Colombo : A staple in Caribbean food

What is Colombo powder? 

Colombo powder is a blend of various spices, used in Guadeloupe and Martinique brought by the Asian community in the 1920’s. It contains cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cloves, turmeric and roasted rice as a thickener. It does look like your typical yellow curry powder but there’s a secret ingredient manufacturers won’t share with the public that gives it such a unique taste. Like the masala or "ras el hanout", colombo powder results from the evolution of an original recipe and includes Caribbean flavours. The Colombo powder can be cooked with chicken, goat, shark or pork. It can also be used with vegetables. Don’t be afraid to pinch a little Colombo in any of your dishes.

Want to try it? We have selected this easy and delicious recipe with Colombo  Try it and don't hesitate to give us a feedback! 

Mussels Colombo

Ingredients : 
2 courgettes, 8 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 350ml dry white wine, 227ml pot double cream, 1 tablespoon colombo powder, 32 mussels - cleaned and debearded-, 30g butter, handful of chopped parsley, handful of chopped spring onion

How to make it : 

In a large saucepan, cook shallots and garlic in simmering wine until translucent. Stir in cream and Colombo powder. When sauce is heated through, add mussels. Cover, and steam mussels for a few minutes until their shells are open wide. With a slotted spoon, transfer steamed mussels to a bowl, leaving the sauce in the pan. Discard any unopened mussels. Whisk butter into the sauce. Turn heat off, and stir in parsley and spring onions. Serve immediately.

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Carib Gourmet @ IFE 2013

We ventured out on a very cold day to find some tropical, exotic or just plain Caribbean treasures at IFE 2013 which was taking place at the Excel Exhibition Centre. We decided that it was time to upgrade Kaché packaging - our own gourmet coffee brand - and find new delicious products for our Caribbean online deli. 

We were impressed by the ice sculpture that welcomed us as we arrived. It was quite funny seeing seafood, vegetables and cakes frozen in the same ice block.

We saw some very interesting and innovative packaging projects by creative student. Coconut was very popular at the fair and judging by the amount of companies promoting coconut-based products (we saw more than a dozen coconut water companies) our new coconut based confectionery brand called Cocosic is defintely on trend!

The food at IFE 2013 was a treat! Exhibitors were really keen to make us taste pretty much everything they had on the stand. 

We saw some interesting displays from a Sultanas Mona Lisa to a coconut water brand hut that transported us from London to a Caribbean beach.

We also tasted some very interested tropical fruit shakes: Guava, Papaya and Mango!

To discover our latest products in stock, visit Kaché and Carib Gourmet

Mardi Gras Fritters or Carnival Donuts...

Because today is Mardi Gras, in the French caribbean today Carnival is at its peak and bellies are being filled with loads of goodies such as Mardi Gras Fritters: Here's an easy recipe to make you salivate! Happy Mardi Gras!

Ingredients (serves 4):
- 1/4 l water
- 125 g of sifted flour
- 75 g butter
- Cinnamon, nutmeg
- 4 or 5 eggs (depending on size)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 lime zest
- Frying oil
- Icing sugar

 


Preparation:

Pour water, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and lime zest in a pan.

When the mixture begins to boil, add the flour (at once) and stir. Continue to mix away from the heat. Do not worry if the mixture is not smooth. Allow to cool.

Add the eggs one by one while whisking with a fork. Let it rest a few minutes.

With two spoons, form balls of dough and put in the hot frying oil.

When the fritters are golden brown, drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Sweet chilli Oxtail and Pumpkin winter soup

This one is a Caribbean soup for the cold winter nights. As you may have noticed, leaves are turning gold and the Indian summer is over.

As the clock goes back, you will need a bit of warmth at night. What best than a soup with a bit of Caribbean flavour to make your nights cosier and warmer.

This soup is easy to do and will give you all the necessary vitamins you will need to face the cold weather. Plus it has a bit of a twist that Caribbean food always adds to any dish.

Recipe for 4

Ingredients:

¼ Pumpkin

1 Leek

2 medium size potatoes

1 Parsnip

2 tablespoon Creole curry Powder

4 Large oxtail pieces

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

Salt

Pepper

4 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of Maggi seasoning sauce

2 tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce

½ can of chopped tomato sauce

Let's get it started!

1. Heat the oil.
2. Chop all your vegetables up, the leeks in slices and pumpkin, parsnip potatoes in cubes. 
3. Fry the oxtail adding 1 pinch of salt and pepper. 
4. Once the oxtail have slightly browned crush the garlic and add along with the sliced onion. 
5. Add the Creole curry powder, make sure all sides of the oxtail are fried and getting a bit of the curry colour. 
6. Add the Maggi seasoning and sweet chilli sauce.Cook for about 2 minutes. 
7. Add all the vegetables and lower the heat of your plate or cooker to a medium heat. 
8. Put the lid of you pan to help the vegetable steam. Leave for 5 minutes. 
9. Add the chopped tomato. Stir and leave for 2 mins.
10. Add 50cl of water and let simmer for 30 mins.
11. Once the vegetables are fully cooked, use a skimmer to remove them from the stew.. Use you blender to mix the cooked vegetables. 
12. Once mixed, add to the stew left on the cooker on low heat. Cook for another 10 mins.

Voila!! Ready to serve in a bowl with one oxtail piece per bowl. Visit Carib Gourmet's website for more Caribbean Recipes.