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allaloo is a popular dish in the Caribbean but
as different varieties and names such as coco, tannia, bhaaji, or dasheen bush.
In Trinidad Callaloo is a concoction of dasheen leaves, okra,
crab and salt meat, along with onions, pimento peppers, scotch bonnet,
green onions and thyme, all cooked in fresh coconut milk. It is a delicious
and extremely nourishing dish.
Ingredients:
12 dasheen
(eddo/taro) leaves, chopped (or spinach)
1 doz. okra, chopped
into 1-inch pieces
2 Tsp salted
butter
1 ham bone or
pickled pig tail or any piece of salted meat (beef or pork), cut into 3 pieces2 large crabs cut into quarters
4 pimentos
chopped (mild pepper)
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
3 sprigs fresh
thyme
2 cloves garlic,
crushed
1 large onion,
chopped
1 chicken
bouillon, crushed
3 cups water
1 cup coconut
milk
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Cook ham bone or
pig tail if used until it is soft. In the meantime, chop dasheen leaves (remove
skin from the stalks before chopping) or spinach, okra and onion and set aside.
Then prepare crabs (live), clean and wash thoroughly discarding backs and break
into fairly large pieces.
In a skillet
melt butter then add all ingredients except the scotch bonnet pepper and salt cook
on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Add whole hot pepper. Re-cover pot and let
cook for another 15 minutes or until everything is cooked through and the
vegetables are very soft.
Remove the hot
pepper and crab (and salt meat) from the pot. Use a swizzle stick or an
immersion blender to puree the mixture, until you get a smooth thick liquid. You
can do this in a food processor if you do not have an immersion blender or
swizzle stick. Then combine spinach mixture with crabs and simmer
slowly for about 20 minutes.
Taste for
seasoning (salt) and adjust if necessary.
Pour soup into a
bowl, garnish with hot pepper and crab.Serve as a soup to be eaten by itself or eat the Callaloo with rice, dumplings or Ton Ton and salt fish souse
Note: Dumplings and Tanias may be added at simmering
stage.
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