Delectable Caribbean Cornmeal Dumplings
17.8.16
| Recipe by Renz
An alternative for boiled dumplings, perfect to pair with meats, in soups and broths.
Dumplings are one of those thinks that are an integral part of Caribbean food. Well not as much as plantain accompanying food but, pretty close.
In Trinidad and Tobago, we only have one kind of dumpling and that is boiled dumplings. In Jamaica, they have boiled dumplings and fry dumpling.
Today we are going to look at boiled dumplings but not just regular, plain boiled dumplings, but the cornmeal version of this staple.
As I mentioned, these are not to be confused with fry dumplings.
These boiled dumplings are more popularly what we eat with a meal as a replacement for rice. It can be easily paired with stewed chicken or with stewed fish and we even put them in soups,
As a result of dumplings being used so much, we couldn't just stick to the plain flour dumplings.
We have created wheat dumplings, thyme infused dumplings and a host of different flavors, but I think the next most popular dumplings, after plain flour, are cornmeal dumplings.
But I don't like my cornmeal dumplings to have too much cornmeal. The texture of cornmeal dumplings is much rougher than the flour dumplings, so most times I'm more partial to flour.
That is a weird personal problem.
But then I found that the US offers a "fine" cornmeal. A finer blend of cornmeal that I was accustom to growing up.
Since finding that cornmeal I have been able to get dumplings that provide the cornmeal flavor and not get too much of that coarse texture.
As a result of the cornmeal being such a fine texture, the dumplings are not as yellow in color as cornmeal dumplings usually look. But the flavor is still there.
Dumplings are pretty easy to make. It's just flour and water and then these little things are sent to boil until they float.
We usually make dumplings two ways. You can see I made "soup" dumplings when I made some pigeon peas soup, but when we are making them to eat with meats, we usually make them flat and round.
The flattening process is just basically using the palm of your hand and pressing while turning the ball in a circle. Usually 3 presses and it's flat enough.
If you want to have perfectly shaped dumplings, you can also roll them out with a rolling pin and use a glass to cut them out. Fancy!!
Dumplings are always a winner in my book. I love them soaked in some gravy. Eaten with a big spoon to scoop up a piece of dumpling with meat and sauce, all in one go.
* These can be stored in the fridge or even be put to freeze. Can be reboiled or heated up in the microwave after being sprinkled with some water and covered with a napkin
Want see what I eat dumplings with:
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my posts. It is much appreciated. Please, if you can like, share, yum and/or pin this, especially if you enjoyed it. Subscribe to my blog for personalized updates delivered straight to your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter and for some extra food porn on Instagram. If you hang out on Pinterest and Facebook too, please check me out there and say hi.
Dumplings are one of those thinks that are an integral part of Caribbean food. Well not as much as plantain accompanying food but, pretty close.
In Trinidad and Tobago, we only have one kind of dumpling and that is boiled dumplings. In Jamaica, they have boiled dumplings and fry dumpling.
Today we are going to look at boiled dumplings but not just regular, plain boiled dumplings, but the cornmeal version of this staple.
As I mentioned, these are not to be confused with fry dumplings.
These boiled dumplings are more popularly what we eat with a meal as a replacement for rice. It can be easily paired with stewed chicken or with stewed fish and we even put them in soups,
As a result of dumplings being used so much, we couldn't just stick to the plain flour dumplings.
We have created wheat dumplings, thyme infused dumplings and a host of different flavors, but I think the next most popular dumplings, after plain flour, are cornmeal dumplings.
But I don't like my cornmeal dumplings to have too much cornmeal. The texture of cornmeal dumplings is much rougher than the flour dumplings, so most times I'm more partial to flour.
That is a weird personal problem.
But then I found that the US offers a "fine" cornmeal. A finer blend of cornmeal that I was accustom to growing up.
Since finding that cornmeal I have been able to get dumplings that provide the cornmeal flavor and not get too much of that coarse texture.
As a result of the cornmeal being such a fine texture, the dumplings are not as yellow in color as cornmeal dumplings usually look. But the flavor is still there.
Dumplings are pretty easy to make. It's just flour and water and then these little things are sent to boil until they float.
We usually make dumplings two ways. You can see I made "soup" dumplings when I made some pigeon peas soup, but when we are making them to eat with meats, we usually make them flat and round.
The flattening process is just basically using the palm of your hand and pressing while turning the ball in a circle. Usually 3 presses and it's flat enough.
If you want to have perfectly shaped dumplings, you can also roll them out with a rolling pin and use a glass to cut them out. Fancy!!
Dumplings are always a winner in my book. I love them soaked in some gravy. Eaten with a big spoon to scoop up a piece of dumpling with meat and sauce, all in one go.
* These can be stored in the fridge or even be put to freeze. Can be reboiled or heated up in the microwave after being sprinkled with some water and covered with a napkin
Want see what I eat dumplings with:
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my posts. It is much appreciated. Please, if you can like, share, yum and/or pin this, especially if you enjoyed it. Subscribe to my blog for personalized updates delivered straight to your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter and for some extra food porn on Instagram. If you hang out on Pinterest and Facebook too, please check me out there and say hi.