Ingredients

Preparation

• Cut up the onion, eschallot and celery and lightly fry together in the butter. Avoid browning and use a cover if necessary.
• Clean and add the fish or fish head, water and salt. Heat to boiling.
• Skim and add the vegetables, previously peeled, washed and diced. Add the clove, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes.
• Remove the fish, separate the flesh from the bone, return the flesh to the soup and reheat.
• Remove the fish head, if used, and serve it separately, if desired.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Remove the skin and bones from the fish and break up the remainder finely.
• Add the yam, eschallot, celery, salt, pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.
• Add margarine to the mixture, with enough egg to bind it together.
• Turn onto a floured board. Shape into a neat roll and cut into 6 equal portions.
• Reshape the slices into neat, flat, round cakes.
• Coat the cakes with the beaten egg or batter and dried bread crumbs.
• Fry in oil and drain well when golden brown.
• Serve garnished with fried parsley.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Clean, de-bone, and cut up the fish.
• Melt the butter, add flour and stir in the milk. Cook until very thick, stirring all the time. Add salt and pepper
  to taste, the beaten egg and fish.
• Pour into a buttered mould or cup, cover with greased paper, and steam until set; about 40 - 45 minutes.
• When cooked, turn out and serve with cheese sauce.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to moderate (350°F).
• Butter a baking dish. Arrange the eschallots and mushrooms on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place the fish on top, add the wine and cover with buttered waxed paper or foil.
• Bake until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
• Drain the juices from the baking dish into a saucepan. Cook over a moderately high heat until reduced to about half.
• Add the white sauce and cream and cook until sauce has thickened, rotating the pan all the time.
• Pour the sauce over the fillets and garnish with the chopped eschallot and parsley.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk. Stir until there are no lumps, then beat well for 5 minutes, and leave to stand.
• While it is standing, thoroughly scald the fish, then bone, skin and pound or flake it.
• Chop the eschallot very finely.
• Mix the fish and seasonings together. Add to the batter. Drop by the spoonful into smoking hot oil.
• Turn as required and cook until golden brown -- about 2 to 3 minutes.

Note: Fresh cooked fish may be used instead of salt fish, and in this case, add half teaspoon of salt.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl.
• Add the egg yolk and tepid water, and mix to a smooth batter. Cover and set aside for ½ hour.
• Wipe the fish and cut into neat pieces. Have the oil heated to a haze point.
• Whip the egg white stiffly, and fold it into the batter.
• Dip the fish into the batter and fry it in deep fat.
• Drain well and serve, garnished with fried parsley and lemon wedges.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Season the fish with garlic, salt, thyme, celery, parsley, pepper and lemon. Cut into serving pieces, and arrange in a greased pyrex dish.
• Pour on the beer. Add bay leaves and cover with foil.
• Bake in moderate oven until the fish is cooked.
• Serve with a crisp green vegetable salad.

Note: Fish could also be poached lightly on top of stove instead of baked.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Clean the fish with lemon, and season with salt and pepper.
• Leave the fish for about ½ hour then dry the pieces, dip in flour and fry to a golden brown colour. Remove the fish from the oil.
• Fry some of the onion (chopped) until golden brown then remove from the oil.
• Make a sauce using the oil in which the fish was fried, flour and ¼ pint of water.
• Add the rest of the onion, the cassareep and salt to taste.
• Place the fried fish in the sauce and allow to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Serve hot.

Ingredients

Batter

Sauce

Preparation

• Clean the fish and season with salt, chopped celery, eschallot and wirri-wirri peppers.
• Heat the oil in a pan, and sauté the onion, carrot, pepper and tomatoes for about 3 minutes.
• Add the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, water and salt, and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
• Mix the flour, water, baking powder, salt and pepper to a smooth batter.
• Coat the fish with batter and fry in deep fat until brown. Place in a serving dish, pour the sauce over and serve hot.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Clean and dry the fish, and remove the skin.
• Separately, mix the flour, salt and oil. Add water to make a thick smooth batter.
• Beat and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
• Heat the fat, dip the fish in the batter and fry until golden brown.
• Drain on crumpled brown paper.
• Place on a warm dish and pour heated ginger sauce over the fish.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Wash the tomatoes, cut a thin slice from the top of each and scoop out the pulp.
• Place the pulp and the tops finely chopped in a greased pyrex dish with the seasonings, bread crumbs and enough water to make a spreading consistency.
• Wash and skin the fish, cut into strips and season with salt and pepper.
• Twist and pack the fish strips into the tomato, allowing a twist to protrude slightly above each tomato case.
• Place a small piece of fat on each tomato and stand on the prepared dish.
• Cook in oven for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Remove the skin and bones from the fish and flake the flesh.
• Melt the margarine, add flour and milk, and boil for 3 minutes.
• Mix the fish lightly with the sauce, salt and pepper, yams, parsley and lemon juice.
• Roll out the pastry ¼ inch thick, and divide into 4 pieces (round or square).
• Place some of the mixture on each piece.
• Dampen the edges of the pastry and fold in half so that pastry covers the fish, or fold over the edges to form an envelope. Prick with a fork.
• Glaze with beaten egg and bake in hot oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Chop the fish into small pieces after removing the skin and bones.
• Mix the fish, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and parsley together.
• Add the beaten eggs and melted fat.
• Press into a cake tin, pre-greased and sprinkled with browned bread crumbs.
• Cover with greased paper and bake for 45 minutes at a medium heat.
• Serve hot with parsley or egg sauce.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Cook the fish gently in a small amount of water to which salt has been added. Remove from the heat.
• Dice the pumpkin, cut the bora into ¼ inch lengths and cook both in the same liquid in which the fish was cooked.
• Make up 1½ pints of fish stock using water, and use for cooking the rice.
• Chop the onions, eschallot and celery. Flake the fish, but leave the prawns whole.
• Mix together, the fish (or prawns), onions, eschallot, celery, mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, salt, wirri-wirri peppers and white pepper to taste.
• Add the pumpkin and bora.
• Pile the fish in the centre of the dish, and arrange rice around the fish while still hot. Alternatively, the rice may be moulded in a ring mould first and then the fish mixture heaped in the centre.
• Garnish with slices of hard boiled eggs, chopped parsley, green peppers, and some tomatoes.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Sprinkle the yeast into 3 or 4 tablespoons of warm water, to which sugar has been added. Leave to sponge.
• Sift the flour and salt together, then add the margarine or lard and mix in using the fingertips or a fork. Mix thoroughly until it looks like fine crumbs.
• When the yeast is ready, add it to the mixture of flour and margarine/lard, with enough warm water to make a soft dough.
• Knead the dough well until smooth, and put it to rise in a warm place until the mixture doubles in size.
• Cut into pieces the size of a small egg and then roll the pieces into balls.
• Flatten out to 1/8 inch thickness and put to rise again for 20 minutes.
• Fry in smoking hot oil, then drain well and serve hot.

Note: May be served with fried salt fish and other meats.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Beat the egg yolks with half cup of sugar until fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks appear. Add another quarter cup of sugar and beat until stiff.
• Heat the milk in a large bowl or saucepan. Drop the egg whites by heaping tablespoon into the hot milk. When done, remove to a hot platter. The egg white balls take only one minute to cook.
• When all the egg white is cooked, add the egg yolk and sugar mixture to the milk in the saucepan. Stir quickly until a golden cream forms. (Make sure that this mixture does not come to a boil). Flavor with vanilla or nutmeg to taste and pour over the egg whites.
• Caramelize the remaining quarter cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat to obtain a light, golden syrup. Using a fork, pour the caramel in long shreds, over the egg snow until all the syrup has been used.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Boil breadfruit, drain, and mash.
• Add beaten egg yolks, margarine, salt, hot pepper, chive, and parsley. Combine and beat vigorously.
• Fold egg whites, which must be stiffly beaten but moist, into breadfruit mixture.
• Turn into greased dish, sprinkle with cheese or dot with margarine and crumbs.
• Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until set and browned.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Beat together butter, salt, and vanilla.
• Add egg white.
• Add sugar alternately with lime juice, beating well after each addition.
• Add zest and beat well.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Place the grated sweet potatoes in a strainer and run cold water through to wash well. Place the potato in a 2-gallon container with the lemon juice.
• Combine the sugar, cloves, and mace with the water, and heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Cool the sugar mixture and strain.
• Add the sugar mixture to the potato. Stir in the egg white.
• Cover and let stand for 1 week. Strain and bottle. Makes 1 gallon of fly.

You might also wish to try Mango Fly.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Rub the margarine into the crumbs, then add the chopped ham or bacon or shrimp, and mix thoroughly.
• Add parsley, onion, eschallot, celery and grated lemon rind.
• Season and add enough beaten egg to bind. Use as desired.

Note: This is used as stuffing for meat, poultry or fish.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Combine the beans, pepper and onion in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the sugar, vinegar, oil, parsley, salt, mustard, tarragon and basil together.
• Pour this dressing mixture over the vegetables and stir.
• Cover and chill thoroughly.
• Stir the salad occasionally while it is being chilled.
• Just before serving, stir again and drain.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Sprinkle the yeast into the water, to which 1 oz sugar has already been added. Leave to rise.
• Sieve the flour and salt together then rub in the margarine. Warm the milk to tepid.
• Beat the eggs and add half of the warmed milk.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the yeast mixture, milk and egg and mix together into a pliable dough. Add more milk if required.
• Knead well, cut the dough in half to ensure that there are no bubbles, put back together and knead some more.
• Leave the dough to rise until it is about double in size.
• Cut into 84 pieces, knead each piece and form into rounds. Leave to rise again.
• Bake in a hot oven at 400°F for 10 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool and glaze with butter.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Heat 2 cups water with sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
• Place pineapple chunks and lime juice in a blender, or use a swizzle stick and blend into a puree.
• Add the sugar water to the pineapple puree and blend well.
• Add remaining water and stir to mix well.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Peel the breadfruit, cut into even pieces about ½ inch thick.
• Parboil in salted water and then drain.
• Fry in hot fat until golden brown and crisp.
• Drain and serve hot.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Coat the pieces of chicken with flour and seasonings.
• Melt the fat in a frying pan and brown the chicken.
• Add water, cover and cook slowly until the chicken is tender (25 - 30 minutes).
• Serve with orange sauce.

Orange Sauce

• In a saucepan, bring the orange juice and water (or chicken broth) to a boil.
• Separately, in a little water, mix the cornstarch to a smooth thin paste.
• Stir the cornstarch mixture into a boiling orange juice base and stir until smooth and thickened.
• Add the remaining ingredients and heat.
• Serve with fried chicken.
• To add colour, add a few thin slices of orange with a touch of parsley.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• In a large deep skillet, heat enough oil to reach halfway up the sides.
• In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.
• Make a well in the center of this mixture and pour the milk and eggs into it.
• Stir to make a stiff batter.
• Stir in the onion.
• In batches, without crowding, drop the batter by heaping tablespoons into the hot oil.
• Cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to drain.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Clean the fish and season for about 20 minutes with eschallot, salt and pepper.
• Remove the seasoning. Dip first in egg then in crumbs, or alternatively, dust with flour.
• Fry in smoking hot oil on both sides until brown. Drain thoroughly.
• Warm the tomato slices through.
• Arrange the fish on a serving platter. Garnish with parsley, lemon or lime slices and tomato slices.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Cut the plantains cross-ways into ¼ inch slices, or thinner if preferred. Thinner slices make crispier chips.
• Fry for several minutes in hot oil, until the slices begin to turn golden (not too dark) and get tender. They do not need to be really soft at this point.
• Salt to taste.

Alternatively, you could slice the plantains lengthwise and maybe reduce the thickness. Plantains can be green or ripe -- try both, as they have very different tastes.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Cook the rice only until it is loose and firm, then allow to cool.
• Cut the chicken into quarters, the wash and season the pieces with salt, black pepper and about 1 tablespoon of soya sauce.
• Heat the oil and fry the chicken until almost done.
• Dice the pumpkin and onions, and cut the bora into ¼ inch pieces.
• Remove the bones from the chicken, and cut the meat into strips across "the grain".
• Make an omelette with the eggs and then cut into ¼ inch strips.
• Fry the onions, add the chicken strips and stir.
• Add the pumpkin, bora, salt, black pepper and vetsin, and stir fry.
• Add the rice and stir fry the lot.
• Add the rest of the soya sauce, the omelette strips and some of the chopped celery and eschallot, continuing to stir fry. Add more soya sauce if the fried rice is too fresh.
• Pile on a dish and sprinkle with the rest of the eschallot and celery. Serve hot.

Alternative Recipe - Guyanese Chicken Fry Rice

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• To make the rice: Boil rice in the water. Add salt and let water come to a boil. Cover the pot tightly and continue to boil for 14 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it to steam for 5 additional minutes. Cool completely at room temperature.
• To season the chicken: Rub the salt thoroughly on the chicken. Grind the black pepper, thyme, bullions, garlic, onion, red peppers, and celery. Season the chicken well with this mixture.
• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the seasoned meat until cooked.
• Add rice and soy sauce to the pot.
• Stir well and fry for 3 minutes.

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Boil salt fish in water for 15 minutes.
• Remove skin and bones and squeeze fish dry.
• Flake fish.
• Heat oil; saute onion and green pepper.
• Add fish and seasonings.
• Fry at medium heat.
• Add tomatoes and fry until soft.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Strain the juices into a jar, add sugar and yeast and cover and set aside for 3 weeks.
• Strain and bottle, adding a few dried gooseberries to each bottle.

Ingredients

Glaze

Preparation

• Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the flour with baking powder added. Add enough warm water to achieve a pouring consistency.
• Pour into a well-greased flan pan and bake blind for about 15 minutes at 425°F. Remove from the heat.
• Using fruit of contrasting colours, drain well and cut the fruit into small pieces before arranging in flan pan, filling it well.
• If fresh fruit is used, put the fruit into a saucepan with sugar and ¼ pint water, and stew to produce the juice for the glaze.
• Glaze: Blend the cornflour with a little fruit juice. Put the remaining juice in a pan with the sugar and bring to a boil. Pour on to the cornflour, return to the pan and add a drop of lemon juice. Boil until clear and of a coating consistency. Remove from heat and put aside to cool.
• Arrange the fruit in the flan case. Pour on the glaze and serve cold, decorated with cream.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Heat the water and dissolve the sugar. Cool.
• Add the fruit juices to the sweetened water. Add the fruit.
• Pour over a block of ice in a punch bowl, and serve thoroughly chilled.

Ingredients

Syrup

Preparation

• Boil the water and the sugar together until a thin syrup is formed, then set aside to cool.
• Wash and peel the fruit, discard the seeds and cut into neat chunks. Reserve the juices.
• Mix the fruit in a glass bowl, straining off any juices.
• Into the bowl, pour the cool syrup of which there should be enough to float the fruit.
• Chill before serving.

Note: Any fruit may be used.

Alternative Recipe

Recipe compliments of "A Taste of Guyana" - Dr. Odeen Ishmael.

Ingredients

Preparation

• Boil sugar and water together until a thin syrup is formed.
• Set aside to cool.
• Wash and peel fruit, discard seeds and cut into neat pieces. Keep juices.
• Mix the fruit in a glass dish, straining any fruit juices.
• Pour the cool syrup onto the fruits, which should be able to float in the syrup.
• Chill before serving.

Note: Other fruits may be substituted.