CORN SOUP from Trinidad and Tobago is a blend of corn, cilantro, sweet potatoes, split peas, coconut milk, small dumplings, and spices.
It is often accompanied by roti (typical Indian bread) stuffed with curry chicken or goat meat, peas, and potatoes.
And for the column ”Building the menu” today we return to the wonderful Caribbean… to Trinidad and Tobago, a place I have unfortunately never been to, for a typical carnival recipe.
An annual event of global significance comparable to similar events like the Venice carnival or Rio de Janeiro carnival.
Renowned for the colorful costumes of participants and exuberant parties following a very tight schedule that precedes the central part of the event by a few weeks.
Imported by French colonizers and integrated with the customs and traditions of the enslaved people serving them. Initially, there was a ban on participating in European-style parties, and enslaved people were confined to their quarters. Over time, they were also admitted, combining elements from their cultures with their masters’ parties, often mockingly imitating their masters’ behavior in masquerade balls.
Today, the Carnival Tuesday or Mardi Gras parade is preceded by the gathering of numerous and crowded bands that start very early when hundreds of thousands of costumed marchers, according to their section’s theme, which follows a predetermined concept: historical, mythological, current, or tropical.
Musical bands compete to win the Band of the Year title.
And one of the most typical dishes of the period is this corn soup.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Caribbean
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 corn cobs (Cut into 6 pieces)
- 4 oz split peas
- 2 sweet potatoes (or yams)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic (Chopped)
- 14 oz coconut milk (Canned)
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or 1 1/4 cups water + 1 1/4 cups broth)
- to taste chili peppers
- to taste cilantro
- to taste salt, pepper, olive or coconut oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 oz cornstarch
- to taste salt
Steps
Prepare the dumplings by mixing the flour and cornstarch with the salt, add the water, knead, pinch off a piece of dough, and roll it in the palm of your hand.
Sauté the garlic and onion, then add the split peas, sweet potato, and stir, seasoning with salt, pepper, chili, and fresh cilantro.
Cook for three minutes, then add the broth, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
If you want a thicker consistency, you can blend with an immersion blender, then add the coconut milk and broken corn cobs.
Finally, add the dumplings to the soup pot and continue simmering for 20 minutes.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Split peas are the same used in many Indian recipes, called Tarka
