Caribbean Beat — 25th Anniversary Edition — March/April 2017 (#144)

cookup
A compendium of
curry
It’s one of the outstanding flavours of the Caribbean,
enjoyed in everything from Jamaican curry goat to
Trinidadian doubles. But where can you find the
region’s best curries, and how is the cuisine changing?
Franka Philip finds out
Illustration by Shalini Seereeram
One of my most mind-blowing
food experiences ever was years
ago at an Indian restaurant in
Southall, West London. It was
the first time I tried Indian food
in Britain, and I wasn’t prepared
for the depth of flavour the chefs at Madhu’s served
up that Saturday afternoon.
The korma and jalfrezi were far more complex
than Trinidad curry — the taste defined by the
Turban or Chief curry powder used religiously at
home. Some of the flavours I had that afternoon
took a bit of getting used to, but after that, I was
game for trying more of the great spread of curries
available in the UK.
Most Indo-Caribbean people can trace their
origins to the Subcontinent’s northern region
of Uttar Pradesh. Indians started arriving in
the Caribbean in the mid nineteenth century as
replacement labour for enslaved Africans after
Emancipation. However, because of the strictures
of indentureship and the unavailability of some
spices and herbs, Indo-Caribbean cuisine retained
some traditional elements while also, over time,
evolving into a style of its own.
“There are hundreds of curries all around
the world,” says scientist and curry gourmand
Brian Singh. “Our curries tend to be heavy on
turmeric and garam masala.” In other cultures,
curries incorporate ingredients like coconut
milk, lemongrass, and different chillies. Singh
points to Malaysia, where curries typically
use tamarind and shrimp paste. A Trinidadian
based in Vanuatu, in the Pacific, Singh does have
many plaudits for the curries of the Caribbean.
“Jamaican goat curry is brilliant,” he says. “They
use a lot of warm spices which go well with the
gaminess of the goat.”
Around the world, Jamaican goat curry, like
jerk chicken, has become synonymous with
Caribbean cuisine. In the UK, for example,
festivals like Notting Hill Carnival are also a
showcase for Caribbean food. It’s not unusual for
revellers and spectators to eat thousands of plates
of the sumptuous delicacies at food stalls along the
parade route.
The toughest parts of the goat are used for this
recipe: they are seasoned and left overnight to
marinate, then cooked low and slow to achieve
a fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Well-travelled
34 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM