Our last “Gotta Get There” destination was the lush Gabon, and now we are hopping over to the flavorful and beautiful island of Trinidad. Trinidad is of course a Caribbean island and it is filled with so much culture and color, and with a fusion of Spanish, Indian, and African cuisine, they have some very inspiring recipes! If you are looking for a fun and culturally inspiring place to travel to next year, then be sure to book your flights to make it to Trinidad in time for Carnival which will be celebrated February 23 & 24th 2009!

So, you cannot even begin to mention Trinidad without mentioning the celebrated music of the Steel Pan & Calypso, and the great Calypso Lord Kitchener among many other pioneers of Calypso, and Chutney/Soca Music:

Where to Stay: Our Top 5 Choices for Resting in Trinidad:

AcaJou Hotel

Hyatt Regency Trinidad

Hilton Trinidad

Marriott: Courtyard: Port of Spain

Kapok Hotel: Trinidad

Cooking Up Trini: Bara with Channa affectionately known as “Doubles”: This is very similar to a roti in which your Bara (similar to fry bread) dough is fried and then spiced channa or chick peas if you will are layered between two layers of the Bara along with hot pepper sauce and mango or tamarind chutney! Can we all say delicious!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Saffron powder

½ tsp. Ground cumin (geera)

1 tsp yeast

1/3-cup warm water

¼ tsp. Sugar

Oil for frying

Additional water

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, saffron and cumin (geera). Put aside. In another bowl place warm water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for about 5 min. until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture with enough water to make slightly firm dough. Mix well. Cover and let rise for about 1-½ hours. Punch the dough down and let it sit for another 10 – 15 min.

To shape Bara, take about 1 tbsp of dough, pat with both hands to flatten to a 5”circle. If dough sticks to hand moisten palms with some water. Fry in hot oil, turning once until cooked. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Curried Channa Filling:

1 14 oz channa (chick peas), tinned

1 tablespoon curry powder

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tsp ground geera (cumin)

1 tsp Pepper sauce

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Boil soaked channa (chick peas) with salt and ½ tbsp curry powder until channa is tender. Drain. Mix 1 tbsp curry powder with ¼ cup water. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the garlic, onion, and curry powder mixture. Sauté for a few min. Add the channa. Stir to coat well with the curry mixture and cook for about 5 min. Add 1-cup water, geera (cumin), salt, and pepper. Cover, lower heat and let simmer until the peas are very soft. Add more water if you need. Channa should be soft and moist. Add more salt if needed.

Mango Chutney Sauce:

2 lbs. half-ripe mangoes

10 c. water

6 cloves garlic

2 1/2 c. vinegar

4 tbsp. salt

2 oz. fresh ginger root

1 lb. sugar

1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tbsp. garam masala

Peel and cube mangoes. Make brine from the salt and water and soak mango pieces in it overnight. Next day, drain well and dry. Peel ginger and garlic and chop very finely. In a heavy glass or enamel pan, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Add mangoes, ginger and garlic and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring constantly, before adding the remaining spices. Cook until the mixture thickens, remove from heat, cool and bottle in airtight, sterile jars.

Assembling Your Double: Put about 2 tbsp. cooked curry channa on a Bara. Garnish with your mango chutney and pepper sauce and cover the top with your remaining Bara. Cover with another Bara. You can also add mango chutney, tamarind chutney or pepper sauce before putting the second Bara on top. Enjoy with a Mauby Fizz or a Pear Solo, and there you have an authentic Caribbean treat!

Featured Cook Books: Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad & Tobago, The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & The Caribbean.

Trini Cooking: Websites to Visit"

Everything Trini

Trini Gourmet

So, I hope you enjoyed this mini virtual getaway! Have any of you been to the island of Trinidad or better yet...from there?..let us know about your stay on the island or share your memories of calling Trinidad home by leaving a comment below! Happy traveling!