Side Dishes

  Curry cabbage is a simple dish of chopped cabbage cooked in flavorful curry with tomatoes, onion, garlic and scallions. The cabbage is steamed until it softens and all the flavors are combined. It is easy to make, budget friendly...

Growing up my mom made the most delicious and elaborate Sunday lunches for us. This beet and potato salad is inspired by those meals. I have never seen this combination elsewhere. I added the sweet potatoes in my version which...

Everyone loves a good, crispy wonton dipped in ketchup, soy sauce and a little hot sauce for a nice kick. In this recipe, I am using a savory shrimp filling perfectly seasoned with scallions, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. The...

Curry mango can be a main dish, side dish, condiment or snack. It is sweet, spicy, savory and satisfying. One of the greatest joys of eating this is sucking on the seed. It is a great side dish for curry...

  This is one of the easiest and most surprisingly flavorful rice dishes I’ve ever made. It is surprisingly delicious because you won’t expect such robust flavors from the simple ingredients used. Prep takes two minutes and the cooking time...

Coo Coo, also spelled "Cou Cou," is a traditional dish in Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries. It is made with cornmeal, ochro, fresh seasonings and coconut milk. It is often compared to polenta but has its own unique...

  Stewed blackeyed peas is a favorite amongst vegans and nonvegans alike. In this recipe, black eye peas are simmered with simple and flavorful aromatics to create a tasty and nutritious side dish. The traditional stewing process which is the...

On my recent Simple Thanksgiving Video, I created this quick and delicious stove top recipe since the oven was occupied with the turkey. The aim of that video was to create a simple and budget friendly menu for Thanksgiving. I...

  This cranberry chutney is a twist to the classic recipe, infused with the savory and spicy flavors of the Caribbean. Your turkey and Thanksgiving guests will thank you for it. You can make this cranberry chutney with as many...

When the holidays come around and your kitchen is busy with excitement and choas, there is always one side dish that's so simple, delicious and takes 5 mins to cook. This is a must on every holiday menu. It offers...

A perfect creamy, mashed potatoes recipe for Thanksgiving, the Holidays or any Sunday lunch along with stewed chicken and chow mein (my mom's favorite combo) or a pot roast. Growing up in the Caribbean, my job was to whisk the...

Chaitaigne, also known as katahar (in Guyana) or breadnut (Jamaica) is cooked in a flavorful coconut curry sauce, seasoned with onion, garlic, hot pepper(habanero or scotch bonnet) and culantro(bandhania or shado beni).  Other names for chaitaigne are Maya nut, Snakewood,...

This dish, referred to as carhee or kurhi, uses split pea powder in two ways. First the split pea powder is  used to make small balls of pholourie which are then immersed into a thick soup like gravy which is...

Learn to make this vegan Trinidadian favorite that's simply irresistible. This recipe for Trinidadian bhagi (bhaji or bhagee) uses simple ingredients, including chopped spinach, cumin, and coconut cream. This bhagi recipe is traditionally made with dasheen bush leaves(taro) or chowrai...

As I mentioned on IG and Facebook, the husband loved this combination of saltfish and veggies with flour dumplings so much he insisted that I remake and filmed this for everyone. This looks like I cooked all day but would...

Halal Cart-Inspired Yellow Rice When you think of the ultimate street food experience, halal cart chicken and rice is always at the top of the list. There’s something magical about that vibrant yellow rice, served up with perfectly spiced meat,...

I am excited to share my Caribbean stewed canned black beans recipe! It is a favorite in our household and I am confident it will be a favorite in yours as well. As I may have mentioned previously, at the...

Rice is a staple in any Caribbean Kitchen. Here are the top rice recipes on this site and in our house! From the veggie loaded Trini Fried Rice to a plate of comforting pelau, a one pot dish, these rice...

This is a versatile cilantro chutney that can be used as a salad dressing or as a chutney on rice(see my cilantro rice), grilled or baked meat or seafood dishes! You can also substitute with culantro also known as bandhania...

I have shared some of my favorite rice dishes with you including pelau, carrot rice, Trini Fried rice, scallion-cilantro rice, but be prepared for yet another winner! One day I literally threw a few ingredients together to make this rice...

Here is a cassava pie, mashed cassava aka side dish inspired by a bag of frozen yucca I had in my freezer. At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, we stocked up on frozen meats, seafood, mixed veggies, pigeon peas,...

  I have been making corn pie for get togethers for as long as I can remember. It all started with the boxed corn bread mix and quickly decided I wanted to learn to make it from scratch. I wanted...

This is the first fried rice I learned to make. What I think of when anyone refers to Trini fried rice. The fried rice Mummy cooked on Sundays for lunch with baked chicken, pepper shrimps, potato salad and a garden...

Mango Talkarie is a sweet side dish or condiment that accompanies vegetarian or meat dishes. It's made with tart, green mangoes and amchar massala.   In this recipe, green mangoes are cut into pieces lengthwise, cleaned and then boiled with...

"Trinidad Hops bread is essentially dinner rolls.  In Trinidad, it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It has a unique softness, delicate, airy, light chew, and totally satisfying." As I shared on Facebook over the weekend, we ate a hearty...

Boiled mango chutney is a popular sweet and spicy condiment in Trinidad. It's one of the main condiments enjoyed in doubles, aloo pies or drizzled on fluffy balls of pholourie. In my recipe, green mango is cut into 1 inch...

This quick, simple, budget-friendly and healthy steamed cabbage recipe, referred to as "fry cabbage"  in Trinidad and is traditionally eaten as a main vegan/vegetarian dish with sada roti, fried bake, dosti roti, paratha roti, hops bread or even coconut bake...

Trinidad curry aloo, also known as curry potato, is a simple and delicious curry dish that's very affordable and economical. In this recipe, pieces of potato are sautéed in a mild curry and seasoned with herbs. Hot water is then...

Today I am sharing a family favorite recipe, rice and beans, but before I do, let's have a quick chat about what's happening in the world. A world-- not just a town, or a city or a country--the freakin world...

Making this one-pot lo mein at home is cheap, easy, convenient, and way healthier than takeout because we get to choose and control the ingredients used. Preparing a whole package of noodles means that we can pack the leftovers for...

This post, Top 10 Vegan Veggie Recipes in Trinidad will provide you with meal ideas and a list of Trini favorites for when you need to add more vegan or vegetarian dishes to your normal meal rotations. Diwali will be...

JAMAICAN CALLALOO & POUI BHAJI RECIPE One evening after work I stopped off at Mummy’s house to drop off a falafel and hummus wrap. I was excited for her to try the sandwich, which by the way, I enjoyed so...

In today's post, you will learn to make the best potato salad ever! Happy Spring! I have somehow immersed myself in Spring cleaning(eliminating)--You could say I have been Kondo-ed(Marie Kondo). If you haven't seen that series yet, look for it...

When I think of patchoi talkarie or pak choi (or pak choy) I remember primary school days. Sitting at my desk, opening my tin lunch kit, first removing the package of Ovaltine biscuits (remember that?) and laying it on the...

Another year is upon us and so it goes--whether we are ready or not. For the first time, on old year's night, I did not clean all of my closets and drawers, had a pile of dirty laundry from our...

What are Pastelles? Pastelles are a popular favorite amongst Trinbagonians around Christmas time. I don't know why we wait all year to make these (most likely the work involved). According to Wikipedia, it is believed that the pastelles were introduced...

'This boil and fry black-eyed peas dish, referred to as "Googanee" by my Mom, is made traditionally with only onion, garlic, culantro (shado beni) and pepper, but I added veggies for additional flavor and nutrients." The year 2014 came and...

"Trinidad stewed red beans is a mainstay in our cuisine. For a typical simple Sunday lunch, it is usually accompanied by baked or stewed chicken, steamed rice, and a salad." A little update. Change seems to be the only constant...

  I thought to myself, if I only had time to share one recipe over the next two months, what would it be? This dish came to mind. Mummy made this occasionally to go with our Sunday lunch, which was...

This beloved bread has evoked many passionate discussions that extend from the north to the south. The Northerners prefer their cornbread sweet and the Southerners never add sugar. This Trini will avoid that controversy. Allow me to exercise my First...