As a teenager growing up in my parent's home, I remember our kitchen always being stacked with a variety of West Indian bakery goods. We usually purchased our bakery goods, but every once in a while, my mother would get into a baking mood and when she did, the house would begin to smell like heaven! She'd make all sorts of goodies from Cheese Rolls to Cassava Pone to Salara , you name it, she made it. However during Hindu holidays, when we would abstain from eating any eggs or meat, she would make a very unusual type of cake, an eggless cake. I say unusual because it had a unique taste and texture, and also looked differently than her regular sponge cake did, which had more of a yellow tint to it. Because I have received many emails for an eggless cake recipe, I want to share this recipe with you as it has become a favorite treat of mine, so here you are my friends, please enjoy!
These spicy meat filled pastries were a staple in my home as a child. The ironic part is, my mother never actually made them! We would always purchase them from Sybil's Bakery on Liberty Avenue in Queens, NY. Whenever you walked in and said, "I'd like four chicken patties please" the response would always be, "Guyanese or Jamaican style?" By the end of this post you will come to understand that the two styles are truly very different. There was no rhyme or reason as to which type of patty I was in the mood for during my visit to Sybil's, but I do remember always buying a bottle of cream soda to wash it all down! Guyanese pastries are just not complete without the added taste of cream soda in the background.
Every weekend my family made our routine trip to Liberty Avenue in Queens, NY to purchase our Guyanese baked goods for the week. Our first stop was to the ever so popular and historic bakery, Sybil's. Sybil's has come to be a landmark in our community, one that is easily recognizable by the look and taste of their baked goods. Two of my absolute favorite pastries from Sybil's are their pine tarts and cheese rolls. Usually when my dad purchased a bag of cheese rolls, I would have already eaten one in the car before we got home. It was flaky, cheesy, slightly spicy, an absolutely delicate, so delicate that you could see the crumbs in the bag. I made sure to always wash those scrumptious cheese rolls down with a bottle of cream soda. Oh, the childhood memories...
"Less is more". It applies perfectly to potatoes. Who is responsible for that saying anyway? I want to give him a hug. I love flavorful dishes that require very little work and very little ingredients. It makes your pocket go a long way and helps you focus on the bigger picture, like actually having time to eat with your family rather than spending hours preparing dinner for your family. These potatoes were so easy to prep and cook, that I vowed to make them at least once a week.
When I was a little girl I remember my mom making this delicious frozen treat that didn't quite have the texture of ice cream, but one that was more like a block of ice. It took a really long time to melt, but once it did, it was slushy and creamy and simply intoxicating! I recall the outstanding flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg, ones that would always brighten up my taste buds. There was one particular ingredient that made this custard block stand out from any other frozen treat, and that is Bird's Custard Powder.
Two years ago my family and I had the chance to travel to Guyana to visit family and friends that we had not seen in years. One of the best parts of the trip was being able to eat my aunty Loreen's "hand-cooking" (as Guyanese people would say) on a daily basis. One thing in particular that I remembered her making was limewash, which is a drink that is similar to lemonade, but made with limes and mixed essence instead.
What red sauce is to an Italian, is what dhal is to a Guyanese. It is truly a staple in our cuisine and is probably cooked at least once a week in any Guyanese home. Dhal is a type of "gravy" made essentially from split peas and is commonly eaten with rice or roti. It is topped with almost any type of Guyanese dish from chicken curry to fried fish, to various vegetables such as ochroes or spinach. The simplest and most delicious way to eat dhal for me is with hot paratha roti. Once the dhal has had a chance to soak into the roti, it ends up being a very fulfilling and hearty meal for me.
