It's how I like It

There are many of us who grew up watching the women in our families cook - without recipes, with just 1 or 2 ingredients, making the little they had stretch to feed the entire household but at the same time, never compromising on taste. Their ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness made them the excellent cooks they were and continue to be.

Born out of that, we grew up eating certain things and certain dishes prepared a certain way and, as adults, these are the only ways, or our favourite ways, to have those foods or dishes. And that my friends, is the subject of this week's column - I Like It Like That - it refers to the way, I like to eat certain things because that's the way I grew up eating them. Click here to read the column.

In our home when I was growing up, chowmein was always served with steamed rice.

And whenever my mom was looking for a fast-food dish that was filling and satisfying, she turned to curried eggs.

Various recipes for Egg Curry can be found here, here, here, here, here and here. If you'd like mine, email me.

What are some of the foods/dishes you prepare today the same way you liked them while growing up?

Fresh, Flavourful & Juicy Ginger

Fresh ginger

I am still in Guyana having a really good time. This week's column features an ingredient that is universally integral to many cuisines - ginger. From curries, to stews, to desserts and beverages, ginger often plays a flavourful role. In Guyana, one of our popular beverages, made all year-round but especially at Christmas is ginger beer. This is not the alcoholic version and our ginger beer does not require the use of yeast. It is more like a fruit drink. For the recipe, please email me. To read more, click here.

Ginger beer ingredients

Ginger beer

Curried Fish with notes of ginger

Ginger Ice Cream

Curried Gilbaka

I could not resist. I had to do it. I had to cook fish curry this weekend. I cooked the last of the gilbaka I got from Guyana.

Recipe

2 lbs of fish, cut up
1 small onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large chilli minced (leave out if you don't like pepper)
1 large tomato, diced
1 tbsp ground garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cumin (geera)
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Water to cook curry (boiling)

In a small bowl, combine minced onion, garlic, chilli, masala, curry powder, cumin to make a paste (with a few drops of water)

Heat water to boil in a kettle or sauce pan.
In a karahi, wok, or stew pan, heat oil until it's hot but not smoking.
Add paste and saute for 1 minute (at this stage, I usually add the salt for the dish, check for taste just before the curry is done and add more if it is necessary)
Add fish and saute for 1 - 2 minutes
Pour enough boiling water to cook the fish and leave enough gravy. The gravy should not be watery but thick from reducing as it cooks/boils.
Cover the pan and let cook until fish is done and gravy is the consistency you desire.
Add diced tomatoes about 3 mins before curry is done (Be sure to check for seasoning (salt) before finishing the dish)
Serve with rice or roti.

I Love Curry

No red and white for me this Valentine's, it is a yellow/gold combo! No chocolates and fancy candy, it's curry all the way!
Check out my love letter to curry in this week's column
The dish you love is...

Eating Hassar

This weekend I cooked hassar curry. As I ate my meal, I wondered about the fascination with the fish, after all, the most significant part of hassar-eating is sucking on the tough shell, the meat is of little consequence; oh, I love the eggs inside. So what is it that makes us desire this fish? And is it better cooked with coconut milk or water?