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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.

This is another variation on standard roti that has a spicy potato (aloo) stuffing and can be eaten as either a snack or a meal. Is best when served with a chutney or achar, a type of Guyanese pickle. It is reminiscent of a flat potato samosa, and if deep fried or baked instead of grilled, would probably be a round samosa!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups (2 lbs/1 kg) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 to 3 cups water
• 1 ½ lbs baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 green onion, green part only, minced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 hot pepper, seeded and minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or melted ghee
• ~½ cup vegetable oil or melted ghee

Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add water and mix to form a soft dough, using a little extra water if necessary. Knead dough smooth and elastic (the better kneaded, the better the roti). Cover and let rest for one hour, or until risen to double its size.

Divide dough into eight equal parts and shape into smooth balls. Let rest for five minutes. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in water to cover until soft. Drain. Mash with green onion, garlic, cumin, hot pepper, and salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.

On floured surface, roll out one ball of dough into a circle five inches in diameter. Spread ½ tsp oil or ghee over surface with the back of a spoon. Spoon 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of potato filling in the middle. Bring edges of dough to a central point and squeeze together. Flatten squeezed edges, maintaining ball shape. Place ball, edges down, on a lightly floured surface while preparing remaining roti.

Heat large shallow frying pan or tawa over medium-high heat. Gently flatten one filled ball of dough on a floured surface. Roll out carefully to 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Place on hot tawa and reduce heat to medium. Turn roti after 1 minute and spread 1 to 2 tsp oil or ghee over the slightly cooked side. Repeat on second side. Cook on both sides until roti is lightly browned and begins to puff up. As each roti is cooked, place on a large plate and cover with clean towel to keep hot. Serve immediately.

Sada roti is a quicker, thicker version of regular roti that does not have as many layers and resembles pita bread. Sada is great for cooking sandwhiches, quick meals or salad toppers. I know some of my cousins have discovered how to cook this roti in the microwave, but I haven’t tried it yet. This roti may be a tiny bit healthier because of the lack of oil.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (1 lbs/500 g) all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ~1 2/3 cups water

Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add water and mix to form a soft dough, adding a little extra water if necessary. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 equal parts and shape into smooth balls. Let rest another 10 minutes. Flour a work surface in the meantime and heat a frying pan or tawa over medium heat. When the dough is rested, roll each ball into a circle about ¼ inch thick, making sure to roll right over the edges.

Cook on both sides until lightly golden. If you are using a frying pan, move the pan halfway off the heat, lift roti out of the pan with a spatula (resting the roti on part of the pan), and toast the edges of the roti over medium low heat, turning regularly so it does not burn. Each roti should puff up slightly. Stack roti on a plate, covering the stack as each one is cooked. Serve warm.

This bread is typically made for special occasions such as weddings, religious functions, etc. It’s tricky to make, but worth it! I know a lot of people who grind the dhal by hand- but you can use a blender or a food processor. Serve with curry, etc.

Dough:

• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ~2 cups water
• vegetable oil, for frying

Filling:

• 1 lbs dried yellow split peas, rinsed
• 8 cups water
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 small hot peppers, seeded & minced
• salt, to taste

Directions:
First the Filling: Place peas in a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, cover partially and reduce heat to medium, simmering the peas until they are tender- 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and spread peas on clean kitchen towels to dry for 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dough: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Gradually mix in enough water to make a soft dough. Kneed dough until smooth and elastic, and cover to rest for 30 minutes (or longer)

Grind dry peas in a processor or blender until they resemble very fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and add green onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, and hot peppers; salt to taste and set aside.

Place dough on a floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Take one piece and knead 30 seconds then flatten to a diameter of 4 inches. Holding dough in the palm of your hand, spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the middle, forming a ball. Firmly press edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, placing each ball sealed edge down on a lightly floured surface.

Heat a large frying pan or tawa over medium heat. Working on a floured surface (chowkee or counter), flatten one piece of dough, then roll out with belna (rolling pin) to a diameter of 7 to 8 inches, turning it over while rolling. Cook the dhal puri until lightly golden on one side, then turn and brush cooked side and edges with oil. Continue to cook until underside is browned; the dhal puri should puff like a balloon.

Place the cooked dhal puri on a plate with a clean kitchen towel. Fold the dhal puri in half and cover with another towel while cooking the remainder (no need to clap)- serve warm!