I was raised on Caribbean comfort food. I was born on an island in the Caribbean called Trinidad. My parents, Veronica and Claudius Abraham, are both from the small island of Grenada, also known as the “spice island” for the numerous spices — bay, cinnamon, nutmeg, and others — that grow so profusely the air is scented with them.
My family immigrated to Toronto, Canada when I was nine years old. I lived there until I was in my late twenties, when I moved to the United States to attend Smith College School of Social Work in Northampton, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, I met my husband and married and moved to Exeter, New Hampshire.
Just thinking of it now makes my mouth water. Because both of my parents worked outside of the home, weekend meals became very important. My mom cooked and baked all weekend, and there was always wonderful Caribbean food on the stove. It really became my comfort food.
Curried chicken and roti are now my favorite foods. I look forward to ordering them from my favorite Caribbean restaurants, whether at home in Toronto or when visiting the Caribbean. They remind me of Saturday evening drives with my parents and my brother when I was child in Trinidad. We would drive to the Savannah in Port of Spain and order chicken roti and coconut water. It tasted like food of the Gods. Trinidad has a very large East Indian population and curried meats and vegetables, along with really exceptional fried roti, are quite the island specialties.
As an adult I often cook Caribbean food for dinner parties. My friends always seem to enjoy it and it provides comfort for me as well. I always feel like I am expressing myself and sharing a part of my identity and history through my cooking.
I now have a family of my own in New Hampshire, and two very American children. For the longest while my kids were fairly indifferent to my Caribbean dishes and would for the most part turn their noses up when I cooked it, complaining that it smelled funny or was too spicy. Both children are now young adults and in the past year have pleasantly surprised me. One weekend last summer I prepared one of my favorite meals: curried shrimp and peppers, coconut rice and beans, fried plantains, roti and a simple chef’s salad with a vinaigrette dressing. The kids devoured it and I was shocked. When they went looking for more helpings there were none, because I generally do not cook a lot of it, expecting that my husband and I may be the only ones eating. It was such a surprise. Well, the great part of this story is that just about every weekend since then my children request that I make curried shrimp, rice and roti for them.
Roti is a type of East Indian fried bread, otherwise known as naan in Indian restaurants. I am able to purchase it in the grocery stores here very easily. This menu has become the favorite meal in our home and I make it at least
twice a month. It is amazing and a blessing for me because it allows me to express my Caribbean identity and connects my children and husband to my heritage and history. This meal has become the Thompson family meal of choice. Both children have helped to make it and have even expressed a desire to learn how to cook it.
Caribbean Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
To season shrimp:
- •900 grams (2 pounds) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- •1 tablespoon any curry powder
- •½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- •½ teaspoon salt
To finish:
- •2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- •2 onions, chopped
- •Half a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- •Half a yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- •Half a green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- •1 Scotch Bonnet or other hot pepper, seeded and minced
- •4 cloves garlic, minced
- •1 large tomato, cored and chopped
- •1 sprig fresh thyme
- •118 ml (½ cup) coconut milk
- •2 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
- •½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- •½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- •1 tablespoon cornstarch
- •2 scallions, thinly sliced
- •Cooked rice, for serving
Preparation
To season shrimp: In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the curry powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside at room temperature while continuing with the recipe, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
To finish: In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil until sizzling. Add the onions, bell peppers, and hot pepper. Sauté until onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
Add chopped tomato and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-high and add coconut milk, curry powder, salt, and pepper.
Add shrimp, reduce heat to medium, and sauté until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute. Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, and add to pan. Stir in scallions. Simmer until shrimp are firm and curry has thickened, about 2 more minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over cooked rice.
