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Trini seven curry
Seven curry: the Divali and wedding spread of vegetable curries, home style
Seven curry is the meal served on a sohari (water-lily) leaf at Hindu weddings, pujas and on Divali night in Trinidad: rice with a ring of separate dishes, traditionally curried mango, pumpkin, bhaji, channa and potato, chataigne or jackfruit, dhal and a sour amchar. This home version cooks seven compact curries from one shared spice base so a family can manage it in an afternoon: dhal, pumpkin, channa and aloo, bhaji, curried mango, eddoes or potato, and bodi. The usual mistake is curry powder that is never "burnt" in oil first, which leaves every pot tasting raw and gritty. Make the dhal and mango a day ahead to spread the work. Chef's tip: fry the curry paste for each pot until it darkens and the oil rises before adding vegetables; that one step is what makes Trini curry taste like Trini curry.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Shared curry base
- 8 tbsp Trinidadian curry powder
- 3 tsp ground cumin (geera)
- 2 bulbs garlicabout 24 cloves, grated
- 8 tbsp green seasoning
- 4 onionssliced
- ¾ cup vegetable oildivided between the pots
- 5 tsp saltdivided, to taste
- 2 scotch bonnet peppersminced, to taste
1. Dhal
- 7 oz yellow split peasrinsed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
2. Pumpkin
- 1 ¾ lb pumpkinpeeled, cubed
- 1 tsp brown sugar
3. Channa and aloo
- 1 lb cooked chickpeas2 tins, drained
- 2 potatoescubed
4. Bhaji
- 1 ⅛ lb spinach or young dasheen bush leaveschopped
5. Curry mango
- 3 green (unripe) mangoescut into chunks, seed and skin left on
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
6. Eddoes
- 1 ⅓ lb eddoes or small potatoespeeled, cubed
7. Bodi
- 14 oz bodi (long beans)cut into 4 cm lengths
To serve
- 1 ⅓ lb white ricecooked
- 10 ½ cups waterdivided, as needed
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 8 tbsp Trinidadian curry powder, 3 tsp ground cumin (geera) and 2 bulbs garlic with enough of ½ cup water to make a loose paste. Divide it, 8 tbsp green seasoning, 4 onions, ¾ cup vegetable oil and 2 scotch bonnet peppers roughly into seven, one portion per pot (the mango and dhal need a little less).
Step 2: Dhal: boil 7 oz yellow split peas with 1 tsp ground turmeric in 1.2 litres of the 5 cups water for 40 minutes until collapsing, then whisk smooth. Fry one portion of onion and paste in oil until dark, pour it into the dhal and simmer 5 minutes. Salt to taste.
45 minStep 3: Pumpkin: fry a portion of onion, seasoning and paste in oil until the oil rises, add 1 ¾ lb pumpkin, 1 tsp brown sugar and a splash of water, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring, until it mashes into a thick, sweet curry.
25 minStep 4: Channa and aloo: fry a portion of paste until dark, add 1 lb cooked chickpeas, 2 potatoes and 400 ml of the 1 ¾ cups water. Simmer 25 minutes until the potato breaks and thickens the sauce.
25 minStep 5: Bhaji: fry a portion of onion and extra garlic until golden, add 1 ⅛ lb spinach or young dasheen bush leaves with only the water clinging to it and cook, stirring, until soft and dry, about 10 minutes.
10 minStep 6: Curry mango: fry a portion of paste, add 3 green (unripe) mangoes, 3 tbsp brown sugar and 300 ml of the 1 ¼ cups water, cover and cook 25–30 minutes until the flesh is soft but the skin holds it together; it should be sweet, sour and hot.
30 minStep 7: Eddoes: fry a portion of paste until dark, add 1 ⅓ lb eddoes or small potatoes and 300 ml of the 1 ¼ cups water and simmer 20 minutes until tender and the sauce is thick. Eddoes can itch raw, so peel them with gloves.
20 minStep 8: Bodi: fry the last portion of onion and paste, add 14 oz bodi (long beans) and a splash of the ¾ cup water, and cook uncovered 10 minutes until tender with a bite.
10 minStep 9: Season every pot with 5 tsp salt to taste as you finish it and keep them warm.
Step 10: Serve each person a mound of 1 ⅓ lb white rice in the centre of a large plate or leaf, with a spoon of each of the seven curries around it, and eat with your fingers or a spoon.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 16 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does trini seven curry take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin (geera)?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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