I don't usually eat at work, but today I brought a mini block of Velveeta cheese and a jar of Matouk's Kuchela to eat with it. Kuchela and cheese go together like peas and carrots! I ate the cheese with some Kuchela and then I got hungry for a snack.
I walked the quarter mile to the snack machine to get a bag of pork rinds, and the machine wasn't stocked with them! Everything else in the machine was either chocked full of gluten, potato based (I'm allergic to white potatoes), or not advisable for a diabetic.
I got a cup of ice and walked back to the shipping office and silently cursed my allergies and diabetes for ruining a potentially delightful vending machine experience.
For those of you that aren't familiar with Kuchela, it is a condiment from Trinidad. Kuchela is amazing with cheese, and is absolutely the best thing that you can put on an egg and cheese sandwich! It also goes very well with curried dahl (lentils) or chana (chickpeas).
Kuchela can be made with green apples if green mangoes are not available.
Apple Kuchela Recipe - Thank you CaribbeanPot.com for this wonderful recipe!
5 green apples (Granny Smith)
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons amchar masala
2 scotch bonnet peppers
Notes: You can purchase the amchar masala at most West Indian markets and there are times you can get it on Amazon.com. Grate with the skin on for additional texture, but be sure to get apples which are not covered in wax as they are sometimes.
Please remember to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling scotch bonnet peppers. Dice the peppers finely, including the seeds for more heat. You have the option of dicing or crushing the garlic. Then using the sort of shred side of your grater, grate the apples until the core.
You now have two option, you can squeeze off all the liquid from the grated apples, but if you want a more saucy kuchela you can remove about half the liquid. It may take a bit of work to squeeze off the liquid with your hands, or you can use a towel and wring the liquid out.
When making traditional mango kuchela, we try to get all the moisture out of the grated mango and it’s then spread onto a kitchen towel and placed in the open sun for a couple hrs to dry off. This process makes it easy to infuse the grated mango with the Kuchela flavors. In this recipe we’ll cook everything on the stove top for a few minutes to replicate that sort of infusion we need for this to be a great kuchela.
In a wide saucepan on a LOW heat, heat the vegetable oil, then go in with the diced pepper and garlic. Let that gently cook for about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to turn the fan above your stove on or at least open your kitchen windows. The cooked peppers will give off a strong (choking) scent.
Now add the amchar masala, cook for a minute, then add the grated apple and salt. Mix well, cook for 2-3 minutes and you’re done!
Traditionalists will be able to identify the natural sweetness of the apples, but I assure you that this apple kuchela is just as exciting as any I’ve had on the islands and that sweetness adds a lovely overall roundness to the kuchela as it ages for a few days. You can store these in sterilized glass containers on your kitchen counter for a couple weeks, then store in the fridge.
I would use mustard oil for part of the vegetable oil to give it the Kuchela bite.
*When purchasing Mustard Oil, make sure it is food grade and not labeled for external use only.
Amazon carries Kuchela, but I would look for it at a Caribbean store before paying what the vendors on Amazon want for it.
I walked the quarter mile to the snack machine to get a bag of pork rinds, and the machine wasn't stocked with them! Everything else in the machine was either chocked full of gluten, potato based (I'm allergic to white potatoes), or not advisable for a diabetic.
I got a cup of ice and walked back to the shipping office and silently cursed my allergies and diabetes for ruining a potentially delightful vending machine experience.
For those of you that aren't familiar with Kuchela, it is a condiment from Trinidad. Kuchela is amazing with cheese, and is absolutely the best thing that you can put on an egg and cheese sandwich! It also goes very well with curried dahl (lentils) or chana (chickpeas).
Kuchela can be made with green apples if green mangoes are not available.
Apple Kuchela Recipe - Thank you CaribbeanPot.com for this wonderful recipe!
5 green apples (Granny Smith)
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons amchar masala
Recipe for home made Amchar Masala
4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds.
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds.
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns.
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds.
1 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds.
1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds.
3/4 cup total = veg oil and food grade mustard oil2 scotch bonnet peppers
Notes: You can purchase the amchar masala at most West Indian markets and there are times you can get it on Amazon.com. Grate with the skin on for additional texture, but be sure to get apples which are not covered in wax as they are sometimes.
Please remember to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling scotch bonnet peppers. Dice the peppers finely, including the seeds for more heat. You have the option of dicing or crushing the garlic. Then using the sort of shred side of your grater, grate the apples until the core.
You now have two option, you can squeeze off all the liquid from the grated apples, but if you want a more saucy kuchela you can remove about half the liquid. It may take a bit of work to squeeze off the liquid with your hands, or you can use a towel and wring the liquid out.
When making traditional mango kuchela, we try to get all the moisture out of the grated mango and it’s then spread onto a kitchen towel and placed in the open sun for a couple hrs to dry off. This process makes it easy to infuse the grated mango with the Kuchela flavors. In this recipe we’ll cook everything on the stove top for a few minutes to replicate that sort of infusion we need for this to be a great kuchela.
In a wide saucepan on a LOW heat, heat the vegetable oil, then go in with the diced pepper and garlic. Let that gently cook for about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to turn the fan above your stove on or at least open your kitchen windows. The cooked peppers will give off a strong (choking) scent.
Now add the amchar masala, cook for a minute, then add the grated apple and salt. Mix well, cook for 2-3 minutes and you’re done!
Traditionalists will be able to identify the natural sweetness of the apples, but I assure you that this apple kuchela is just as exciting as any I’ve had on the islands and that sweetness adds a lovely overall roundness to the kuchela as it ages for a few days. You can store these in sterilized glass containers on your kitchen counter for a couple weeks, then store in the fridge.
I would use mustard oil for part of the vegetable oil to give it the Kuchela bite.
*When purchasing Mustard Oil, make sure it is food grade and not labeled for external use only.
Amazon carries Kuchela, but I would look for it at a Caribbean store before paying what the vendors on Amazon want for it.
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