SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES: Instant Pot Beef and Potato Curry Roti and Channa

Filled roti are common street food in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sold widely at roadside food stalls, local bakeries, and beach bars across the island. They are most commonly filled with curried conch or goat, but I went with beef and potato, as the primary OWW goal is accessible. Note, the meat is better marinated overnight, but requires at least 2 hours.

I used an Instant Pot to speed up the cooking of the beef, but even still, with handmade roti this meal pushed the 45-minute limit. However, you can sub in store-bought roti or tortillas for a quicker preparation. That being noted, the roti were quite good, so if you have the time, go for it!

Beef and Potato Curry Roti

Roti

2 cups all-purpose flour*

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons ghee or melted butter, plus extra for brushing

2 teaspoons olive or canola oil

*I used Cup4Cup, which does work well, but requires more water and makes the dough harder to handle.

1. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the ghee or melted butter and 1 scant cup of warm water gradually. Knead for 5 minutes until a soft, smooth dough forms.

2. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls, and use 1 teaspoon of the oil to coat each lightly. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.

3. Roll one ball into a thin circle, ~10-inches. Brush the surface with ghee or melted butter. Make a cut from the center to the outer edge. Roll the dough tightly around itself in circle, like the hand of a clock, creating a cone shape. Stand the cone on the wide bottom, like a Christmas tree, and press down into a rough ball shape. Lightly roll the ball between your palms to make it more of a uniform sphere. Repeat for all balls, and let them rest for 15 minutes.

4. Roll each ball flat again into circle, ~8-9 inches. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush with oil. Place the dough on the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles form, brush top with oil, and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes.

5. Stack on a plate until ready to use.

Beef and Potato Curry

½ lbs beef chuck or stew meat

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

1 Scotch bonnet pepper

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ lemon

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

1 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric*

1 tablespoon ground coriander*

1 teaspoon ground allspice*

½ teaspoon ground ginger*

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper*

3 small Yukon gold potatoes

Salt and black pepper to taste

*If you have Caribbean curry powder, you can substitute these ingredients with 3 tablespoons of that. If you are also making the channa, you can double these ingredients, mix them together in a small bowl, and use 3 tablespoons for the beef and potato curry and the remainder for the channa.

1. Peel the onion and cut into large chunks. Peel the garlic. Stem and seed the pepper. Place the onion, garlic, and pepper in a small food processor or blender. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon half. Add the dried thyme. Purée into a paste. If the mixture is too thick, add in a few tablespoons of water.

2. Cut the meat into large, bite-size pieces, ~2 inches cubed, and pour the purée over top. Massage the mixture into the meat and place in fridge to marinate 2-24 hours.

3. Press Sauté on your Instant Pot and set to high. Heat the oil, cook the curry paste for 2 minutes, then add the seasoned beef and its marinade to the Instant Pot. Sear the meat for 5–7 minutes until lightly browned.

4. Press Cancel and add ¾ cup of water to the pot (use slightly less if you had to thin marinade with water). Ensure you scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot to avoid burning. then Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.When the timer goes off, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then turn quick-release any remaining steam.

5. While the mixture cooks, peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes. Open the lid and stir in the cubed potatoes. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes, then quick release.

6. If the curry is too watery, let it bubble on Sauté, high, uncovered for 3–5 minutes. To speed it up, smash a few cooked potatoes against the side of the pot to naturally thicken the gravy.

7. Place curry inside cooked roti and wrap like a burrito. You can enhance the flavors with a Caribbean style hot sauce (El Yucateco Caribbean Habanero and Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce are good US subs) and some fresh cilantro leaves.

Channa

2 cans (~15 oz each) chickpeas

1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil

½ medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoons ground turmeric*

2 teaspoons ground coriander*

½ teaspoon ground allspice*

½ teaspoon ground ginger*

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper*

1 vegetable or chicken broth

1 Scotch bonnet pepper, optional

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

*If you have Caribbean curry powder, you can substitute these ingredients with 2 tablespoons of that. If you are also making the channa, you can double the asterisked ingredients in the beef and potato curry recipe, mix them together in a small bowl, and use 3 tablespoons for the beef and potato curry and the remainder for the channa.

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Chop the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions soft and translucent.

2. Mince the garlic and the garlic and ginger to the pot. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the spice mixture or curry powder to the pan and cook for an additional minute, stirring, to bloom the spice.

3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pot along with the broth.

4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Mash a few chickpeas against the side of the pot with a spoon if you prefer a thicker, creamier texture.

#beefcurry #channa #stvincent #grendines #islandcooking #globalmeals

FUN FACTS:

• With the country comprises 32 Islands, only 9 islands are open to the public and inhabited.

• Established in 1765, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens is the oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere.

• Sunset Very Strong Rum, distilled in Georgetown, is reputed to be the most potent rum in the world. It is 84.5% alcohol (169 proof).