Bengfort.com

Bhaji is the name given to Indian kale or calallo and sometimes known as Chinese spinach. Serve as an accompaniment with rice, dhal, and roti. You can use Swiss Chard, spinach, calallo leaves or kale to make this dish. Note: contains shrimp.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz spinach, callaloo leaves, or Swiss chard- washed, stemmed, and finely chopped
• 2 oz dried shrimp (prawns) soaked in 1 cup water (optional for vegans)
• 1 hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in heavy saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and greens and stir well. Drain shrimp and add to saucepan with hot pepper. Use salt and black pepper to taste. Cook until greens are wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.

This is a fruit, fish, and dumpling dish that is very delicious, and is eaten like casserole in the U.S. I highly recommend trying this dish if you are new to Guyanese cooking, because it will quickly become one of your mainstay dinners.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fillets of snapper or other white-fleshed fish, cut into pieces
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or  ¼ tsp dry
• 2 cups water
• 2 green plantains or green bananas, peeled and cut into thirds
• 8 oz yam, peeled and cubed
• 1 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 lb cassava, peeled and cubed
• 6 black peppercorns
• ½ tsp finely chopped thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups coconut milk
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• dumplings

Directions:
Rub fish with lemon juice, salt, parsley, and thyme. Set aside.

Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add plantain, yam, sweet potatoes, cassava, peppercorns, additional thyme, garlic, and coconut milk and cook over medium heat until liquid reduces a little, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add carrots, onion, and fish and cook about 5 minutes. Add dumplings. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time or the dumplings will not be soft and fluffy. Serve immediately.

Hearty curries like chicken or potatoes are easily complimented by this more delicate curry, and is great for picnics and summer BBQs.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 lbs shrimp, peeled
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (optional)

Directions:
Heat butter in frying pan over low heat. Add curry powder and fry 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in onion, bell pepper, hot pepper, and shrimp. Add water and sugar, and simmer until shrimp are cooked, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring regularly. If sauce is too thin, mix in cornstarch paste and bring to boil to thicken.

Hassar is the common name for an unusual armor plated fish eaten and found in Guyana (think underwater armadillo). I have been surprised to come home a couple times and find these fish swimming around the sink- as Nanee says, the fresher the better! There is no real substitute for hassar’s distinctive taste, but you could try to substitute with tilapia or white fish.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 hasssars, cleaned thoroughly
• 2 to 3 limes
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ¾ tsp dried
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• ½ tsp cumion
• ½ tsp masala
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ¼ to ½ cups water
• ¼ cup vegetable or corn oil
• 2 12 oz. cans of coconut milk

Directions:
Cover hassars with water. Squeeze in lime juice; drop in lime peels. Let soak while preparing remaining ingredients.

Puree garlic and thyme together in a food processor or crush with a rolling pin. In a bowl combine all dry ingredients and onion with just enough water to make a thin paste. Drain fish and spread out two thirds of the garlic/thyme puree, coating inside and out.

Heat oil in a large saucepan until very hot. Add curry paste and fry 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining garlic puree and cook 4 minutes. Add fish and cook 3 minutes. Add coconut milk, cover, and cook until fish is done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with boiled rice or dhal and roti. This is the seafood version of the fried okra in the vegetarian section. If you heat fish, try this version!

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs shrimp, peeled
• juice of ½ lime
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 lb okra, trimmed and cut into ¼” pieces
• 1 small hot red pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt

Directions:
Sprinkle shrimp with lime juice, marinate.

Heat oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add okra, hot pepper, cumin, and salt to taste and sauté for 4 more minutes.

Add shrimp and sauté until okra is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Similar to chips, but much fuller in fruit flavor, and a little less snack-y. This is a good appetizer or side dish, especially for a packed lunch.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe yellow plantains, peeled
• 5-6 tbsp vegetable or corn oil

Directions:
Cut each plantain into 3 equal sections. Cut each section lengthwise into slices about ¼ inch thick.

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium hat. Fry plantains on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

This cassava dish is a sweet dish that can be served as desert or as a sweet bread.

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups sweet cassava, peeled and finely grated, or 1 cup cassava meal.
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup milk or evaporated milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 °F (180°C/Gas 4) and grease an 8 inch, square baking dish.

Combine cassava and coconut in large mixing bowl Add sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and butter and mix well. Gradually mix in enough milk to form a thick batter.

Turn mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake until set and top is browned, about 1¼ hours. let cool, then cut into slices and serve.

Tip: Plantains are NOT bananas, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t make banana chips taste like plantain chips! Get the real thing for this tasty snack.

Ingredients:

• 10 green plantains
• about 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
• salt

Directions:
Bring salted water to a boil. Add cassava pieces and simmer until tender but not mushy, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and remove any stringy parts from the cassava.

Heat oil in frying pan until hot. Add cassava and sauté over medium heat until very lightly golden, turning often to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Cassava root is very popular in Guyana like most tropical countries, replacing the potato as the main source of carbohydrates often times. However, it has more food energy than any other food except perhaps sugar cane. This is not a sweet dish, and can be eaten with sada roti.

Ingredients:

• salt
• 8 cups water
• 2 lbs cassava, peeled and cut into 2″ cubes
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Bring salted water to a boil. Add cassava pieces and simmer until tender but not mushy, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and remove any stringy parts from the cassava.

Heat oil in frying pan until hot. Add cassava and sauté over medium heat until very lightly golden, turning often to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

This is a bitter melon dish often eaten with dhal and white rice. I was surprised that a Google search did not return any good results for this melon but I did find out it has medicinal properties.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs carailla, seeded, cored, and very thinly sliced.
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 to 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ onion, chopped

Directions:
Place carailla slices in a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 1 hour to extract bitter juices. Squeeze more juice out of carailla using paper towels.

Heat oil in shallow saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and onion, and sauté for one minute. Add carailla, reduce heat to medium high, and cook until brown and crisp. Serve hot.