Callaloo

Story

Callaloo is one word with two very different dishes inside it, divided by geography. In Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Dominica, callaloo is a smooth, soup-like stew made from the large leaves of the dasheen plant (taro, Colocasia esculenta), cooked down with okra, coconut milk, pumpkin and crab. In Jamaica and Belize, callaloo refers instead to amaranth leaves, which are sauteed and served as a dry, leafy side, often with saltfish. The Trinidadian version descends directly from West and Central African traditions: the dasheen leaf, brought across the Atlantic along with the culinary knowledge of how to cook it, became part of the cultural memory of enslaved Africans on the island. A long-handled wooden swizzle stick is the traditional tool for blending it to the correct silky, dark-green consistency.

Ingredients

• 12 dasheen (taro) leaves with about 15cm of stem attached (or 300g fresh spinach as a substitute)
• 8 okra, tops removed, finely sliced
• 100g pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pimento peppers, finely diced
• 3 spring onions (chives), sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (do not pierce)
• 400ml coconut milk
• 150ml water
• 2 blue swimmer crabs, cleaned and halved (optional but traditional)
• 100g salted pork or ham bone (optional)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

• 1. Prepare the dasheen: peel the stems by stripping the fibrous skin from root to tip, pulling it downward along the veins on the underside of each leaf. Roughly chop the stems and stack the leaves, then cut into a fine chiffonade. Wash thoroughly in cold water.
• 2. If using salted pork, soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and dice.
• 3. Place the dasheen leaves and stems, okra, pumpkin, onion, garlic, pimento peppers, spring onions, thyme and salted pork (if using) in a large, deep pot. Pour in the coconut milk and water. Place the whole scotch bonnet on top, sitting above the liquid so it does not submerge and burst.
• 4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crab halves after 15 minutes.
• 5. Carefully lift out the scotch bonnet with a spoon and discard it before it bursts. Remove the crab pieces and set aside.
• 6. Use a hand blender or a swizzle stick (twirled rapidly between the palms) to blend the callaloo to a smooth, creamy consistency with a little texture remaining. Return to the heat and simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes until thick and silky.
• 7. Stir in the butter and season with salt and black pepper. Return the crab to the pot.
• 8. Serve as a side dish alongside rice and peas, or as a sauce ladled over cou-cou or plain rice. Note: for the Jamaican amaranth version, substitute dasheen leaves with amaranth leaves and omit the coconut milk, okra and pumpkin. Saute garlic, onion, scotch bonnet and thyme in oil, add washed amaranth with a splash of water and steam covered for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Serve with saltfish.

Common questions