December 14, 2018December 19, 2018 3min readBy Megha Patel
I’ve been hearing a lot about this new trend in India with “pani puri ice cream” and I was a little intrigued but also grossed out. My sister actually tried it when she was there a few months ago and she did not like it AT ALL. But the concept of pani puri for dessert really stuck with me. So, I decided to make a Chocolate Dipped Pani Puri!
Like most things, puris taste amazing dipped in chocolate. The saltiness from the puri goes so well with the sweetness from the chocolate (that’s my favorite combo of all time). My mom actually makes puris at home, and we love them because they are smaller than the store bought ones and easy to pop in your mouth! However, store-bought puris go great with this recipe because they have a harder shell so it will be much easier when dipping into chocolate and poking holes later on. So feel free to use whichever you have access to!Since classic pani puri is made out of mint water, I wanted to stick to the mint theme. Talenti Mint Gelato is one of my FAVORITE flavors, so this was a no-brainer. I also love the containers because you can repurpose them to drink smoothies/juices from, or you can store nuts/snacks in them! Most grocery stores sell it, but if you are having trouble locating it, you can always use mint chocolate chip ice cream. If you have other ice cream laying around the house, feel free to substitute that in as well.
Since there’s ice cream involved, gotta work fast when you are serving, but you can prepare the chocolate covered puris a couple of hours in advance. When you are ready to serve, just take them out of the fridge, scoop in some ice cream and serve on a tray. It’s the cutest little dessert that probably will be eaten up before it gets a chance to melt :)
If you want to change it up a bit or if you are with a health-conscious group, you can always stuff the chocolate covered puris with your choice of fruit. Garnish with some powdered sugar and you’re good to go! Hope you guys try my Chocolate Dipped Pani Puri recipe and let me know what you think! Any tags on pictures would be appreciated!
Ingredients
14 puris
½ cup chocolate chips
14 tbsp mint gelato, or ice cream
Pomegranate arils to garnish
Mint leaves to garnish
Instructions
Melt your chocolate chips.
Dip the bottom half of each puri and place it on wax paper. DO NOT POKE HOLES YET.
Let the chocolate dipped puris chill and harden up in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Now, poke a big hole on the top of each puri.
Spoon in about 1 tbsp of mint gelato or mint ice cream in each puri.
January 3, 2023January 10, 2023 3min readBy Subrina Singh
Curried Chicken with Roti Parata or Roti, popular Middle Eastern/Indian cuisine
It is officially that time of year—the holiday season. There’s nothing like Christmas and New Year’s in the West Indies. Between the pepperpot in Guyana and the palm trees decorated in lights in Trinidad, the home food, warm weather and laid-back ambiance makes us wish we could escape the cold and head back to the Caribbean. Most of us, however, cannot “take holiday” and find ourselves hungry for fresh dhal puri and doubles. But, thanks to these Indo-Caribbean food bloggers, we can bring the motherland to our kitchens.
From Diwali mithai specialties to curry chicken, Matthew is creating a name for himself as a young Guyanese food blogger. He makes a great effort to incorporate Hindu holidays and traditions on his Instagram account, in conjunction with the customary foods and sweets associated with these religious events. However, his expertise does not end there, with new and alternative recipes for classic dishes such as curry chicken and bhara, Matthew takes center stage sharing both traditional Guyanese dishes as well as specific religious dishes made for festivals. His most popular YouTube video, with 1.4 million views, features his grandmother and focuses on the best tips to make the softest Guyanese paratha roti. In addition, his YouTube account is home to many videos offering guidance to Indo Caribbean cooking. Find recipes at @mattews.guyanese.cooking
Natasha Laggan of Trini Cooking with Natasha is wildly popular throughout the Caribbean and the U.S. With humble beginnings, Natasha credits her love of food to her family’s business. She speaks of the nostalgia home food provides her as she reminisces memories of her grandmother’s cooking and helping her mother make sandwiches early in the morning. Featured by Forbes, Natasha grew her Facebook following quickly throughout the pandemic by posting old YouTube videos. Today, she has more than 1 million followers on Facebook and over 200K followers on YouTube. She uses her passion for cooking and Trinidadian culture to bring easy-to-follow recipes to viewers. Her following has now reached the West Indian diaspora globally as she has also become a brand ambassador to two well-known food companies. Follow the food expert @trinicookingwithnatasha.
With over 100K followers on YouTube, Ria is quite the expert when it comes to making roti. Her dhal puri, sada roti and paratha roti tutorials have over 1M views! However, her expertise does not stop there. Of the 180 YouTube tutorials, her recipes vary from curry to other Trinidadian favorites like macaroni pie and pigtail soup. Just scrolling through her YouTube page makes your mouth water. From doubles to classic Trinidad bakes like pound cake and sweet bread, she provides precision and anecdotal commentary while guiding you through the familiarity of home food. Check out Ria’s page at @cookingwithria.
Known as Chef Devan, Devan Rajkumar embraces his Guyanese Canadian heritage by creating recipes combining flavors of both the East and West Indies. His love of food has allowed him to expand his role to judge in a popular Canadian cooking show: Food Network Canada’s Fire Masters. His cooking often blends the flavors of multiple cultures but also creates the classic recipes of his motherland. With a multitude of interests, Chef Dev uses his social media platform to connect with followers by sharing various aspects of his life that go beyond cooking. His most recent YouTube video provides a trailer for an upcoming video “Tastes Guyana” which shows him exploring Guyana from the inside, specifically deep parts of the inner country. To learn more about Chef Devan follow @chefdevan.
Reshmi is the chef behind the growing blog, Taste of Trinbago. A Trinidadian native who now resides in Texas, she uses her love of food and Trinidadian culture to share hacks, tips and easy recipes with West Indians throughout the globe. She finds a way to simplify traditional West Indian meals, that we once watched our elders make with curiosity. From holiday specialties like black cake to Diwali delicacies, Reshmi has brought vegetarian and non-veg recipes to followers in an extremely accessible way. She even posts recipe cards on her IG highlights for followers who may need written instructions. Her IG profile is a mix of various West Indian foods while also sharing bits of her life and even her secrets to baby food. Follow her @tasteoftrinbago.
These are just five Indo Caribbean food bloggers sharing their secrets to easy cooking. The once very daunting recipes and food instructions our parents gave have been simplified by most of these bloggers through video, voice over and modernized recipes. We no longer have to estimate a “dash, pinch or tuk” of any masala. We are just days away from Christmas and this is the perfect time to find the best-suited recipe to make that paratha for Santa.
I’ve been hearing a lot about this new trend in India with “pani puri ice cream” and I was a little intrigued but also grossed out. My sister actually tried it when she was there a few months ago and she did not like it AT ALL. But the concept of pani puri for dessert really stuck with me. So, I decided to make a Chocolate Dipped Pani Puri!
[Read Related: Sweeten this season with Chocolate Samosas]
Since classic pani puri is made out of mint water, I wanted to stick to the mint theme. Talenti Mint Gelato is one of my FAVORITE flavors, so this was a no-brainer. I also love the containers because you can repurpose them to drink smoothies/juices from, or you can store nuts/snacks in them! Most grocery stores sell it, but if you are having trouble locating it, you can always use mint chocolate chip ice cream. If you have other ice cream laying around the house, feel free to substitute that in as well.
