Curry Chicken with Rice

Everyone (or at least all working moms) have an easy ‘go to’ recipe that’s delicious and takes little time to whip together. My curry chicken is my ‘go to’ when I want something easy to cook, but when I’m also craving something hearty and flavourful. Curry chicken is sought to have originated in Asia, with regions like the Caribbean concocting their own version. By no means is this recipe made from scratch, you might even read the ingredients and think “really, cream of chicken soup in curry chicken -- this girl is crazy!!” Think again, this dish is nothing but packed with flavour and deliciousness. I wasn't keen on posting this recipe as most of my famous dishes are made from scratch – and I don’t want to belittle the efforts of my Trinidadian and Tobagonian friends who might spend hours on end preparing their famous version of curry chicken or curry goat. Before you start to point fingers at me about my ‘shortcut’ version of curry chicken, give it a try yourself, you might be delightfully surprised.

Oh la la: Okra Soup

I can’t believe it, I can’t believe I cook and eat okra soup -- it was only a few years ago that I would politely decline anything made with okra -- “ewwwwwww”. But now okra is a staple food in my house. It’s funny how some foods are an acquired taste and requires time to fall in love with. The taste of okra has really grown on me over the past couple of years -- so much so that I probably eat okra once a week. For those who are still wondering ‘what is okra?’ -- Okra is a plant with green pods, ridged skin and small white seeds inside. It originated somewhere in Africa and was brought to North America during the early nineteen hundreds. I think most people steer clear of this healthy vegetable because of the gummy fluid it exudes when you cook it -- but that’s what thickens the dish!! To top it all off, okra is rich in fiber, vitamin c, antioxidants and is a good source of calcium and potassium. Our Southern U.S. friends like to eat deep fried okra -- how do you like to eat okra?

Back and on Fire -- Ogbono Soup

My kitchen was getting cold and my hunger to cook was heating up. I know what you’re thinking: “where have you been Miss Lyn?” Let’s just say that I had something cooking in my oven...

My taste buds and Bruno’s were jumping for joy when I announced that I was making ogbono soup (pronounced O-BO-NO for my Canadian friends). I’ve been an ogbono soup virgin for many years now; I've always enjoyed eating it, but never attempted to concoct a pot of my own. I decided to cook like a scientist, first thing was to observe....to carefully observe my mother-in-law cook it (she cooks fast so you have to observe very well or else you will miss a step or two). I’ve been a scientist for many years so I knew that after careful observation that I was ready to leap into the procedure and experiment with my own pot.

Similar to egusi soup which is made from melon seeds, ogbono soup is made from wild mango seeds. Remember that everyone has their own way of cooking the same food; here is my version of ogbono soup.