Carla's Coconut Dumplings and Cassava with Smoked Herring (Vincy & Trini Style combined) Group Project Part A

Coconut dumplings have been a long time part of the smaller islands kitchen.  Islands such as Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Guyana and Tobago make this treat on a regular basis.  A friend of mine from Guyana told me that they use the coconut juice to make the dumplings, whereas in the other islands, we use the actual coconut to knead the flour.  I was never really a dumpling lover but coconut dumplings always had a different effect on me.

I remember as a child growing up this was a must have when my father and his brothers are cooking their special one pot.  Going on a river or beach lime, there was always someone sitting with a grater, grating coconut away.  When the men cooked this dumpling, they made them big like cart wheels and very tight.  Sometimes when eating these dumplings, you have to focus on the chewing as to not choke.  Most times I could have only eaten one because these things were so huge that they filled you up instantly.

My fear with doing the coconut dumplings when I was younger was grating off my fingers.  The Lord knew I disliked it when my grandmother asked me to grate dried coconut. After grating the coconut, half my fingers would be gone as well.  My father heard me one day complaining about grating coconut and showed me the strategy as to how to not get my fingers in the way while grating.  I have mastered the skill but still not a fan of grating it.  Thanks to the invention of magic bullet or a blender, no longer do you have to grate coconut.  However, I find that grinding the coconut always give the recipe that authentic traditional feel. The second part of handling coconut I hated was trying to get the dry coconut out of the shell.  To date, I am still unable to accomplish this task.  The dried coconut always bounce around every time I attempt to hit it.  I don't think I should attempt it anymore because I might end up hurting myself with the cutlass.  Thanks to the grocery stores, I can walk in and buy a coconut without having a coconut battle.

Since I introduced coconut dumplings and smoke herring at my work place, it became an instant hit.  It is a big request from my colleagues.  There were many staff there that didn't know about coconut dumplings so tasting it for the first time left me with great reviews.  I have been asked over and over to show them how to make it.  So here is a recipe I am hoping would work.  I tried to use pictures for illustration purposes as I find it easier to explain something when there is a visual.   The pictures taken were my group project as well on how to make these delicious dumplings.

Coconut Dumplings and Cassava with Smoked Herring

For Dumplings and Cassava:

Ingredients

 1 cup finely grated dried coconut

2-3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1-1½ cups water

1 lb Cassava (peeled)

Directions:

1.   Put the flour into a bowl. Add the grated coconut, 1/2 tsp salt and sugar.

2.   Form a well in the center and add the water.  Mix together until a soft but firm dough is formed. You may need to add more flour or water to get the correct consistency.

   3.   Let rest for 10-20 minutes.

4.   Put pot of water to hot to boil Cassava and add salt to taste. Then, peel and wash Cassava properly.

5.   Boil Cassava until it is cooked.

6.   Form dumplings into the desired shape.

7.   Cook in a large pot of boiling water for approximately  20 minutes or until the dumplings float to the surface.

8.   Remove  dumplings and cassava from water and serve.  Cut dumplings into smaller pieces or serve as is.

For Smoked Herring:

Ingredients

½ lb. Smoked Herring

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small onion, chopped finely

¾ lb. tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp Chadon beni

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp. chive, chopped

½ tsp. thyme, chopped (Spanish or fine leaf)

1 pot spoon olive/Vegetable/Canola Oil

1 small grated carrots

1 small hot pepper, finely chopped (optional)

Method

Step 1: Boil the smoke herring for about 10 minutes to remove some of the salt.

Step 2: Drain, remove skin if it is not yet removed; wash and squeeze the excess water from the smoke herring and break into small pieces.

Step 3: Saute the onion, garlic and seasonings. Then add the tomatoes and carrots and cook until slightly brown.

Step 4:  Add the flaked smoke herring, all remaining ingredients, lime juice and hot pepper and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. Add more salt and water if desired.

Step 5: Serve cool with dumplings, cassava, fry bake etc.

Note: You can also use stewed meat or saltfish if you are allergic to fish or not a big fan of smoked herring.
Serve warm/hot and enjoy!  Remember to leave your comments and feedback.  Thanks for viewing!