Trinidad & Tobago Roti

~ The whole fam-damily ~

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We owe you a MIGHTY BIG THANK YOU for voting us through to the second round of Foodbuzz’ Project Food Blog.  This round is to choose a classic dish from another culture that is outside of your comfort zone.  We’d be grateful if you gave us another vote HERE.

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Back in the mid-eighties Fred (Dad) was hired by the Trinidadian government to build low-income houses for the poor.  We all went down to visit on alternate school vacations (Christmas & Easter), because some of us had to stay home and run the farm.

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While meandering around the island, we all remember enjoying Shark & Bake Sandwiches from a beach-side lean-to, these were so fresh and so tasty, but the best food we had were Rotis from the roadside stands in Trinidad. Roadside stands would pop up right before your eyes as you rounded yet another bend on the narrow, winding and harrowing roads of Trinidad. There was Beef Roti, Chicken Roti and Goat Roti. We tried them all, but the Goat Roti was the BEST! No lie. We have a bit of a different version, since goat is not readily available here, and because even if it were, we don’t think you’d give this recipe a try. So delicious!

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JP remembers having a goat Roti along with a peanut butter shake and a coconut soda. He was sitting on the ferry to Tobago and had a long wait for departure.  During his wait, he was sketching a boat, and someone offered to buy the sketch. The drinks were special because later he burped those sickly sweet flavors during the slow, tumultuous, seasick crossing.  Some flavors you never forget. Good times.

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More on the culture: The first time Katy & Mary went to the market with the maid to get out and about and to see a bit of the culture.  Since it was 80+ degrees and humid, we wore shorts.  Not a bad thing, right?  Well, wherever we went, there were men making these smooching sounds.  Long, drawn-out smooches.  Young men, old men, every man who happened to be in our vicinity.  Mary finally noticed that of all of the women there, we were the only ones wearing shorts.  The other women mostly wore longer skirts and some wore long pants.  The smooching is the American equivalent of the catcall whistle.  That was a good bit of culture we learned that day, and it was disturbing, so we were sure to wear our shorts only around the house or at the pool after that.

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Mary: I chose the Trini Roti because it has been in my ‘To Make’ pile for years.  Twice I’ve had all the ingredients and the mental hutzpa, but at the last-minute decided against it.  I tried to put my finger on why it’s taken me so long.  The curry filling was never an issue; it was the Roti itself that was putting me off.  I only had a very short recipe with cryptic instructions and the Roti dough/cooking is daunting, because I remembered it to be so thin but so strong.  Finally, I searched for some video on the internet (which wasn’t available when I initially wanted to try the Roti…yes, it’s been that long).  What I found at carribeanpot.com was extremely helpful.  I think it’s that I loved the Roti so much, I was afraid my version/attempt wouldn’t measure up.  How wrong I was.  Or maybe it was so tasty because I haven’t had one in more than a decade.  You may think two decades, but I lived near a Caribbean restaurant in Minneapolis and was able to get my fix when I lived there.

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Trinidad & Tobago Roti

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Roti Pancake

makes 4 roti pancakes this video helped

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Sift together:

2 Cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

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Mix in:

3/4  Cup Milk

knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.  Place in bowl, cover with dampend tea towel and let sit for at least 30 minutes.  While this rests, I got started on my curry filling.

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Cut and weigh into four equal balls.  Roll out each ball as thin as possible, at least 12″ round or more.  This is tough! but keep working at it.

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Heat a non-stick frying pan until a drop of water sizzles.  Lightly wipe on some oil and cook the pancake until lightly browned.  About 1 1/2 minutes on each side.  Have a damp tea towel to set them on, so they keep warm until all the roti have been fried.

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Curry Filling

Roti was brought by the Indians to Trinidad.  It was used to wrap their curries in for their lunches in the fields.  Any type of curry filling will do, so if you have a favorite, have at it!  This is what I made:

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In large frying pan saute:

2 Cups Small Diced Yellow Onion

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Minced Ginger

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Saute until limp then add:

3 Tbsp of your favorite Curry Powder or 1 tsp of each turmeric, cumin, coriander, dry mustard, Kosher salt and crushed red pepper to taste.

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Sauté another 1-2 minutes then add:

2 lbs Diced Chicken

3 Cups Small Diced Russet or other sturdy Potato

3 Cups Small Diced Fresh Tomatoes

2 Cups Sliced Green Beans

1 Tbsp Chicken Base OR 1-2 Bouillon Cubes

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Stir well and let simmer, with lid on pot, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Taste and add more spice if necessary.

Thicken with a Cornstarch slurry (2-3 Tbsp Cornstarch mixed with 1-2 Tbsp cold water).

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Fill your roti:

Lay the roti pancake on a flat surface

Portion 1 – 1/2 Cups Filling in the center

Fold like an envelope by bringing up the bottom over the filling then folding in both sides then fold over the top.

Get a napkin, they tend to be sloppy.  ENJOY!