Bara (Doubles Bread)

• 1 C Water
• 1 Tsp Dried Yeast
• 1/4 Tsp Sugar
• 1 1/2 C AP Flour
• 1/2 C Chickpea Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 Tsp ground Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp ground Coriander
• 1/2 Tsp ground Turmeric
• Vegetable or Peanut Oil for deep frying

Place water, yeast and sugar in a clean bowl and allow the yeast to bloom.  

In a separate bowl add remaining ingredients and whisk till evenly combined.  Once yeast is bloomed add the wet to the dry and gently mix by hand until it makes a very soft, wet dough with all ingredients evenly combined.  Cover the bowl of dough with a plate and allow to rest in a warm place till it doubles, approximately an hour.  Move on to the Curry Chickpeas recipe below.  

Bring a large cast iron pan, half filled with oil, to medium heat.  Prepare a large tray with ample paper towels for draining.  Fill a bowl with clean cold water and start making Bara.  

Wet the palms of your hands in the bowl of water and pinch off a mandarin orange sized ball of dough.  Spread the dough between your fingers and across your palm until you have a flat disk about the size of your palm, wet hands as necessary so that dough does not stick.  Place the disk in hot oil and fry till it puffs, flip and fry few more seconds.  Drain on paper towel tray; total cook time should be no more than 1 minute.  Repeat for all Bara. 

Curry Chickpeas

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 C diced White Onion
• 3 cloves chopped fresh Garlic
• 1/8 Tsp dried Cumin Seeds
• 4 fresh Curry Leaves (optional)
• 1 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 3 C rinsed and drained canned Chickpeas
• 2 C Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 1 intact fresh Bird Pepper (Thai Chili)
• Sea Salt to taste
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste

Heat a medium sized pot to medium high and add oil followed by onions.  Allow onions to brown to a dark deep brown without burning.  Add garlic, cumin seeds, curry leaves, curry powder and cook till fragrant.  Add chickpeas and stock along with bird pepper that is still intact with stem (this is for flavour more than heat), allow to simmer with lid cracked for 30 – 45 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half.  Using the back of a pot spoon, crush 1/3 of the chickpeas to help thicken the sauce slightly.  Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.  

Tamarind Sauce

• 1/2 Tsp dried Coriander Seeds
• 1/4 Cinnamon Stick, about 1 1/2 inch
• 1 package Tamarind Paste, 400 g
• 1 C canned Coconut Milk
• juice of 1 Grapefruit
• 3/4 C Water
• 1/4 C Sugar
• 1/4 Tsp crushed fresh Ginger
• Sea Salt to taste

Place coriander seeds and cinnamon stick in saucepan and toast over medium heat for 1 minute.  Add tamarind, coconut milk, grapefruit juice, water, sugar, ginger, making sure to break up the tamarind with a spoon.  Bring the ingredients to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Strain the sauce into a bowl and adjust the seasoning with salt to taste.

Salted Cucumber

• 1/4 C grated Cucumber
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

Place both ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.  Drain off excess moisture by squeezing cucumber gently, discard excess juice.  Set aside.  

Assembly

• Bara
• Curry Chickpeas
• Tamarind Sauce
• Hot Sauce
• Salted Cucumber
• 6 x Wax Paper cut into 12” x 12” square

Place 2 Bara overlapping on one square of wax paper.  Spoon curried chickpeas into centre of both Bara.  Add a teaspoon of tamarind sauce, hot sauce to your liking and then a couple pinches of salted cucumber.  Wrap and serve hot. 

Green Chicken

• 1 C roughly chopped Cilantro
• 1 C roughly chopped Parsley
• 1/2 C chopped Green Onions
• 1 Tsp coarsely ground White Peppercorns
• 2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 Tsp Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 C Coconut Water
• 1 (2 1/2 – 3 lb) whole chicken, cut into 12 pieces, skin-on and bone-in
• 1/2 C Low-Sodium Chicken Stock (homemade is best)
• Optional Garnish: 1/4 C finely sliced Green Onions 

Add cilantro, parsley, green onions, white peppercorns, salt, sugar, vegetable oil and coconut water to a food processor or blender.  Pulse several times to get mixture going, then puree just until a semi-smooth consistency.  There should still be a bit of texture left to the marinade. 

Combine chicken pieces and herb marinade, coating each piece generously with the marinade.  Mixing directly in a large plastic sealable freezer bag works very well here, otherwise, store in a glass or non-reactive container.  Marinate, covered and refrigerated for at least 4 hours – overnight is best.

When ready to cook, place marinated chicken pieces in a single layer in a large, deep saucepan.  (A 10-inch cast iron pan works well.)  Add any extra marinade to the pan as well, and pour chicken stock over.  The chicken should be half covered by liquid.  Turn heat up to medium high, letting liquid come up to a simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes.  Turn heat down to medium, and let chicken cook gently in simmering liquid, turning pieces as needed, for 30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.  Remove chicken to serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm.  Simmer and reduce remaining cooking liquid to a light sauce consistency, about another 2-3 minutes.  Gently spoon sauce over and around chicken and garnish with finely sliced green onion.  Serve Green Chicken with Coconut Green Peppercorn Sauce.

Coconut Green Peppercorn Sauce

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/3 C finely chopped Shallots
• 2 stalks Lemongrass, tops trimmed, outer tough leaves removed, smashed, and cut into 1 inch lengths
• 2 Tbsp brined, whole Green Peppercorns
• 1/4 C White Rum
• 1 (14 fl oz) Can Coconut Milk
• 2 Tsp Lime Zest
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
• Kosher Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add coconut oil, shallots, lemongrass and green peppercorns.  Sauté until shallots are soft but not coloured, and fragrance releases from lemongrass, about 3-4 minutes.  Add rum and reduce until mostly cooked down, about 1 minute.  Add coconut milk, and stirring occasionally, simmer until sauce has reduced by half and thickened slightly, about 7-8 minutes.  Remove lemongrass pieces, and season coconut sauce with lime zest, lime juice and salt to taste.  Serve warm with Green Chicken.

Curry Chicken

• 3/4 C fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 C fresh Parsley
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Tsp freshly ground Black Peppercorn
• 6 skinless, bone-in Chicken Thighs (about 2.5 lb /1.2 kg), each thigh cut into 3 pieces
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 cooking Onion, chopped
• 6 Garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 Tbsp mild Curry Powder (Lalah’s brand recommended)
• 2 C low-sodium Chicken Stock
• 2 1/2 C peeled and diced White Potato (about 1 large)
• 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Kosher Salt to taste

In a food processor, combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, Worcestershire, oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is a fragrant paste; there should still be very small pieces of herbs visible. Evenly coat chicken thighs with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally overnight for best flavour.

In a large pot, bring coconut oil to medium high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until very dark golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add curry powder and cook out for a minute, then add chicken pieces, including the marinade. Let moisture from the marinade cook out slightly, allowing the chicken to sear, about 3-4 minutes each side. Add chicken stock, gently scraping bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift up any delicious browned bits. Bring mixture up to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes before adding in diced potatoes. Return to a simmer for another 15 minutes, then add chickpeas, stir and simmer uncovered for a final 20 minutes. To thicken up the curry slightly, smash a few of the chickpeas and potatoes with a fork against the side of the pot and fold back into the sauce. Simmer a few minutes longer to let it all come together. Check seasoning, adding salt to taste. Keep warm for roti assembly.

For Roti Assembly & Serving

• Wax Paper
• Dhal Puri roti skins*
• Curry Chicken, above
• Hot Sauce to taste (Yellow Caribbean-style Scotch Bonnet sauce recommended)
• Paper Bags

Time to assemble! For each serving, place a roti skin on top of an equal-sized square of wax paper. Scoop a generous amount of curry chicken (about 3 pieces of chicken, with an even amount of potatoes, chickpeas and sauce) onto the centre of the roti skin. Season with hot sauce to taste.

Next, fold over the left side of the circle, like wrapping a present, then the right, followed by the top and bottom edges, forming a squat, firmly packed rectangle. Confidently flip your filled roti, seam-side down on the wax paper. Roll the paper up firmly, folding the open ends in to seal. Place the whole package into a paper bag. You’re all set to enjoy a taste of Trinidad!

*Thin Caribbean flatbread filled with seasoned ground split peas. Look for in West Indian grocery shops.