Rock Buns

With the West Indian accent this is pronounced more like Rock Bunce. These little cakes can easily be found in bakeries throughout Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean. It is similar to Sweet Bread; a Caribbean cake with a hard, scabrous exterior and soft interior, and usually baked in a loaf pan. Rock Buns, however, are baked free-form. Unlike the typical baked good, you can't mess them up. My mom swears by them, as its a fool-proof dessert or sweet snack. Typically, West Indians make it free-hand, with absolutely no measurements of the ingredients. Raisins, currants, or cherries can be added to the dough. If you would like your Buns to be softer or harder; simply adjust the ingredients as per your liking, but the following recipe produces a typical batch of Rock Buns.

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed essence
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (opt)
a pinch of lime zest (opt)

• Preheat oven to 350° F/180° C.


• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and butter and rub together until a coarse dough is formed (or until it resembles fine crumbs).


• Add sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. Mix to distribute evenly.


• Add egg, lime zest, milk, and essence and form a soft dough, using hands.


• Using a spoon and fork, divide dough into small, roughly shaped pieces and place on a greased baking sheet.


• Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serves 6-8

© 2008 Kimberly Joseph

Curry Channa

*N.B-In Grenada, we know chick peas and cumin by their Hindi names, channa and geera. What is known as saffron is really turmeric.*

2 cups channa, soaked overnight or canned
1 1/2 cups water

1 small tomato or 1/4 cup tomato, cubed
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp. geera, ground

1 tbsp. saffron, ground
1 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. West Indian hot sauce

Drain channa in a colander. Set aside. In a large pan, heat oil on medium-high and add geera, saffron, tomato, onion, hot sauce, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes, then add about 1/4 cup water. Continue to saute for another 3 minutes, then add channa. Saute for 5 minutes. Add remaining water, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with roti.

Serves 6

© 2008 K. Joseph

Curry Goat

2 lbs lean goat meat
1 onion, chopped
1 lime, cut into halves
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped tomato
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. ground geera(cumin)
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh Bandhania/Chadon Beni (shadow beni)*
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 tsp. West Indian hot sauce or hot pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp. salt

• Trim and cut meat into 1-inch peices.


• Thouroughly wash goat with water and juice from the lime.


• Place in a large bowl, and add tomato, cloves, salt, bandhania/chadon beni, hot sauce or hot pepper, black pepper, garlic and bay leaves. Mix well to distribute seasoning evenly.


• Let sit for 1 hour.


• Heat oil on a large pot or karahi and when hot, add curry powder and sauté for ten seconds, then add geera and onion and continue to sauté for 2 minutes, adding a little water if needed, (about 1/4 cup) to prevent the spices from burning.


• Add goat and sauté for 10 minutes.


• Add water and bring to a boil.


• Adjust heat to low and cover pot. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until goat is tender.
  
  Serve with dal puri, or coconut rice.
  
  Serves 6
  
  *If unavailable, bandhania/chadon beni may be replaced with cilantro.
  
  © 2008 K. Joseph

Saffron Rice

Turmeric, or saffron, as it is called in Grenada, is one of the most widely used spices in Grenadian cuisine. It adds a yellow color and unique flavor to dishes, and is an essential ingredient in the national dish, Oil Down. This spice originates in Southest Asia, and is a very important ingredient in East Indian cuisine. My maternal grandmother tells me of her memories of her, and her mother, boiling, drying, and grounding turmeric to use in the making of Indian spice blends, or masalas as we call it. In some parts of the English-speaking world, turmeric is nicknamed 'poor man's saffron'- this is the best explaination I've come across that perhaps solves the mystery of why Grenadians, as well as other West Indians, call it saffron.






2 cups rice, parboiled
1 1/2 tbsp. 'saffron'(turmeric), ground
4 cups water
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt

• In a large pot, heat oil on high and sauté onion for about 10 seconds, then add the rice and 'saffron' and continue to sauté for 3 minutes.




• Add water and salt (it should start boiling immediately since the heat has been on high for a few minutes) and lower heat to medium and cover the pot.




• Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and all the water is absorbed.
  
  

Serve with a curried dish.

Serves 8

© K Joseph

Aloo Baigan

Eggplant is known locally in Grenada as melongene, balanjay, and baigan. Aloo is Hindi for potato. Baigan is also Hindi. To my know- ledge; melongene and balenjay are Bhojpuri (a dialect of Hindi). There are many eggplant dishes in Grenadian cuisine, most of which are curries. My favorite is made with coconut milk, callaloo and okra. It is quite tedious to prepare, as it must be on a medium low fire for about 2 hrs or so. I will post the recipe for it soon. However, the following curry is fairly simple to prepare.


1 lb or 2 cups peeled and sliced melongene(eggplant)
1 lb or 2 cups cubed potato
1 1/2 cup water
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp ground geera(cumin)
1 tsp West Indian hot sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
black pepper to taste

• Warm oil in a large pan over medium heat.


• When hot, add the curry powder and stir for about half a minute, then add cumin, onion, garlic and hot sauce. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes.


• Add the potato and melongene and sauté for another 2 minutes, then add water and place the temperature on medium high. Cover the pot.


• Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then reduce heat to medium, add salt and black pepper and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, or until sauce is thick.

Serve with rice or roti.

Serves 6

© K Joseph

Salt Fish Souse

This salad is usually served chilled or at room temperature. In some other Caribbean islands this dish is called Buljol.

1/2 lb. salt fish

2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 sweet peppers, finely chopped

2 tbsp oil

black pepper to taste

• Boil salt fish on medium high for 10 minutes, then drain the water, leaving the salt fish in the pot. Refill the pot with water and boil for another 5 minutes. Drain.




• Remove skins and bones and break into small pieces.




• Place in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Add more oil if desired. Mix well.

Serve with bakes, crackers, or dumplings.

Serves 6

© 2008 K. Joseph