Egg-Aloo (potato) Curry Trinidad style

Eggs are a great source of protein, iodine and essential vitamins. Eggs are great "first food" for babies (as long as they are not allergic to them) as long as they are thoroughly cooked. Please avoid giving runny eggs or partly cooked eggs to under 2 yrs old. Boiled eggs were one of the first foods that I gave Anjalie and since then she loves eggs in any form or fashion. Once I was sure that she enjoyed eggs, and was not allergic to them (after the first couple of weeks), I have made this curry (very mild initially) and used to mash the egg yolks in a small amount of curry sauce and give her. Lo and behold! no matter when it was given she would clean it all up :) Since then, this has been a easy and quick "single dish" that every likes in our home. It can be eaten with rice or roti or bread. Not only, is it healthy, it is also relatively low in calories.

You will need:
4 large eggs/6 medium eggs - hard boiled and shell removed
4 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
2 med. tomatoes- chopped fine
1 med. onion - chopped fine
1/4 habernero pepper (for adults only- beware it is extremely hot!)/ pimento pepper for milder taste (optional) - leave out for children
3 cloves or garlic- crushed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbsp curry powder (any store bought kind will do- but for authentic Trinidad taste look for Chief curry powder)

Oven Roasted Potatoes

For a long while now, I have been experimenting with a hope of getting delicious roasted potatoes - crispy outsides and soft & fluffy insides. Trouble was to find the perfect variety of potatoes and also master the techniques to oven roast them successfully- until now that is. For past two or 3 experiments I was able to achieve the crispy texture and soft insides using Maris Piper potatoes (esp. new potatoes!). I got the technique to coat with flour from BBC good food website which does the trick. But the recipe itself was a bit bland for us. Here is the link. Since then I have modified it slightly to create what Anjalie & Naz called "Yummiest roast potatoes" that I have ever made :) Here it goes...


You will need:

• 1kg Maris Piper potato (preferably new potatoes)- peeled and cut to bite size pieces
  Water (as needed)
  100ml olive/vegetable oil
  2 tsp flour
  1/2 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
  1 tsp parsley, oregano, thyme or any of your favourite dried herbs
   3-4 cloves of garlic crushed (with the skin on)
  ½ tsp garlic granules (optional) – do not use garlic salt. It can burn quickly
  Salt to taste (preferably coarsely ground rock salt)

Aloo-Mattar (potato-peas gravy/curry)

Aloo-mattar is a popular North Indian side dish that are served in many Indian/Bangaldeshi/Pakistani restaurants. It is very versatile and goes with rice and roti dishes. I particularly like this dish for the sweet taste of garden peas balanced with the spicy gravy with the potatoes adding to body and flavour. It is easy to make at home and the spice level can be adjusted to suit the entire family. While I make this dish, I leave out the chillies, pav bhaji masala and the chilli powder for Anjalie and after removing her share out, I add them into our (adult) share and cook it for another min or so. Potatoes and peas have been Anjalie's favourite since she was 6 months old and it continues to be her favourite even now. This dish is a great way to encourage children to eat green peas as well.

You will need:

200 g of garden peas (Canned/frozen/fresh)

5-6 medium potatoes peeled and chopped to bite-size pieces

salt to taste

black pepper - 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (for adults)

pav bhaji masala/kitchen king masala - 1/2 tsp (for adults)

garam masala - 1/4 tsp

coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

1/4 medium Onion- chopped fine

1 tsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp lemon juice

2 fresh green chillies (for adults) slit in the middle

coriander leaves for garnish

3/4 cup water

To grind to a paste:

3/4 medium onion

2 tomatoes

1 inch ginger (peeled)

3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp water

South Indian spicy potatoes stir-fry

This is one of our family's favourites for a side dish to rice. Anjalie loves anything made with potatoes, in particular, this crispy potatoes. I usually make a smaller portion for her alone where I leave out chilli powder and use black pepper instead. However, I did not get a chance to take a step-by step picture of it tonight. Instead I give the pictures I took of the spicy version that I made for us adults. Other than the use of spices powder (chilli powder and sambar powder) the method given here is exactly the same as the one I use to make for her. You can adjust the amount of spices according to your taste to appeal to the whole family.


You will need:
5-6 medium potatoes
3 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 urad daal
salt to taste
1 tsp sambar powder + 1 tsp chilli powder

Stuffed Jacket/Baked Potatoes

Both potatoes and rice are good sources of carbohydrates and minerals. However, compared to processed white rice baked potatoes are way better in nutritional values and fiber content. So, once in a while, I try to make dinner/lunch with baked potatoes instead of rice-based dishes. Baked potatoes are easy and need very little of your time. Most of the work is done in the oven so even young children can be involved in the preparation of it while the adult handles the oven. More over, baked potatoes offer a wide variety of choices in their topping. It is pretty much like rice and can be topped with anything making a wholesome filling meal. Tonight, Anjalie and I wanted to decorate the Easter bonnet. After all, Easter is just around the corner. So I chose to make baked potatoes for dinner since we can pop the potatoes in the oven while we worked on our bonnet. Instead of making mixed bean chilli/ the usual curry, for the topping, I decided to simply do stuffed baked potatoes with sweet peppers, cheese and sweet corn and served it with side salad making a very enjoyable meal for all 3 of us with very little effort. Best of all it does not use any oil and totally guilt-free. Perfect!

 You will need:

4 medium baking potatoes

100 grams grated Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese/ Spicy Mexicana cheese

100 grams of sweet corn (I used 1/2 a can unsalted sweet corn and used the other half in the salad)

100 grams mixed sweet peppers

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tbsps of chopped fresh herbs of your choice -thyme/dill, coriander, oregano, basil etc

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)

Aloo Paratha/Potato flat bread/ Trinidadian Aloo prui

This is another easy home-made bread recipe that children can help with. The recipe can be adjusted easily to fit your family's taste buds and this bread is easy for travelling or lunch packs. By now Anjalie is very good at peeling onions and garlic and also at rolling out rotis. So I thought it will be a good idea to move on to peeling potatoes next. So we made aloo paratha for the weekend. Like I said earlier the children will have a great time "helping" with the potatoes. This traditional Indian dish is made with wholemeal wheat flour. However, the exact same dish is made with habernero peppers instead of green chillies in Trinidad with plain flour/maida and is called Aloo puri. You can use either of these flours, although, I tend to choose the wholemeal flour for it being the healthier alternative.

You will need 

4 medium size potatoes, boiled & peeled.
coriander/cilantro leaves - a handful
ground cumin- 1/2 tsp
salt and pepper to tatse
fresh green chillies finely chopped - to taste (optional)
Whole wheat flour/chapatti flour - 2 cups
Water to make dough

Quick and easy potato salad

This is a quick and easy salad to make and regularly features as part of our dinner menu here. It just very ironic that I never got around to posting this one. The main reason is since it is one of the quick and easy food to prepare, I usually make this when pressed for time and never got a chance to click any pictures. So here it is finally, and without further ado,

 You will need:
3-4 large potatoes (cooking not baking): peeled, boiled and chopped into bite size pieces.
3 large eggs: hard-boiled, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
1 can of mixed veggies or peas and carrots: drained
3-4 tbsps of mayonaise/3 tbsp plain greek yogurt+1 tbsp milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
Celery leaves a few pieces
cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish

Phulka (oil-less) roti with mild Potato-peas curry and Rajma (spicy red kidney beans curry)

Phulka rotis are relatively easier to make since they require very little raising time and are very healthy as well since they are made with wholewheat. Additionally they are low-calorie too and use no oil. Preschoolers can be involved in the making of it too and makes for quality time with them while they get to see what they are eating. Hopefully, this will lead to healthier eating habits. The mild potato-peas curry is relatively dry and easier for younger children to eat and the slightly spicier Rajma can be great for older children and adults to enjoy with the roti. 

Potato Sagu

Potato Sagu/Sagoo offers a great veggie option to replace curries, in particular, as an accompaniment for Indian flat breads. It is semi-mashed in consistency and hence can be introduced to children at a much younger age (I first gave it to Anjalie around ~7 months), albeit, with milder spices.

You will need:

Potatoes – 4/5 Medium size
Onion - 1 medium size
Tomatoes – 2 to 3
Coriander leaves - ½ cup
Cumin seeds -½ tsp (optional)
Mustard - ½ tsp (optional)
Asafetida – pinch
Garam masala – 1tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp or more according to your taste
Oil – 1 tbsp

Bread-bonda (stuffed)

This is yet another variety of bread-bonda. This is almost like a samosa except it is easier (comparatively) to make.

You will need
3 potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1/2 cup of canned peas
1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. of garam masala powder (optional)
1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds
6 bread slices
Salt and black pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Stuffing: Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and chopped onions, saute them until they turn translucent.Add the potatoes, turmeric powder, black pepper, salt and garam masala powder and mix them well. Now add the green peas and mix them gently. Cook for a min and allow the stuffing to cool.