Trinidad Corn Soup with corn/cassava dumplings - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

A Caribbean Garden · 07-22-2011, 07:25 PM

This content is syndicated via RSS from the blog: Caribbean Garden

Trinidad corn soup is sold as a street food/restorative, after fetes and events, especially at Carnival time. In my not too distant younger days I had my share in the wee hours of the morning. Vendors sell portions in Styrofoam cups out of big silver vats. Quality is not consistent, the best is sold at a premium price from vendors with long lines and wait. Somehow the plump middle-aged ladies tend to make the best tasting street foods in the Caribbean. This one tastes like the best Trini cornsoup I’ve had.

Like many Creole recipes that originated with the working classes, the quantities in the ingredients don’t need to be precise and there is no difficult method of cooking, it’s just a little time consuming.
Collect all your ingredients this weekend at the farmer's market. The freshness of the produce is key to the taste.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs oil
1 yellow onion or other sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cubed West Indian pumpkin or butternut squash or kabocha squash
1 carrot, sliced into rounds
4 seasoning or aji dulce peppers, chopped (optional)
Hot pepper to taste (optional)
½ bunch fresh scallions (green onions) or chives, chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
1 blade shadon beni (culantro), chopped or 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large potato or 1 peeled cassava, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup yellow split peas, or 1 can chickpeas (channa), drained
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water (if using water add a stock cube)
½ cup coconut milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4-6 ears of fresh corn, cut into 2 inch pieces (can also use frozen or canned corn kernels if you have no choice).

Dumplings:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or cassava farine
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup water or coconut milk

Method:

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
Add onion, garlic, pumpkin, carrot, seasoning and hot pepper, and sauté 3 minutes.
Add chives, thyme and potato or cassava and cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add split peas or chickpeas and stock/water.
Add salt and black pepper to taste and cilantro/shadon beni.
Bring soup to a boil then cover pot and lower heat to simmer. Cook until split peas are soft (about 25 minutes)
Use the pot spoon to crush most of the pumpkin and some of the potato/cassava in the pot, or using an immersion blender, puree soup slightly, leaving some of the potato/cassava and pumpkin in small chunks.
Some people like their soup creamy so if you do blend until creamy before the next steps, but I prefer some chunkiness for “authenticity”.
Add corn and cook for 10 minutes.
Make dumplings using method below. Add dumplings and cook for another 15 minutes until dumplings float.
Adjust seasonings if needed and add some water if the soup needs to be thinned. Cover and let sit 20 minutes for flavors to develop.

Makes about 6 servings

To make dumplings:
Combine all dry ingredients and butter together.
Add coconut milk to mixture and mix to a medium-soft dough
Roll small pieces of dough into half inch ropes in your hands and break/cut into 2” pieces.

07-22-2011, 07:25 PM	#1
A Caribbean Garden Grounds Keeper Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 203	Trinidad Corn Soup with corn/cassava dumplings This content is syndicated via RSS from the blog: Caribbean Garden Trinidad corn soup is sold as a street food/restorative, after fetes and events, especially at Carnival time. In my not too distant younger days I had my share in the wee hours of the morning. Vendors sell portions in Styrofoam cups out of big silver vats. Quality is not consistent, the best is sold at a premium price from vendors with long lines and wait. Somehow the plump middle-aged ladies tend to make the best tasting street foods in the Caribbean. This one tastes like the best Trini cornsoup I’ve had. Like many Creole recipes that originated with the working classes, the quantities in the ingredients don’t need to be precise and there is no difficult method of cooking, it’s just a little time consuming. Collect all your ingredients this weekend at the farmer's market. The freshness of the produce is key to the taste. Ingredients: 2 Tbs oil 1 yellow onion or other sweet onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup cubed West Indian pumpkin or butternut squash or kabocha squash 1 carrot, sliced into rounds 4 seasoning or aji dulce peppers, chopped (optional) Hot pepper to taste (optional) ½ bunch fresh scallions (green onions) or chives, chopped 1 tbs chopped fresh thyme 1 blade shadon beni (culantro), chopped or 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped 1 large potato or 1 peeled cassava, cut into large cubes 1/2 cup yellow split peas, or 1 can chickpeas (channa), drained 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water (if using water add a stock cube) ½ cup coconut milk Salt and black pepper, to taste 4-6 ears of fresh corn, cut into 2 inch pieces (can also use frozen or canned corn kernels if you have no choice). Dumplings: 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup cornmeal or cassava farine 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 1/3 cup water or coconut milk Method: Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, pumpkin, carrot, seasoning and hot pepper, and sauté 3 minutes. Add chives, thyme and potato or cassava and cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add split peas or chickpeas and stock/water. Add salt and black pepper to taste and cilantro/shadon beni. Bring soup to a boil then cover pot and lower heat to simmer. Cook until split peas are soft (about 25 minutes) Use the pot spoon to crush most of the pumpkin and some of the potato/cassava in the pot, or using an immersion blender, puree soup slightly, leaving some of the potato/cassava and pumpkin in small chunks. Some people like their soup creamy so if you do blend until creamy before the next steps, but I prefer some chunkiness for “authenticity”. Add corn and cook for 10 minutes. Make dumplings using method below. Add dumplings and cook for another 15 minutes until dumplings float. Adjust seasonings if needed and add some water if the soup needs to be thinned. Cover and let sit 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Makes about 6 servings To make dumplings: Combine all dry ingredients and butter together. Add coconut milk to mixture and mix to a medium-soft dough Roll small pieces of dough into half inch ropes in your hands and break/cut into 2” pieces. Read more at Caribbean Garden...

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