Place on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

Serve with some homemade mango chutney or sauce of your choice!

Dad's Lamb Pepper Pot

Spiced lamb meat slow cooked in a warm broth of casreep (a thick black liquid made from cassava root), cinnamon sticks, clove, dark brown sugar, and other spices.  Try this delicious Guyanese dish this holiday season & savor it for days!

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs lamb meat - cut into chunks for stew
• 1 cup casreep (find it in a West Indian store)
• 1.5 tablespoon whole cloves
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• Enough hot water to cover the meat in the pot
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 3 tablespoons minced/chopped garlic
• 1 large onion chopped/minced
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley leaves
• 1 bunch fresh oregano
• 5 fresh basil leaves
• 3 leaves of broadleaf thyme, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 hot peppers (optional)

Recipe:        

1. Sautée onion, garlic, and lamb meet with the casreep for 5 mins on low heat
2. Add all other ingredients + the water, bring to a boil.
3. Cover for about 40 mins, or until the meat is tender.  Turn it occasionally during this time.
4. Enjoy!

Pepper pot should be served with Guyanese plait bread (can be found in a West Indian store).  It tastes even better days after it's cooked - reheated.  The flavors in the broth saturate the meat and make it even more flavorful in every bite! 

Kalonji with Shrimp

Bitter melon - bitter gourd - karela.. no matter what you call it, it is delicious pan-fried and filled with curried shrimp!  Try this fantastic Guyanese dish for dinner tonight!

Time: Approx 1 hour - makes 4 kalonji (double this recipe to make 8)

Ingredients:

• 2 bitter melons (karela) - get ones that are wide so you can scoop out the seeds and stuff them
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon ground geera (ground cumin)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1.5 cups raw peeled & de-veined shrimp
• 2 garlic cloves - minced or finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Recipe:

1. Set a pot of 3 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt to boil.
2. Cut off the ends of the karela (bitter melon) so the tips and stem are off but the end is not open (you need it closed so you can stuff it later).
3. Put the karela to boil in the pot for 15 mins, turning it every so often so it boils on all sides.
4. In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil to medium heat and add chopped garlic and onion until golden brown. 
5. Next, add the shrimp to the pan - and the remaining teaspoon of salt, curry powder, ground geera, garam masala, and coriander. 
6. By now the karela should be ready for straining.  Strain and wash with cold water so it cools off soon.
7. Fry the shrimp in the curry mixture until cooked through - then move it to another bowl. 
8. When the karela is cooled enough to handle without burning yourself, cut both of them in half.  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon so you have 4 hollow pieces. 
9. Fill about 2-3 spoonfuls of the shrimp mixture inside each karela.  Press it in with the back of your spoon so it's tightly packed.
10. Turn the stove back on with the same pan that you fried your shrimp in, let it get to medium heat. 
11. Add each piece of stuffed karela to the pan and pan-sear on all sides so that the outer edge of the karela is browned. 
12. Serve over a plate of homemade rice and dhal (as pictured) - enjoy!

Cookup Rice with Lamb

Creamy, hearty, meaty, warm, YUMMY!  Cookup rice is an amazing Guyanese dish.. and one of my favorite dishes ever!  I've deviated slightly from the traditional way of making it, simply to save some time and get it in my belly faster - but I've included a disclaimer of how to make it the traditional way if you have more time.  This recipe seems intimidating because of the number of ingredients, but it is really easy!  It's kind of like a big pot of gumbo. 

FYI you can substitute the lamb with a meat of your choice.  Enjoy! 

Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs lamb meat (I got shoulder chops & cut them into bite sized pieces)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 can blackeyed peas, rinsed and strained (Disclaimer: the traditional way to make this dish is with a bag of blackeyed peas soaked overnight, then boiled (15 mins) and strained, before using in the recipe)
• 1 cup white rice, washed but uncooked (I used basmati)
• 1 tablespoon diced yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 1 bullion cube (chicken flavored) - this is optional
• A handful of baby spinach, or okra (bok choy can also work)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt/black pepper to taste
• 2 diced wiri-wiri peppers (can sub chili peppers or peppers of your choice!)
• 2 bay leaves (optional)

Recipe:

1. Heat a medium-large sized pot to medium/high heat.  Add the lamb pieces, with the fat on (so you don't need to add extra oil or butter for frying the meat).   Allow this to brown for about 5 mins, turning it so all sides of the meat are browned.
2. Remove the lamb pieces and set them in a plate or bowl for use later - they won't be completely cooked through. 
3. In the same pot that you cooked the lamb, lower the heat to medium/low, and add the diced onions, thyme, and garlic.  Let simmer for about 3 mins. 
4. Add the uncooked rice and can of blackeyed peas to this mixture, so they are coated in the lamb fat.  Let fry for about 2 mins. 
5. Add the can of coconut milk and the bullion cube.  Stir so the ingredients are incorporated and covered with liquid.  If they are not, add a cup of water.
6. Bring mixture to a boil, add salt, black pepper, wiri-wiri pepper and bay leaves if you'd like, then cover at lower the heat to a simmer for 20 mins, turning a few times so the bottom doesn't burn. 
7. Uncover the pot, stir until you find the bay leaves and remove them. At this time you should add in the baby spinach, bok choy, or okra.  Add the tablespoon of butter and mix it around so it melts into the cookup rice. 
8. Serve hot, with sliced cucumbers or salad on the side!