Food and the Festival of Light

Diwali excites me. Every year as members of the Hindu community rush around preparing for this important five day Festival, I, like many non Hindu Trinidadians prepare to take part in the cuisine and sharing that is the Festival of Light.

Diyas

Curries of all kind, traditional Hindu breads and sweets and gatherings planned in intricate detail ensure this public holiday is marked in style and appetites, whetted in year long anticipation are satisfied.

Inside 'The Little Store' Pooja Shop, Curepe Trinidad

A few Bottled Curries from my Pantry

Around this time, I am reminded how lucky I am as a Trinidadian, to grow up with and share these customs and how easily available the rich flavors of India have become. Pooja shops abound all over this country and in the days leading up to Diwali, they are insanely busy. Filled with authentic items from all over India, many visit these shops year-round for kitchen and household goods, clothes, spices, food and prayer related items.

Painted Diyas on Sale in Curepe

Ornate Diyas at My Home

The traditional lighting of diyas remain a sight to behold; glowing clay bowls filled with coconut oil and cotton wicks, arranged in simple rows or elaborate designs on wire or bamboo frames. The lighting of diyas (plain or ornate) symbolizes the reign of light over darkness in commemoration of the return of the Hindu Lord Rama from a fourteen year exile and the vanquishing of the demon-king Ravana.

Steaming Hot Spinach in Coconut Milk

Yellow Split Pea Dhal

Cooking lunch on Diwali for friends and family brings me such joy every year, then later tasting Diwali delights someone else has prepared - even more so. This year my menu was Bodi and Pumpkin Korma, Spinach with coconut milk, Split Pea Dhal, Coconut Rice with Raisins and simple Cucumber Salad.

Slivers of Cucumber and Onion with
Salt, Lime, Crushed Garlic and Pepper

Bodi and Pumpkin Korma

I consider myself a true 'meat mouth' but for Diwali I keep it vegetarian and a few tricks ensure I am always satisfied. I include ingredients like imitation bacon bits (just a little) to cooked greens as I turn off the heat - my usual way to cook greens begins with rendering the fat from pancetta or bacon. I use coconut milk and wet curries so sauces are thick and gravy like. I deepen flavors by roasting cumin and grinding to add to Dhals along with pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Large golden raisins make a meaty addition to rice and help balance some sweet with the savory.

Coconut Jasmine Rice with Golden Raisin

Tonight, when I bask in the glow of diyas and the comfort of family, friends and Hindu tradition I will smile, grateful for the continued experience of living peacefully in a rich and diverse Nation, steeped in a food culture.

Shubh Diwali (Happy Diwali).

A Taste of Our Curry

It is a strange realization, and though peculiar nevertheless fact, I have never heard a Trinbagonian utter the words "I hate Curry."

What Remains of My Quick Curry Crab and Dumplings

I have racked my brain and really, the closest has been a declared preference to not eat Curry on certain occasions (like at work, before and meeting, if wearing white etc.). This partiality only because the turmeric contained in the Trini blend may temporarily stain the nails yellow (yes, you have to eat it with your hands) and it always, no matter how careful you are, ends up somewhere on your clothes.

Our Curry Powder, Mild But Flavorful Blend 

When Trinbagonian's refer to Curry it is typically a grounded prepackaged blend consisting mainly of coriander seed, turmeric, chilies and mustard seed. This particular synthesis is derived from the region of India from which indentured laborers came to these shores - East India. What they brought and handed down to us is mild in heat but strong in flavor, a perfectly balanced mix which almost guarantees great results (though I have met a talented few who manage to mess this up).

Finely Ground Trini Curry Powder

Whatever your choice to cook; red meat, white meat, seafood or vegetables this works. It is the base for the Channa (Chick Peas) in Doubles, it is what curries the Mango to go with Pholourie or Sahina, it is in the filling of your Roti no matter where in Trinidad and Tobago you buy.

I personally have curried everything from Peas (Lentils, Pigeon and Black Eye) to Rice and Quinoa and have tasted almost every type of meat and seafood curried, including Game; Manicou, Monkey and even Horse.

Garlic and Bay Leaves - A Must in a Trini Curry

How I Make It

My favorite is curried Crab. The mild sweetness of Crab seems to be accentuated by our Curry, which I make rich and thick. Lots of chopped garlic and onion fried in hot coconut oil, then in goes the curry powder to unlock its flavors with the high heat, allowing the herbs to meld with the onion, garlic and oil. The smell at this point is intoxicating, the garlic and cumin distinct, the aromas floating out if my kitchen and informing my neighbors of the menu.

Gnocchi - Available at the Gourmet Shops

I drop in a Bay Leaf of two, Chilean Crab claws and Coconut Milk, cover and simmer. There is just enough of the heavenly sauce covering the Crab, bubbling slowly until thick (just enough to coat a spoon). Five minutes before I turn off the heat I add Gnocchi - small potato and rice flour dumplings. Gnocchi are soft yet firm enough to stand their ground in the viscid sauce and sacrifice their little bodies completely to the dish. You see these small Italian dumplings have a distinct characteristic, they absorb liquid and flavor without falling apart, without getting soggy and without changing the flavors of the sauce. Gnocchi are the perfect vehicles to deliver the curry's yumminess to your mouth (short of pouring it into a cup and drinking) and are the delicious, store bought, cleaner alternative to placing your hands in flour.

Crab and Dumplings is a crowd pleaser and this version no less so. It sticks to your ribs, has you slurping juices out of shells and using your index finger turned on its side to gather residual sauce on the plate to dispatch to the mouth.

Want some?