Citizens, Trinidadians accompany their meals with various condiments; these can include pepper sauces, chutneys and pickles and are often homemade.
Pepper sauces are made by using habanero or other hot peppers, either minced or chopped and other spices. It can sometimes include lime or lemon as well as other vegetables, and come in many variations and flavors.
The king of all hot sauces in Trinidad is without any doubt the brand called Matouk’s, an exceptional blend of fiery habanero peppers, yellow mustard, papaya and spices.
Trinidad and Tobago cuisine reflects a fusion of African (mainly West African), Creole, Indian-South Asian, Chinese, Amerindian, Arab, European, and Latin American-Spanish-Portuguese cuisines.
Trinidadians accompany their meals with various condiments; these can include pepper sauces, chutneys and pickles and are often homemade.
Pepper sauces are made by using scotch bonnet or other hot peppers, either minced or chopped and other spices. It can sometimes include lime or lemon as well as other vegetables, and come in many variations and flavours. The murtanie (mother-in-law) is another popular condiment which is a coarsely chopped spicy medley of scotch bonnet peppers, carrots, kareli (bitter melon) and other spices.
Chutneys are popular as well and often include mango, tamarind, cucumber, pommecythère, bandhaniya, dhaniya, tomato, and coconut. They are most commonly eaten with doubles, aloo pie, saheena, baiganee, kachori, and pholourie.
There are a variety of popular pickles known locally as Achar which are commonly used. Kuchela a grated spicy version, usually made from mango but sometimes made from pommecythère, the Mango version being most popular. Other version of Achars are made from mango, pommecythère, tamarind, amla, lemon, lime, and chulta.
Green seasoning is extremely popular, a cold sauce based on culantro or chadon beni, pureed with green onions, garlic, pimento, vinegar, and other herbs, which can be used as a table condiment or marinade.
My recipe has attempted to recreate this legendary sauce, but with even more flavors, as only TFD can! Enjoy it in a Trinidadian meal, perhaps alongside some Trinidadian green seasoning!
Enjoy this, !
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Trinidadian Hot Sauce
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- 17 habanero peppers
- 1 very large papaya – peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 6 green onions, roughly chopped
- 12 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup finely cubed Murai (white daikon radish)
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3 limes, juiced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup chopped culantro leaves (not cilantro – if not available, omit)
- 1 1/4 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground celery seed
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
- 3 1/2 tablespoons grated lime zest
- 3/4 cups chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Wearing disposable gloves, and being careful not to get any in your eyes or on your skin, roughly chop the habanero peppers.
- Place the habanero peppers, papaya, onion, green onions, daikon radish, thyme, culantro and garlic into a blender. Pour in the mustard, vinegar, lime juice, and vegetable oil, cover the blender, and pulse until the mixture is very finely chopped.
- Stop the blender, and add salt, sugar, curry powder, celery seed and lime zest. Blend again until the sauce is smooth. Pour into clean jars, and store in refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
Hannes Lagenius – kolla!
Sandra Bocas