Ria's Trinidad Lime Pepper Sauce

Each Caribbean island boasts of its own unique blend of “devilish” hot sauces also known as pickled peppers. They vary from simple combinations of hot pepper (pronounced peppah) and lime juice or vinegar to more complicated concoctions of fruits(papaya), vegetables (caraille) and herbs. The heat intensity vary immensely also, from mild to super extreme. The ingredients can be blended together or cut up into pieces like this recipe.

In Trinidad, we have several fiery and mouth watering blends to choose from. Each household has their own unique, favorite blend sitting in recycled jars, bottles and containers for months, and sometimes years, on end. 

Lime pepper sauce is excellent with fried fish served with roti, fried bake or bread, including shark and bake sandwiches, but I pour it on everything. 

For me, hot pepper concoctions are an essential part of any meal. It’s an addiction I learned early on from my mother. Growing up, I was witness to the whole "congo pepper" she broke apart with her fingers and used to massage the contents of her plate. I now do the same.  No dinner of mine is ever eaten without a whole hot pepper, home made hot sauce (which I refer to the blended variety) or this lime pepper sauce. Hot Pepper in any of its forms enlivens the meal and unfortunately encourages me to eat more than I should.

[seen here with stewed chicken and jasmine rice..]

In my recipe, I diced the ingredients very small for convenience--to make it “user friendly” on my plate. There is also a nice ratio of pepper and other ingredients which add to the enjoyment. The pepper is not overpowering-unless you want it to be (increase the amount of pepper used, hence recipe calls for 8-18) and you definitely won’t have to abandon plate and food to go in search of a barrel of water to immerse your head in---to alleviate the pain.  Not saying I once did that. Not saying I never did that either.

You may use vinegar but to keep it all natural, because of my food sensitivities, I use lime juice. Not only is this “trini lime pepper sauce” delicious, it’s packed with nutrients, from the limes, garlic, carrots and onion to the super food, the daikon radish. Daikon radish is known in Trinidad as Moorai or Murai. I am not sure of the spelling but the health benefits are enormous. It has a high enzyme content, which helps in fat and starch digestion, helps fight off cancer-causing agents, is low in calories and contains a high level of vitamin C, phosphorous and potassium.

Food safety: To sterilize bottles or jars, fill them with boiling water and immerse them in a large pot with boiling water to cover by 2 inches. Boil the jars, caps and lids for 15 minutes. Leave the jars in hot water until you are ready to use them. When ready to use, remove the jars with tongs [think kitchen equipment] from hot water and drain well.

Your Safety: Please wear gloves when handling hot peppers and do not prepare on any day you are suffering from allergies. Just saying.

Ria’s Trinidad Lime Pepper Sauce

8-18 congo pepper, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, diced
4 limes, diced
1  cup finely cubed Murai (white daikon radish)
1 small carrot, grated

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
Vinegar or lime juice
1 ½ cups of water
Salt, to taste

Stem, wash, seed and chop peppers. Leave the seed in for a hotter sauce.

Scrub the limes and dry well. Cut lime into small pieces.

In a small pot, add limes and water and boil for a few minutes until the lime changes color.

In the meantime, peel and chop garlic, dice onion and murai. Scrape, wash, dry and grate carrot.

Combine cooked lime(with liquid), hot peppers, garlic, onion, murai and carrot in a bowl.

Add salt to taste. (I used 1 tablespoon)

Transfer to a clean jar or bottle.

Add enough lime juice or vinegar to completely cover. 
[If using lime juice, always ensure that "everything" is always submerged in the juice or else the pepper sauce will start to ferment which alters the taste. I keep it in the refrigerator.]

 

Allow the “lime pepper sauce” to “ripen” at room temperature, or under the hot sun, for at least 24 hours, preferably 5 days to a week.

Lime pepper sauce will keep for several months at room temperature(if using vinegar), and like you and me, it just gets better with age. ;-)

I will try to post pics of my recent vacation, if time permits. Thanks again to all the folks who took the time to send me such wonderful emails. You are my inspiration. 

Talk to you soon.

Cooking with love,

Ria

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Ria's Avocado-Tomato Salad with Cilantro

The Canadians visited last weekend for my sister's baby shower. They brought me some of the juiciest, sweetest cherry tomatoes I ever tasted. They were as sweet as a fruit, quite possibly sweeter....and then I reminded myself that tomatoes are fruits..duuuh...Referred to as sweet million cherry tomatoes, not only are they the most delicious tomatoes I've ever eaten , I heard they grow in abundance..hence million..another duuuhhh...a win, win situation...[can't wait to plant these tomatoes next summer!....]

Inspired by the cherry tomatoes, instead of preparing the traditional breakfast of bake and saltfish and tomatoes and Trinidad-style pumpkin, I made my favorite breakfast for them...ok..ok..one of my favorites...Creamy poached eggs and sardine with veggies on a warm, crispy, crunchy, lavishly buttered ciabatta toast, topped with a colorful and delightful tomato-avocado salad...My uncle 'R" said that it looked and tasted like a breakfast he would eat at a five-star vacation resort. Ahem..I aim to please.

I know there are many avocado tomato salad recipes out there, but I wanted to create and post my own-because it’s delicious and….I really couldn’t resist taking pics of it….

In my recipe, I don’t dice the onions, but mince it along with the cilantro and garlic in a mini chopper or food processor (didn’t replace mine yet). Mincing the ingredients in the food processor really helps the flavors blend together. Once they are mixed in, the avocado and tomatoes become coated with the delicious blend of garlic, red onion and cilantro which makes it even more delectable. 

I am really enjoying this salad this summer. With few ingredients, it's easy to prepare and goes with anything and everything-breakfast eggs, stewed chicken, beans and rice, grilled meats or fish.

Ria's Avocado-Tomato Salad with Cilantro

Ingredients

1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 medium tomato, diced (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
¼ red onion, (approx 2 tablespoons minced)
4 sprigs fresh cilantro (approx 1 tablespoon when minced)
1 clove garlic
Lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Peel, pit and dice avocado. Sprinkle lemon juice on peeled avocado to reduce browning(oxidation). 

[I like peeling the avocados before dicing vs. dicing and then scooping it out..]

Wash, dry and dice tomato.

Using a knife, mini chopper or food processor finely mince red onion, cilantro and garlic. 

Combine avocado, tomato, and minced red onion, cilantro and garlic in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil-if using.  Serve immediately.

Hope you give this simple, summer salad a try.......

Until next time,

Ria

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Ria's Baigan (and Tomato) Choka

Since I last posted I have traveled on business, arranged a beach “lime” with my wonderful cousins (with fried bake & shark, saltfish & tomatoes and fry bodi for breakfast and curried duck, dhal and rice for lunch), partied and “worked” at my sister’s baby shower and had my first overnight camping experience. All very exciting experiences, in their own way, especially since food was involved…in abundance. I would have liked to report that I lost more weight…but I can’t…because it’s impossible to exercise moderation under these circumstances. It’s also impossible to exercise. Period. [Thinking about the tremendous effort my husband exuded this morning to pull up the zipper on my pencil skirt…sigh]…..

I could provide details of all the events, but I will spare you. All I suggest is that you shouldn’t “assume” when you go camping. You shouldn’t assume your husband packed pillows, a sheet and blankets and he shouldn’t assume that you did it….because chances are you will freeze your “assuming selves” off if it happens to be a cold, cold, rainy night……..We all shared one blanket and two pillows my most organized nine year old packed for both she and her sister. Aside from that major hiccup, it was a wonderful experience. We met an amazing Trini couple whose hospitality and kindness we will never forget.

What I will share in detail is the recipe for “baigan and tomato choka”, a variation of which we made for breakfast on the camping trip. [It had more tomatoes than eggplant.] I served it along with sliced avocados, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and roti which I made with pizza dough we picked up on our way to the campsite. Not bad for my first camping breakfast, eh?

Baigan choka is to Trinidad and Tobago what baba ghanoush is to the Middle East and the rest of the world. It’s one of my favorite vegetarian breakfast dishes. In Trinidad, and probably some of the other Caribbean islands, we refer to eggplant as "baigan", so if I use it interchangeably I do so unconsciously. The term “choka” infers the method of preparation. In a few "chokas" the vegetables are roasted or boiled (e.g. aloo-potato-choka) and mashed with aromatics including onion and garlic. In a sardine or zaboca(also known as avocado) choka there is no roasting involved.

 

In this choka, the eggplant is first roasted over an open flame on a grill or stove top. Alternatively, it can also be roasted in the oven, which I attempted once but realized it did not impart the same smoky flavor or consistency I am so accustomed to. It could have been the age of the eggplant or some other factor(like it takes too long), but I have hesitated to give the oven a second chance. I sacrifice my clean stove during the cold winter months, however, the eggplant goes straight on the grill when the weather is nicer--like now. It's a great summertime dish. An eggplant or two always finds it way on the grill when we are bbq-ing meats, the roasted eggplant stays well in the refrigerator or freezer until it's ready to be used.

 

Once the skin is completely charred and the eggplant has collapsed indicating that the insides are fully cooked and tender, the creamy and smoky flesh of the eggplant is carefully scooped out and mashed with garlic and onion. Oil is then heated and poured over the eggplant, a method referred to as “chunkaying”. A term inherited from our Indian ancestors.

Baigan choka is traditionally eaten with roti, including sada (plain) roti or paratha roti (buss up shot). I always roast two eggplants because this is one dish every one in my household loves!

Choose young, ripe eggplants that are bright in color, firm to the touch and heavy, with no dents, scars and/or brown rust spots. To test for ripeness, gently press the skin with the pad of your thumb, if it springs back it’s ripe, if an indentation remains it’s not. The stem at the top of the eggplant, the calyx, should be fresh and bright green, not brown or dried.

[make the right choices...or else...you may end up with this...]

To kick this dish up a notch, roasted tomatoes can also be added, but remember to also remove the charred skin from the tomatoes before mashing along with the eggplant.                     

                                                                                                                                         

 

Ria's Baigan (and Tomato) Choka
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 globe eggplants (baigan) (about 2 pounds)
4 large cloves garlic, each cut lengthwise in half
1 small onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil**
2 ripe tomatoes (medium), (optional)
Hot pepper, to taste (habanero, cherry, scotch bonnet or congo pepper)
Salt to taste

**Use 3 tablespoons oil if using tomatoes
Directions

Slice each garlic clove lengthwise in half. Slash each eggplant in 4 places and insert garlic.

Grill eggplant until skin is completely charred and collapsed, about 20 minutes.  

Transfer to a paper-lined counter or cutting board.

Slice the top off and cut eggplant in half lengthwise-without cutting the skin at the bottom.

Scoop out flesh with a fork and place in a bowl.

Slice onion very thinly or finely chop, depending on your preference. Add to eggplant. Mash with a fork, (or mortar and pestle, or wooden pestle), breaking up chunks, making sure to also crush the roasted garlic. [Add hot pepper here, if using..hot pepper can also be roasted for added flavor). Add salt to taste.

In a small frying pan or pot, add oil and heat. When very very hot but not smoking, pour all over eggplant and mix well in a whisking/mashing motion with a fork until it reaches a fluffy consistency.

Serve immediately with roti, fried bake, bread, pita bread......or pizza dough "roti"....



...and a few pics from our first camping experience...

....fifty shades of blue...and some green...

I am sure you know who these belong to....

Hope you are enjoying your summer....Please write if you have any questions...

Thanks for stopping by,

Talk to you soon,

Ria

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