Barbadian Food

Coconut Chips

by Steven Raichlen

I first encountered these chips at a colorful restaurant in Barbados called Raffles. I can't think of a better accompaniment to a planter's punch or other rum drink.
When buying coconuts, look for ones that feel heavy in your hand. Shake the nut: you should be able to hear the liquid slosh around inside. A dry coconut is past its prime.

Yield: 2 to 3 cups

Ingredients: 1 Ripe (hard) Coconut Salt

Method:
To open the coconut, punch out the eyes with a screwdriver and hammer. Invert the coconut over a glass and drain out the clearish liquid inside, the water. Coconut water makes a refreshing beverage in its own right (serve over ice) and is great mixed with rum and Falernum.

Wrap the drained coconut in a towel and smash it into five or six pieces with a hammer. (The towel prevents shards of the shell from flying.) Using a short, stiff-bladed knife, pry the coconut meat away from the shell. It's a good idea to wear heavy gloves when working with coconut to protect your hands. (To make the meat easier to remove from the shell, you can bake coconut pieces for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree F. oven. This will help loosen the meat from the shell.)

Trim the brown skin off the white meat with a paring knife. The coconut is now ready for slicing.

Drain, open, shell, and peel the coconut as described above. Cut the coconut pieces into paper-thin chips, using a mandoline, vegetable peeler, or food processor fitted with a slicing blade. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange the strips on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake the chips until crisp and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, turning with a spatula to ensure even cooking. Transfer the chips to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the chips in an airtight container away from heat or light. The chips will keep for up to a week, although they seldom survive the afternoon at our house. If they should become soft or soggy, you can rebake them until crisp.

Coo-Coo - Fungi

by Anne-Marie Whittaker

Coo-Coo and Flying Fish is the national dish of Barbados. In Dominica, Antigua and the Virgin Islands it is know as 'Fungi'. The Italians make a similar dish called 'Polenta'.

Plain Fungi is made by omitting the okras.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients: 15 okras soaked in 4 cups water 1 lb cornmeal 6 cups water 1 tsp salt or to taste 3 Tbs margarine 1 onion chopped 5 cloves garlic minced

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Method:
Wash the okras and cut off the heads and tails. Cut into cartwheels and place in a pot with 2 cups water and all the other ingredients except the cornmeal. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cornmeal in a bowl and pour over 4 cups water to saturate the meal. Stir to make sure it is wet throughout.
After the 15 minutes pour out about three quarters of the okras and the cooking liquid and set aside.
Return the pot to a very low heat and pour in the wet cornmeal. Stir constantly to break up any lumps. Add the reserved okras and liquid a little at a time ... stirring to make sure the mixture is smooth. A coo-coo stick is normally used for this purpose - it resembles a small cricket bat. However, a wooden spoon also does the job quite well.
Continue to stir and cook on very low heat for about 10 minutes. When finished the Coo-Coo should be smooth and stiff. Transfer to a buttered dish.