A Glorious Last Cook Before Fall
With fall arriving this week, the weather gave us one last glorious Sunday. I rolled the stove outside for what might be the final outdoor cook of the season and set my sights on Trinidad Chicken Roti—tender curry chicken with cumin-flecked dhalpuri roti. No sides today; we were rushing back to the city for my daughter’s birthday week, so simplicity ruled.
Table of Contents
The air smelled like memory: curry powder blooming in oil, geera and onion going golden, green seasoning sizzling as it kissed the pot. A perfect goodbye to summer—until the wildlife RSVP’d.
Bachac, Bees, and a Pot of Curry
Apparently the aroma of curry travels. Bees hovered like tiny food critics while bachac ants marched in with cutlass energy, determined to claim their share. I cooked one-handed, shooed with the other, and laughed at the absurdity. If this was our last outdoor cook, it was going out with a story.
The Dhal Drama (Starring: The Not-So-Helpful Food Mill)
Dhalpuri needs split peas ground fine—soft enough to spread, smooth enough not to tear the dough. Enter my brand-new food mill, a sweet gift from my sister-in-law in Trinidad. You’d think “new” means “reliable,” but buying food mills seems to be a hit-or-miss adventure—or maybe we’re all doing it wrong.
This was the second mill from Trinidad that refused to grind the dhal fine enough. I cranked and cranked; it shrugged and coughed out gravel. So I did what any modern Trini does: hauled out the food processor and saved lunch (at the cost of extra cleanup). I’ve officially decided to take the mill back to Trinidad so my brother-in-law can determine whether the problem is the machine…or me. Either way, we’ll all have a good laugh.
Outdoor cooking plus gadget roulette meant my “quick lunch in an hour” turned into a swerve-and-survive kind of day—like navigating Port of Spain traffic in the rain. You keep your hands on the wheel and maneuver.
Why Trinidad Chicken Roti Wins (At Home or On the Go)
Trinidad Chicken Roti is the best of both worlds: wrap the curry in the roti for a perfect on-the-go meal, or serve them side-by-side and let the gravy kiss the dhalpuri—our choice today at home. The roti carried that nutty perfume of toasted geera and garlic; the curry chicken turned velvety, with the gentle warmth of curry and pepper building in the background.
A few weeks back—pre–Week 28—we cooked curry beef roti outdoors and loved it. Today was a repeat of the method, not the meal, because the house rule for 2025 stands: no two Sunday Lunches the same. New protein, same outdoor fire, same big smiles.
Flavor Notes & Little Truths
- Aromas: toasted cumin, garlic, green seasoning, and that unmistakable bloom of curry in hot oil.
- Texture: dhalpuri that puffs and flakes; curry chicken that slides off the bone into its own glossy gravy.
- Balance: a faint sweetness in the dough rounding out peppery heat; spice layered, never loud.
- Reality: bees, bachac, and a diva food mill trying to sabotage the timeline—and failing.
Reflection: Finding Joy in the Chaos
No sides. No over-planning. Just Trinidad Chicken Roti on a breezy late-summer Sunday, cooked outdoors with nature heckling from the sidelines. The lesson again: joy rarely arrives in perfect conditions. It shows up when you keep going—when you swap tools, wave off bees, and laugh as the schedule unravels.
If this was our last outdoor cook before fall, it was exactly right—messy, funny, delicious, and full of the kind of details that make a meal a memory.
Recipes Mentioned in This Post (Easy Reference)
- Trinidad Chicken Roti
- Trinidad Curry Chicken
- Dhalpuri Roti (Split Pea Roti)
- Curry Beef Roti (our recent outdoor cook, pre–Week 28) – Add your Week 28 post link here
- Green Seasoning (used in the curry)
More Sunday Lunches to Explore
- Week 34: Pumpkin with Shrimp, Curry Lamb & Dosti Roti
- Week 35: Curry Stew Chicken, Curry Goat, Dhal & Rice
- Week 36: Stewed Chicken & Beans, Macaroni and Eggs — A Farmer’s Market Twist
- Explore all 52 Weeks of Sunday Lunches →
Did You Love This Sunday Lunch – Leave a Rating and Comment
If this story made you smile or crave a Trinidad Chicken Roti, please leave a 5-star rating and comment under the respective recipes. Your feedback keeps this Trini tradition alive and helps others discover the joy of a homemade Sunday lunch.
Questions or Concerns — Write Me!
Have a question about making dhalpuri or troubleshooting your own food mill?
Email me anytime at [email protected]—I’d love to hear from you!
Recent Posts
- Mother-in-Law (Trinidad Hot Pepper Condiment)
- Sunday Lunch Week 41 – Vegan Curry Channa with Eggplant and Curry Bodi and Aloo
- Corn Soup with Pigtails | Weekend Lunch Favorite
- Trinidad Pumpkin Talkarie with Shrimp
- Trinidad Bhagi Rice | Vegetarian, Vegan & Salted Pigtail Version
Subscribe & Get My Free Green Seasoning Booklet
Stay connected and never miss a new recipe, Sunday Lunch idea, or holiday guide!
By subscribing, you’ll get my FREE Green Seasoning Booklet, filled with tips to bring real Trinidad flavor to your kitchen.
Shop My Kitchen Favorites on Amazon
Curious about the tools, pots, and gadgets I use every day?
From my favorite tawa to pans, explore them all in one place in my curated Amazon storefront.
