Jamaica Ackee and Saltfish with Dumplings

The Jamaicans have created a lovely tasty breakfast with this dish. Ackee is a fruit from a large tree and is poisonous if eaten unripe. So its best to buy tinned ackee available from most supermarkets that carry international foods. They are expensive around £4.50 a tin but the consistency and taste cannot be duplicated. In Trinidad there are a few ackee trees but most Trinidadians don't understand them and rarely eat the fruit.

Boil about 1/2 lb of saltfish and drain. In a frying pan slow cook an onion sliced, a sweet pepper sliced and a hot pepper chopped until the go translucent and soft (about 5-10 minutes slow). Add a tin of tomatoes and some fresh thyme and maybe a little water. I also add a teaspoon of sun dried tomato paste and a tsp of sugar. Let this mixture cook slowly until reduced and tasty, add black pepper. then add the shredded saltfish and let this cook into the mix for 5 minutes before topping off with the ackee. Once the ackee is added don't stir much as it breaks up.

To make the dumpling take 8oz plain flour (I use bread flour) and add a tspn of salt and a tspn of baking powder (no more or they will be soggy). Then mix with water to a soft consistency and knead for about 2 minutes. Boil; a saucepan of salted water and divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten with the hand or a rolling pin into saucer shapes and drop into the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes.  Serve with Ooft hot pepper of course!

Trinidad Breakfast

If your not eating doubles, then in Trinidad your probably waking up to tomato choka, potato and saltfish and sada roti. I have been experimenting with a new recipe for potato and saltfish which is quicker and makes a better product than the traditional way in an earlier blog entry. After all when one gets up in the morning one wants to have breakfast quickly. In Trinidad Indian women are up at 4am making all this for their working husbands and children, but that a lot of work. This method works well and can all be done in 30 minutes. The work pattern is first start the roti as it need to sit, then boil potato while doing saltfish and chopping, this way it comes together quickly at the end.

1lb potatoes chopped small and boiled until soft
1 piece of salt cod put in a bowl and pour boiling water over, leave for 20 minutes, strain and chop.
1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and half a WI pepper all finely chopped

Add all except potato to a small wok on low to medium and heat until it starts to brown, it needs a slow heat. Then turn it up to high and add potatoes and immediately begin to break the potatoes down into the mix until it is close to mashed. What you are looking for here is to brown the potato (not burn), so watch the heat. It should take about 10 minutes tops.

Serve with simple sada roti.

1lb plain flour 1 tbps baking powder, 1 dessertspoon salt, little butter maybe 100gms. Mix this up until butter disappeared, then add cold water and mix for a soft dough. leave for 20-30 minutes to prove and then split into about 6-8 pieces and roll out thin and cook in a frying pan with no oil at medium heat. As soon as you put the roti in the pan pour a little oil on the top and spread with your fingers to cover. After 1 minute (small bubbles should be visible if you have the heat right) turn and again rub some oil into the surface (I use a piece of =kitchen towel soaked in oil). After 1 minute again turn and the roti should start to bubble and rise, it might even go completely bubble which is nice but not essential. Let it cook for another 2 minutes and then put into a bowl with a towel and some kitchen towel and cover while you do the rest.