Take sea salt health claims with a grain of salt!
Hi Everyone, The salt war has come home. Last week, Canadian Professor of Nephrology, Euan Carlisle, while responding to a question about the possible cause of the large number of renal failure cases in Guyana (at the opening of The Doobay Renal Centre), said that a contributing factor might be that our diets are loaded [...]
Let’s discuss: Bunjal versus Curry
Hi Everyone, “A lot of people don’t realize that there is a difference between bunjal and curry you know,” declared the winner of last year’s Duck Curry Competition put on by the Guyanese Association of Barbados (GABI). It is a comment that I have heard repeated all my life, especially by cooks who consider themselves [...]
Guilt-free ‘Fried’ Ripe Plantains
Hi Everyone, I think that anyone would be hard-pressed to find a Caribbean person who does not like fried ripe plantains. And oh gosh, if you are a plantain fanatic like I am, you will definitely love what I have to say today. When you love something (or someone), you know the lengths you would [...]
A pork bun homage
Hi Everyone, There are many pork buns and pork sandwiches out there, each with its own legion of worshippers and adoring fans, but there is one that has stolen my heart, rendered me helpless and always desperate with longing – Momofuku’s Pork Buns. Momofuku is a set of three famous restaurants owned and operated by [...]
Sweet heat
Hi Everyone, I love peppers – of all varieties, shapes and heat level. More than the heat or flavour, I find peppers to be exceptionally beautiful. Short, long, fat, slender, round, dimpled, smooth, hot, fiery, sweet and mild are but a few words we can use to describe peppers aka chillies. Before I set out [...]
Roti – Eating at its best
Hi Everyone, I receive a lot of emails from people crying out in frustration wondering why their once soft, fluffy, hot roti has gone dry or hard by the afternoon. They ask: “Where did I go wrong? I followed the recipe exactly!” I hold their hands (virtually), lead them to a chair, and set about [...]
Yangzhou Fried Rice
Hi Everyone, last August when I was in Guyana and on the hunt for Chinese food, pastries, etc, you know, a taste of home, everyone kept telling me that I must try the Yangzhou fried rice. Each person that recommended it had their personal pick in terms of which place had the best tasting Yangzhou [...]
The vulnerability of cooking for others
Hi Everyone, bearing your soul. Letting down your guard. Inviting someone into an intimate space. Being vulnerable. This is what you do when you make a decision to cook for others. The pressure is more intense when the invitation is to dine at the table in your home. Food as many of us know is [...]
Green: The Colour of Food
Hi Everyone, Green is the number one colour when it comes to food. Have you ever stopped to consider how many of the items you pick up at the market or grocery store that is the colour green? The colour itself connotes so many things when it comes to food in particular. Freshness, life, renewal, [...]
It’s Pancake turned Tarte Tartin turned Upside Down Cake
Hi Everyone, So I felt like eating pancakes. I spied the apples on the counter top and began to think about how I could incorporate the apples into the pancakes. Thoughts of syrup with sweet cinnamon began to swirl around in my mind. I wondered aloud – how could I make this an all-in-one pancake [...]
About cooking rice
Hi Everyone, All rice is not created equal. Therefore, all rice is not cooked with the same water to rice ratio or using the same cooking methods. Cooking perfect rice is elusive for many people. For clarification, the use of the word ‘perfect’ in this context refers to the perfection desired by individual households and [...]
Nice fluffy dumplings
Hi Everyone, last month, I received an email from my editor at Stabroek News, in which she relayed the contents of a letter sent to the newspaper. I share that letter with you today and dedicate this edition of the column to the writer of the letter. Dear Editor, I buy the Stabroek everyday and [...]
Move over smoked Herring
Hi Everyone, people the length and breath of the Caribbean have a serious love for smoked Herring aka red Herring. It’s a taste of home that is only rivalled by salted fish, until now. The smoked fish (Shark, Snapper, Bangamary) to which I refer is a celebration of food that is local and regional. Guyana [...]
What kind of bake is it?
Hi Everyone, so what kind of bake to make? Fry Bake, Roast Bake, Bake Bake, Coconut Bake or Pot Bake? Sounds confusing? Well, it is, especially when you don’t know all these different kinds of bakes even existed! My Trinbagonian foodie-friend, Chennette, described it as “language problems”. The plan was to make bread but confronted [...]
Guyanese Cheese Pie
Hi Everyone, A few weeks ago, I received a request for a recipe for Cheese Pie, “the kind that sells at Salt and Pepper.” The request came from a regular reader of this column. Always using requests as an opportunity to learn, test and re-test recipes, I set about making cheese pies and exploring their [...]