VeganMoFo: Trinidadian FEAST!!

Bonus Post! Well, I cooked this meal up a couple weeks ago, thinking I would save it to blog during my mofo Around The World in 30 Days project. But then, other things came to pass... and sweet Trinidad, with its kick-ass yumminess, got left out of my travel itinerary. But this meal was too good to leave behind! So, I offer you this "off the map" bonus mofo post. YES, there will be two international mofo posts in one day here at VE&T!

This meal really got me excited about ATWin30D. These delicious dishes from Trinidad were different and new flavors, easy to make, and totally delicious together. It seems to me that Trinidadian food is the glorious love child of Indian food and Caribbean food. Mr. VE&T and I were oohing and ahhing ourselves all the way back into the kitchen for seconds.

Starting from the top left: Spinach Bhaji, white rice, Trinidanian Mango Curry, and Yellow Split Peas with Thyme and cumin. All from "Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian." The spinach was slow cooked for a long time, until it was a tender and savory mess of deliciousness. The earthy flavors of the spinach were a perfect combo with the spicy-sweet mango and the savory, creamy split peas. That mango curry was totally new for me, and was quite a revelation. We loved it! And, now that I have a good source for California-grown mangos (huzzah!), I'll probably make it again soon. The only thing I'll do differently next time is add even more jalepeno to the mango curry. The recipe called for 1-4 hot peppers... and as I was making a half recipe, I used just one mango. Mr. VE&T thought it would be better even hotter, and a quick test with some hot sauce from the fridge proved him right. Hands down. This meal was such a joy to eat, and the whole thing cooked up in one hour - start to finish. It's fun and exciting to explore all these new flavors and spice combos... and I'm so stoked to see what other new flavors ATWin30D will bring to our dining room table!