Caribbean stew chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 Whole Chicken
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Peanut Oil
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
10 Finely Chopped Pimentos (Seeds Optional)
3 Medium Sized Onions
1 Bundle of Chive
2 Bundles of Chadon Beni or 10-12 Leaves (Culantro)
1 Thyme
5 Garlic Cloves
2 Cups Water or Vegetable Stock
1/8 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Golden Ray (Vegetable Cooking Butter)
1 Hot Pepper
Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)

METHOD

Cut chicken into desired pieces.
Clean, wash, drain and set chicken aside.
Finely chop onion, pimento, chive, chadon beni and garlic.
Put chicken in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper.
Add onion, pimento, chive, chadon beni and garlic and thyme leaves to chicken.
Massage ingredients into chicken until well incorporated.
Let marinate for 4-6 hours in refrigerator.
Heat pot over high heat.
Add oil and brown sugar.
As soon as sugar begins to melt stir constantly until all the sugar is dissolved.
(this ensures the sugar from burning and tasting bitter)
Add chicken to pot and stir until well coated with melted sugar.
Cover and allow chicken to brown for 10 minutes.
Stir in water, soy sauce and golden ray.
Place whole pepper in center of pot.
Reduce heat to medium to low and let cook 30-45 minutes (checking every 15 minutes)
Remove whole pepper.
Check for salt and black pepper and add to taste.

Indian Samosa

INGREDIENTS

Samosa Dough

• 2 cups Maida
• 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Water + a few tablespoons extra

Samosa Filling

• 2 tablespoons Oil
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Saunf (fennel seeds)
• A pinch of Methi Seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Paste (freshly ground ginger)
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste (freshly ground garlic)
• 1 teaspoon chopped Green Chillies (or Jalapeno)
• 2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder
• 2 tablespoons Coriander Powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 tablespoon Raw Mango Powder (Amchoor)
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• 2 large Potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
• 6–7 Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste

Oil for Frying

METHOD

Samosa Dough: To start making the samosa dough or pastry, mix together flour and salt and add oil. Rub the oil with the flour till it resembles bread crumbs. Start by adding 1/2 cup water and knead it into a firm dough. You may need a few extra teaspoons of water but add as you go. The consistency of the dough should be firm and smooth. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside while you make the filling.

Samosa Filling: Heat oil in a pan. While the oil is heating, crush the coriander seeds, saunf (fennel seeds) and methi (fenugreek seeds) roughly and add it to the pan. Fry the spices till aromatic but be careful not to burn them. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies and stir fry for a minute or two. Add the remaining spices, mashed boiled potatoes and salt. I like to use a potato masher to just mash everything together and then mix it. Add the curry leaves right at the end, give it one more good mix and then set the mixture aside to cool.

Wrapping the samosas: 

Take a lime sized bowl of dough, roll it between your palms till smooth and dust it with flour.

Roll it out into a circle which is less than 1 mm thickness and about 6 inches in diameter.

Cut the rolled dough in half. Pick up one half and brush it with a little water along the straight edge of the pastry.

Now take one edge of the straight side, and place it on the other edge of the straight side in such a way that the dough forms into a cone (watch the video for more clarity). Pinch the corner of the cone so that its sealed. Place a tablespoon and a half of the filling in the cone, making sure to fill it only 3/4th of the way. Brush the inside of the unfilled dough with a little water and seal it by pinching the edge together. Repeat till all the dough is used up. Place the samosas on a greased tray making sure they don’t touch each either and cover them with a damp cloth.

Frying the samosas: Heat about 2-3 inches oil in a pan. To test if the oil is hot enough, add a tiny piece of dough to the oil and if it bubbles and floats on the surface, your oil is ready for frying. Add the samosas to the oil making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and reduce the flame to a simmer. Fry the samosas on a low flame till golden brown on either side. Its important to fry them on a low flame, or the pastry would be raw from the inside and golden brown on the outside. Take them out on a plate lined with paper to absorb any extra oil and serve them immediately with ketchup, coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.