Boiled Channa, Simple Guyanese Peasant Food

I always preach on Guyanese food being the food of poor people with limited resources. Meat was expensive. Fresh imports were not available. You had dried goods, canned foods, and whatever you could grow locally. There is fish and seafood, but again, either you catch it (effort and time) or you can buy it (again, expensive to use on a regular basis). 

One thing that is overlooked but so typically guyanese is channa, or as the rest of the world knows it, chick peas or garbanzo beans. You go to a prayers and you get channa curry. You go to a rumshop and you may get fried channa. And if you go to a wake, you may get boiled channa. It's easy and relatively cheap and quintessentially Guyanese for all races and religions. You will never find it in a restaurant, you will never have it for Christmas or Easter dinner. It is the most humble of foods.

I remember serving this when my grandparents died. I also remember eating this on a weekend while I was studying at home. I cannot pinpoint it to a specific time and place, but it is a memory of my childhood and part of my comfort now. It is both healthy and filling. As I'm writing this I wonder why I don't eat this on a regular basis? Alistair, your allergies keep me on my toes; sometimes you react to channa, sometimes you don't. If it weren't for your love of pepper, I would wonder how Guyanese you really are! I hope you can eat this as you grow older. It's one of those things that you can whip up anytime. I keep at least six cans of channa in the pantry and stock up as needed, because if I'm in a pinch, I can make something if needed.

Boiled channa is the easiest (and the only one I make) Guyanese preparations of channa. I would eat a bowl on its own. If you were to make channa curry, then you would eat it with roti, but not rice. I don't make these rules, they have evolved over time by Guyanese people who must have figured out the best combinations. 

So through social distancing before I get some free time back with having to cook every single meal at home for every single person every single day, yeah, I will likely make boiled channa before we return to me wanting to actually cook.

IMAGE COMING SOON!

Ingredients:
Channa (chick peas)		1 can or 1 cups dried and rehydrated
Onion		1 medium - large, chopped
Garlic		6 cloves, minced
Cumin		1/4 tsp, ground (optional)
Black Pepper		1 tsp, ground
Sea Salt		1 tsp
Canola Oil		2 tbsp
Water		1/4 cup
Green Onion / Bandanya		chopped to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Re-hydrate the dried channa overnight with water and baking soda. If using tinned channa you need not hydrate. for both, Drain and rinse in a sieve thoroughly until the water runs clear. 
2. In a medium size pot, heat the canola oil on medium heat.
3. Saute the onions and garlic until they are translucent.
4. If you want the bite of the cumin, add it now. it should colour the onions and garlic and become aromatic very quickly. It is important that you cook it through to bring out all it's seasoning power without burning it. Keep an eye on it, because if you walk away it will burn.
5. Add the channa and black pepper and turn the heat up to medium high.
6. Quickly stir well to coat everything. As the heat comes back up to strength you will hear the change in the pot within minutes.
7. Timing is now very important. with the temperature still on medium-high, add the water and sea salt, then stir quickly. 
8. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. 
9. Let the channa simmer gently for 15 minutes. Check and stir occasionally to make sure it does not burn and the texture remains creamy. Add a little more water if it seems to get too dry, but not enough where you can see liquid. You don't want it soupy, but you don't want it dry and chalky either.
10. When the channa is soft enough to crush with little pressure it is done. I like to add a maririri pepper to the pot when I add the channa, but you kids aren't ready for that yet, so I just add peppersauce until you guys are all grown up and ready for more heat.
11. Garnish with herbs if you prefer and have any on hand.

Fry Shark

My darling children,

So Alexis, in true form to how we raised you, you will not say you do not like a food until you have managed one bite, and you have decided shark is not for you. You cannot understand how devastating this is to me. This is the greatest of beach side foods that I was hoping you would join me in loving. At least, as we both agreed, the shark had no chance to bite you, you bit the shark. Alistair, I'll have to feed you some flavour neutral fish before you can tackle the almighty shark. I'll prepare it again when you are old enough to form an opinion on its taste. So in the event that the flavour is something you both will grow into over time (I hope), here is the recipe for that weird fish mamma used to make.

It is not typically Guyanese, but since having bake and shark at Richards in Maracas Bay (thank you Paula/Natalie/Mikes) it is a food that evokes strong memories and elicits strong feelings that cannot be recreated elsewhere. A mix of swimming, jumping waves and general beach exhaustion under the sun generates a hunger which can only be satiated by the one perfect food. I know I cannot recreate the experience. In fact, I do not fry bake at home and will only pan fry fish. But I have no problem frying up some shark, which is a little different than Banga Mary thanks to green seasoning, making it a decisively Trini dish. I will publish the green seasoning recipe for you both, but that will come later. For now, my take on preparing shark, including the butchery, is based on the original from Caribbean Pot.  His video on the coleslaw is a great accompaniment which appears in the images below.



Green Seasoning 

Green Onion		6 stalks
Bandanya		6 bunches
Garlic		8 cloves
Scotch Bonnet		1 (optional when you have babies)
Lime		1, juiced
Canola Oil		1/4 cup
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tbsp (ground)

Breading Flour 

White Flour		1/2 cup
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)

Shark

Shark Fillets		6
Canola Oil		for pan frying

Preparation:

1. Buy the fillets or butcher the steaks as shown in the Caribbean Pot video
2. Wash shark in lemon and salt solution, rinse well and pat dry
3. In a food processor, add all ingredients for green seasoning and blend 
4. In a bowl, add green seasoning and shark. My rule of thumb is at least two tablespoons per steak.
5. Let shark marinate for at least two hours, covered
6. Pour breading flour ingredients into a shallow glass dish. Square will work best, because you can shake the four down easily between steaks. Stir until it is well mixed
7. Pour enough oil into a saute pan to pan fry
8. Turn heat up to medium high
9. Test oil with flour. If it fries, it is ready to cook
10. Toss steak in flour and place in pan. Do not touch it once it is down! Let it fry for at least four minutes. With a good pan and the right heat, the steak should come up easily when it is ready to flip. Never force it or you will lose the crust (and worst case, the shark) to the pan.
11. Once flipped, it should take less than the time it took on the first side. check with the tongs to test the give from the pan. It will let you know when it is ready.
12. Remove from the pan and let it drain on a paper towel covered drain rack.
13. If you are going to eat it as a sandwich, make your bakes and fixings, and don't forget the coleslaw.

Shark (peppersauce on top) with coleslaw on the side

Beefaroni

Alexis, there is nothing more heartwarming than to see you thoroughly enjoying a meal. Pointing to me and saying 'good cook!' But I get it all from your Grandma. Alistair, you'll learn this as well. In fact, I see you wolf down beefaroni just as quickly (if not faster) than your sister!

Ah, beefaroni. How many school night did I come home before my parents and found comfort in dishing out a bowl of leftover beefaroni from the fridge, my mouth watering as the smell wafted from the microwave as it heated up. Of course it is best as soon as it came from the pot (even sneaking a spoonful before dinnertime) but it didn't matter to me; it was afterschool comfort and both my sister and I enjoyed it every day.

I could make my own sauce from scratch and I could get fresh pasta for any dish, but the key to this beefaroni is in it's minimalist approach to cooking. I've tried it with everything homemade and it never turns out right. Take it from yourself Alexis - you will eat any of my pastas, but this is the version you will devour.

Beefaroni:
Ground Beef (lean)		2 lbs
Pasta Sauce		2 (680mL) cans
Pasta (Ditali or Macaroni)		750g
Garlic		1 clove, finely minced
Water		680 mL
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)
Black Pepper		1 tsp (ground)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, brown the ground beef and garlic until fully cooked.
2. Add the pasta sauce and stir together.
3. Rinse the pasta sauce from the cans with the equivalent of one can of water and pour it into the pot.
4. Bring the pot to the boil and then reduce the heat to low.
5. Add salt and pepper and stir.
6. In a separate pot, bring salted water to boil and cook pasta to one minute shy of al dente.
7. Strain pasta in a colander and pour pasta into the beef sauce.
8. Stir to fully incorporate and turn off the heat.

Leftovers: Turkey Tetrazzini

When I was living at your grandparents, grandma would get creative with leftovers to the point that we never knew we were eating the same Thanksgiving  turkey every day. Something about this dish is so comforting. In the chill of mid-October, after a long day of school, especially if I had orchestra practice, it was one of those dinners that made you so happy to be home.

Since I've made it for both of you, this is the highlight of your Thanksgivings. You like seeing the bird, you like the Thanksgiving meal with family, but what you love eating is Turkey Tetrazzini. In fact, there was once a time when you both finished off the entire pot in two days!

As with most popular pasta dishes, Tetrazzini has an origin story. American, actually, circa 1910 from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, where Italian opera star, Luisa Tetrazzini was 'a long-time resident' (according to Wikipedia). There are many versions of the dish, but to me, if it's not made with turkey, it's not worth making. Mom never would have made the original full fat version, so hers, while comforting, is also much healthier. 

Immediately after cooking. Also works with chicken.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Cooked Turkey		3 cups, coarsely shredded
Button Mushrooms		2 cups, quartered
Green Peas		1/3 cup
Broad Egg Noodles		1 pkg
Turkey Stock		2 cups
Water		0.5L, boiled
Sour Cream		1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour		4 tbsp
Parmesan Cheese		1/4 cup (freshly grated)
Garlic		5 cloves, minced
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp
Canola Oil		2 tbsp
Parsley		for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour canola oil into pot on med-high heat
2. Sauté garlic until translucent
3. Add Button Mushrooms and saute until they brown and reduce in size
4. Add flour and stir until flour is well mixed, translucent, and has begun to barely sizzle
5. Add water slowly and whisk, adding only enough until the sauce has the consistency of thick béchamel 
6. Whisk in turkey stock and black pepper
7. Allow the sauce to comes to a boil
8. Add shredded turkey, green peas to the sauce, stir, and reduce heat to low
9. Prepare egg noodles, cook to slightly underdone, remove from heat (else they will just suck up all the sauce), and set aside until the sauce is finished
10. Here is where you can add the egg noodles directly to the pot of sauce, or, if you prefer, plate the noodles and sauce on the plate - our family prefers the one pot sauced noodles (see picture)
11. Stir in a dollop of sour cream immediately prior to serving, and garnish with parsley (or as you call it, Alistair, leaves)

Bali and Your Belly - The Shores of Romance

How is it possible to go to Bali without being swept up in the inherent romance of the island? It has positioned itself as the sensual and mystical, the virginal and passionate, it creates the slight offset beat that heightens our allure.


Funny, isn't it? If you were to assume the male and female between these drinks, you would think the tall fruity thing is mine, wouldn't you? I prefer less sweet, more sour. The hurricane glass is Enrique's. It's a pineapple rum frozen and frothy concoction. Mine is a lime and lemongrass gin. Bali isn't known for the heavy drinkers; liquor here is at a premium, but it doesn't mean their bartenders pay little attention to taste. As odd as this is, I wasn't really interested in drinking much on this vacation, but a cocktail goes well with dinner.








Enrique opted for the four course dinner. The ice cream in that black dish? Wasabi. The salad? it's lobster sashimi. Also on the menu was a deconstructed ravioli, seared scallops and ribs (ah yes, my husband and his ribs...)





I must say he enjoyed the ribs more than anything. He is, in the end, a man's man, and while flavours and unique presentation are all well and good, great tasting hearty food will beat out every time. Yes, yes, I know I said he drinks fruity drinks, but a man in vacation is entitled to the little umbrellas. But a man tends towards comfort foods more than women, so if you offer him ribs, and top it of, with rice, of all things (he is Filipino, after all), can I blame him? To him, this is what he enjoys. Even if the best ribs in the world are half a world away, this is what made him happy tonight.














For me, I chose a freshly caught snapper. Ever try to recreate a great food moment? Mine is a Snapper at a restaurant (El Pescadore) in Mexico. It was the best snapper I had ever tasted. Unfortunately, this snapper fell short. In fact, this snapper was undercooked, and before I could spit out the offending mouthful (into a napkin, I did not intend to ruin the evening, lol), some must have made my way into my stomach because I had to go back to the room after dinner while Enrique enjoyed the night on the beach. I joined him, but of course, it put a great pause in the evening. But then again, that's part of love, right? Right?



Romance isn't always about dressed up food. Some of the best food we've eaten have been in what would be termed, unromantic settings. But it is the passion that makes the romance irregardless of the setting. And though it was wonderful to have a candle lit dinner on the beach in Bali, by no means was it necessary for our love and our passion.


Oh come on, a candle lit dinner on the beach in Bali can't hurt your chances either.

Toast and Tea

Many times I'll come home and not want a big meal. It maybe that I'm not up to preparing something, but mostly, it will be because I want nothing heavy, substantial or complex. I want simple comfort.

Growing up, a snack before bedtime, or an enjoyable breakfast could be as easy as toast and tea. Not just any toast and not just any tea. Else, it wouldn't be the same comforting meal. It was Orange Pekoe (yes, ordinary, nothing extravagant) with milk and sugar, and white sliced buttered bread. It easily puts me at ease. Who needs sleeping pills when you have this.

Nowadays, I skip the white bread. I don't eat the stuff. Instead, I have a wonderful bakery down the street. I get a loaf of grain bread, freshly baked on the weekends, and if you store it properly, it keeps for the week. And no butter in my house (I'll get into that later); I use margarine. But the tea remains the same, and I can drink cuploads of it. And I no longer dip the toast in the tea, giving it just the right amount of moisture and eating it before it gets soggy. I let that rest with my childhood.

Ask anyone from the West Indies, and they will know of toast and tea. We're a series of colonies - we grew up on tea. Brew a fresh pot. Cut a thick slick of fresh and fragrant bread. Slather on butter (or my case, margarine). It's the ingredients that do it. Its the expectation of 'that' tea, and 'that' toast, that make the dish what it is to me - a sedative on a plate (and in a cup).