Trinidad Chicken Roti

• Chicken Preparation: Begin by cutting the chicken leg quarters into 2-inch pieces or smaller pieces. Rinse the chicken thoroughly with a solution of vinegar, fresh lime or lemon juice and water. Clean off any excess skin, remove feathers and rub off slime. Drain the chicken pieces well.
• Make Green Seasoning: Place all the ingredients for the green seasoning in the bowl of the food processor. Chop until fine. Store in a mason jar in the fridge until ready to use.
• Seasoning the ChickenSeason the chicken with 1/2 cup green seasoning, onion, salt and pepper. Marinate for a min of 30 minutes or 2 days tightly covered in the fridge.
• Heating the Oil: In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onion and hot pepper. Cook until the edges of the onion turn a golden brown.
• Cook Curry Powder: Add the curry powder, turmeric, 1 tsp green seasoning and a half cup of water to the pot. Stir continuously for approximately 2-3 minutes, allowing the curry powder to become grainy and fragrant.
• Add ChickenStir in the seasoned chicken, ensuring that it's well combined with the curry mixture. Cook for 10 minutes on high heat to develop more flavors.
• Cooking TimeOnce it begins to stick, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow the chicken to cook for 40 minutes. Or until fully cooked and the sauce has thickened. Stir the mixture every 5 minutes to prevent sticking and develop the flavors. There should be some sauce in the pot. If it appears dry, add a small amount of water and boil for 5 more minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
• Final SeasoningTaste the dish and adjust the salt level if required. Sprinkle with chopped culantro.

TO MAKE FILLING:

• Fill a saucepan with 12 cups water and place over medium heat.
• Pick through and discard any stones or debris. Rinse split peas, rubbing between fingers, until the water runs clear.
  
• Add to the  pot along with salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.
  
• Cook for 20-30  minutes or until dhal is cooked and firm (not soft) and crushes easily between thumb and forefinger with no grainy feel.
  
• Drain thoroughly and allow it to cool and dry.
  
• Add garlic, hot pepper and bandhania to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside and wipe bowl as added moisture will make the split peas unmanageable.
  
• Add 1/3 split pease to the bowl of the food processor (or food mill) along with the garlic, hot pepper and bandhania and pulse to mince, scraping down the sides of the bowl at intervals to ensure even processing. Do not over mince into a paste! Transfer to a dish and repeat 2 more times with the remaining split peas.
  
• To the bowl with the ground split peas, add cumin, salt, garlic, pepper and bandhania paste and mix well to combine.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over high heat, add ground split peas and cook for 3-5 minutes until light and grainy, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
• The prep for the split peas can be done in advance and portioned out and kept in the freezer in small tightly closed resealable freezer bags. It will stay in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The split peas usually makes enough filling for 8 cups of flour.

TO MAKE DOUGH:

• In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  
• Mix to combine and gradually add lukewarm water and squeeze dough between fingers to bring it together. Knead for 3 minutes. You want a soft dough—not as shaggy as buss up shot and not as firm as sada roti. Somewhere in between. Rub 1 tbs oil all over the dough and place in bowl and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
  

ASSEMBLING:

• Separate dough into 4 balls. Then separate each into two equal pieces. Form into small balls (making 8 balls). You can make 6 if you have a large tawa.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, press and flatten each into a round 4-5 inch disk. Place 1/4 cup of dhal onto the disk and stretch the edges over and around the ground dhal to meet at the top, then press together or pinch the dough tightly to seal.
  
• Dust with flour and press all the way around to evenly disperse filling. Place on a floured counter and cover.
• Repeat with the remaining dough until all are filled. Many times it is ready to be rolled out immediately and does not require resting. Prolonged resting and make it difficult to manage since it becomes too soft and the dough is at risk of breaking while rolling out.

COOKING:

• Heat and oil tawa, flat iron griddle or a 10 - 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, dust counter and rolling pin with flour. Take one of the loyahs and gently flatten with your fingers. Starting from the center of the dough, roll out using a rolling pin, pushing outwards, then down, turning dough 90 degrees angle several times and flipping and repeating turning until it is a flat, even circle(about 1/8 inch thick and as wide as your tawa or pan), ensuring that the edges are also even. Amateurs: please do not roll out too thin which can cause breakage and seepage of filling. Keep it well floured at all times.
• Pick up the dough and gently place it on the tawa (or alternative) by flipping and rotating your wrists. Allow it to cook for 15-20 seconds, brush with oil and immediately flip. Brush again with oil and allow it to cook for another 15 - 30 seconds, then flip and cook for another  30 - 45 seconds, pressing edges with the back of the spoon to ensure that they are cooked.
  
• Remove with the handle of a spoon, dabla or spatula  and place in a large bowl lined with paper towel, kitchen towel or brown paper bags to absorb any excess oil. If at any time the the roti browns too quickly or the tawa starts smoking, reduce the heat. Alternately, if nothing seems to be happening raise heat.
  
• Repeat rolling out and cooking until all are cooked. Enjoy!

• Peel potatoes, wash and cut them into 1 inch cubes.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot (Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add onion, hot pepper and cook until they begin to brown.
• Add methi and whole geera(cumin). When it starts to pop, add curry and turmeric. Cook 1 minute, stirring.
• Add chopped scallion, garlic, green seasoning, culantro and thyme sprigs and cook for 1 minute.
• Add potatoes and stir to coat with the curry. Stir in and salt.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When the potatoes begin to stick to the pot, add about 3 cups of hot water, stir well to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat back to low, cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
• Remove cover, mash about 1/4 of the potatoes and any large pieces with the back of the spoon. Cover the pot and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly. Feel free to add more water to create as much sauce as you like. Keep in mind that it thickens as it cools.
• Taste for salt and add more if required.
• Serve as a main or side dish with sada roti, dosti roti, dhalpuri, paratha or rice.