We love each other…..very much I dare say.
We’ve always been there for each other too, more or less. In all this time, we’ve come to a joint conclusion, one that we reached at a Chinese restaurant many months ago.
If ever there was a thing to destroy this friendship, …
…it would be FOOD!
And so, L, my friend and I have our friendship preservers!
Now, the origin of this whole story stems from a certain Friday evening when we went to Kee Lun Palace, a Chinese restaurant in The Hague. We ordered separate dinners for our families and then ordered one item to share. Note that we live in different homes too.
That item was salt and pepper ribs – tasty fried short ribs, which are crunchy and meaty with the right amount of heat. If I remember correctly, the area of concern was that one of us would get a bigger portion!
In the end, everything worked out well but we’ve always joked and kidded about the fact that our friendship couldn’t stand up to the food test. L laughs all the time, imagining a scenario where she gets asked by her cousin, O (who introduced us) how I am. The conversation goes something like this:
O: So how is Ozoz?
L: Hmmm, she’s fine. That one….hmmm, she is such a funny character (some derision obvious in the statement)
O: Aah, (sensing something is wrong), what’s up?
L: Don’t mind her, we’re not really friends anymore
O: No way, what happened?
L: You don’t want to know…..
O: That bad?
L: Yes, that bad, I’ll tell you some other time. It’s still too fresh to talk about now!
And that’s how L, cunningly escapes giving away the real reason behind the food-related break up of our friendship. Thankfully, that’s more imagined than real, since we’re both giving people, right? Hmm, we’ll see.
This week, we’re in Haiti on Culinary tour 2010, organised by Joan of Foodalogue.
My main recipe, would be classified as ‘Traditional’, according to the descriptions Joan gave about the type of dish being cooked:
- Traditional – recreate the country’s national dish or any other traditional dish.
- Contemporary – use a traditional recipe and make it Nuevo Latino (contemporize it).
- Algo Nuevo (something new) – create something totally ‘your own’ by using the flavors and techniques of the destination.
- Published Chef – follow the recipe of a published chef/author specializing in that cuisine.
Haiti has been in the news with its recent devastation so please remember the H2Ope for Haiti – an online raffle, organised by Jeanne of Cooksister with BloggerAid – Changing the Face of Famine (BA-CFF) to raise funds for Concern Worldwide’s relief effort in Haiti.
The raffle ends on midnight on Sunday 28 February. has been extended till the 7th of March.
There are fantastic prizes on offer from cookbooks to paintings, chocolate and more. I’ve already bought my first set of raffle tickets! Please, please, please support the people of Haiti by buying a ticket or in any other manner you can. You will find a list of the prizes on Jeanne’s blog. Unless stated otherwise, all prizes are available for worldwide shipping and tickets cost £6.50 (roughly $10) each. Once you have chosen the prize or prizes you want to buy tickets for, take a note of their prize codes (very important!) and click through to Justgiving’s donations page where you will find complete instructions on how to buy your tickets and specify your chosen prizes.
Please read and follow the instructions carefully and if in doubt, send Jeanne an e-mail (email cooksister AT googlemail DOT com).
For the meal, I decided to make Tassot Cabrit – Haitian fried goat because it reminded me of Asun, which before now I’d only ever tasted once – about 10 years ago: the flavours though are forever embellished in my medula so much so that the mere mention of it almost made me fight L. ‘You have Asun (Fried goatmeat), and you didn’t tell me?’ (Ignoring the fact that she couldn’t have known it was on my desired ‘Nigerian-meats-to-sample’ list). And so it was that L sent me some (photos below), after numerous SMSs: Asun, a friendship swimming ring and saver, to the rescue!
Asun is essentially tiny chunks of goat meat (with the skin and all on), cooked and fried with sliced onions and chilli peppers. In Nigeria, it is a dish from the western region (Yorubaland) cooked often at parties and celebrations of every sort. Now, the Yorubas in Nigeria are like the Londoners of the UK. They are the ‘happening’ people. As in the ‘in’ crowd. (L is Yoruba by the way :-))
Some describe them as a ‘fun loving people’ on the coast of West Africa. While the majority of the Yoruba live in western Nigeria, there are also substantial indigenous Yoruba communities in South American countries like Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and many Carribean countries, as a result of the slave trade. I suspect, that somewhere, sometime ago, in that time, recipes followed captured Nigerians across borders and lands……into South America. Remember Akara-Acaraje?
Now, Yoruba people like to party…..which they call ‘O wam be’ – it means ‘there’s a party here’. Any reason is good reason for a ‘groove’, some which last whole weekends……..
At these parties, meats like Asun form part of a repertoire of dishes called ‘small chops’: appetisers and finger foods to the rest of the world. In the last decade, the ‘small chops’ industry in Nigeria has blossomed. Before the main meals are served at parties, trays and platters of ‘small chops’ pass by tables and do the rounds. They’ll consist of meats like Asun, suya (meat on skewers), fried snails and other bits and bobs.
Fried plantain rings or cubes (Dodo) may accompany them, along with fried yam pieces (Dun Dun). Akara balls and Puff-puff (small olieballen/beignets/donut holes) won’t be strangers either.
This is one of many reasons why I miss Naija…..food!
Without further ado, here’s what I’m serving up for Haiti:
Goat meat with onions and pepper
Ingredients
2 cups goat meat or lamb, in small chunks1 (Maggi) stock cube
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (to marinade and fry) Salt to taste 1 medium red onion, sliced
Sliced chilli peppers (optional)
Sliced tomatoes (optional)
How to
Marinade meat with sliced onions, stock cube, lemon juice, oil and salt.
Leave for at least 4 hours or overnight, to marinade.
When marinated, brown meat in a large pan/wok and add water after a few minutes.
Let simmer/cook, in a covered pan and on low heat for 30 – 40 minutes or until the goat meat is tender. Keep topping up with water (by the cup) so the mixture doesn’t get too dry.
When it is cooked, let the liquids dry up in the pan by cooking uncovered. Then add the sliced onions and pepper, turn off the heat, stir well and then place the lid back on to allow the onions and pepper cook on the residual heat.
I served mine with fried yams and extra sliced onions and tomatoes.
I sliced off rings from my tuber, peeled, washed, cut and boiled them in salted water for 5 minutes to ‘parboil’.
I then drained off the water, and deep-fried them till they cooked – 4 – 5 minutes.
It was a match made in heaven….but then I am a serious YAM lover. I’ve been known to eat it 3 times a day…..a bit like potato lovers, You can boil, bake, broil, grill, fry, stew, make a pottage out of it!!!!
Fried yam is a treat any day: the cooking before hand softens the overall texture making it soft on the inside with delicious crisp edges. When you fry it straight away, without parboiling, large chunks can become a bit too hard!
And just in case you’re wondering, I did share some of my Tassot Cabrit with L: did you think I wouldn’t?
And that’s it for this stop. Next week we’re in Cuba and I’ll be serving up some Cuban strawberries (and you guessed right – Rum’ed strawberries) with Vanilla Meringue ice-cream. Stop by please.
And here’s a recap of where we’ve been so far and what I made:
- January 11, Mexico: Make-up session coming soon – Hot chocolate a la Mexicana!
- January 18, El Salvador: Platanos fritos tortillas – Breakfast/Main
- January 25, Nicaragua: Horchata, a type of…. – Drink
- February 1, Argentina: Empanadas – Snack
- February 8, Brazil: Acaraje – Snack/Meal
- February 15, Colombia: Pan de Banano – Breakfast/Snack
- February 22, Jamaica: Jerk Fish with creole sauce
- March 1, Haiti: Fried Goatmeat (Tassot Cabrit) – this post
- March 8, Cuba: Cuban strawberries with Meringue ice cream – Dessert
- March 15, Puerto Rico: Puerto rican Meatloaf
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Thanks for the recipe. Its nice to look for and actually find great tasting Nigerian recipes. Keep up the good work!!!!
wow! i like it 🙂
[…] came to me No apple dropped on my head Stunning me to discovery But then I’m no Newton It is my good friend, L I have to thank for this Albeit it in a roundabout way See, once upon a time three years ago I […]
[…] Boiled yam and stew […]
I’ve only had goat once before but now I want to run out and get some. Nice job on the plating!
[…] March 1, Haiti: Fried Goatmeat (Tasot Cabrit) […]
[…] Since 2005, I don’t buy (tinned) Corned beef – Nitrates and all but I MISS it. There’s nothing like a bit of chilli corned beef stew with freshly boiled yam………Heaven! […]
I love the pictures especially the tower of Maggi. What a great story of friendship and food and I love the connection you made between this Haitian dish and the dish you remember so fondly back in Nigeria. I am very intrigued by it and look forward to giving it a try. We’ve had goat before, and I’ve cooked it a few times, but now I have a new dish to explore.
Oz, I’ve never had goat meat. Cheese, yes, but never the meat. I haven’t seen it in the butcher shops, either–even the halal ones. I’ll have to ask around.
Another gorgeous set of photos, hon.
Just a note to tell you how much I enjoy your blog and to thank you fr your continued support.
Norma
Thanks everyone. Goatmeat is lovely. In terms of flavour, I think it is closer to mutton than any other meat I’ve had. Sometimes, you get the meat of the he-goat, which has a stronger flavour and smell/scent than the she-goat. This is one thing I miss about home….and snails!!!!!!!!!!!Hmmmm
Beautiful presentation of a very delicious sounding dish. I’ve never had goat, but love goat cheese!
I am son in love with the composition of your pics 😉
your pot lots really comforting and delicious. I love the various plating you did – they look lovely and pleasing =)
wow – impressive effort!
Ahh lovely! I’ve eaten goat meat in stews, salads and as a ceviche but not this way and it sounds delicious. Great photos too! 🙂
Wow you present your food in a beautiful way! I enjoyed reading this post!
Nice dish and love all the sides as well…really very well done. Great pictures!
I always get such a culinary education here Oz. While the dish may not be familiar, the ingredients are all something I love and miss, goat (mmm, goat curry), and yam – like you I could probably eat it three times a day! Thanks for a wonderful journey.
I have always wanted to try goat meat. And with fried yams–yum! Thanks!
I agree the goat sounds so delicious!
Lovely presentation here, it all looks so delicate and natural. I love the maggi cubes photos, I buy the sauce regularly but haven’t seen the cubes in a long time.
I’m a bit confused whether you really fell out with your friend or not?!
Awesome culinary tour… I will look out for it next year and hope to join in.
Sarah……….NO we didn’t fall out :-). Its just our standing joke!
Looks fantastic ! I am drooling over the keyboard at work !
Ozoz…hmmmmm what can I say..having had the opportunity of actually tasting this lovely creation I think I can safely say that…………girl well done..The Asun (look to me its Asun ok, not Tasot Cabrit) tatsed succulent and very rich..Well done..
By the way you know we are not just FFO’s…though food plays a VERY important part of our friendship!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ozoz – you could live in the Caribbean girl! Bring that plate of goat with you if you decide to move. I have never had goat with the skin on. What is it like?
The goat meat sounds excellent, delicious flavors and great presentations! Awesome traveling with you!
That is a definitely a flavorful goat dish … I usually only eat goat when I visit Greece each summer and I will keep this recipe in mind to try it when I am there.
Skin and all, Oz? Do you eat the skin or does it go chewy like pork rind? How lucky you are to have a friend who shares your love of food.. 🙂
We eat the skin. It is a bit chewy but I’ve never chomped on pork rind so…..:-). It isn’t/doesn’t taste fatty either!
Goat meat is a favorite in Indonesia. We typically either spit-fire roast the entire goat (a wedding feast favorite), goat satay, or gulai (which is a coconut based curry goat). Your method of preparation certainly expands my horizon on goat cooking. Thank you.
Tuty…..we do the same too. A whole goat on the spit, roasting away……..
You inspire me!
Wonderful presentation. Your pictures are stunning. And I always enjoy your stories accompanying the recipes!
I’ve never had goat meat before, you certainly make it look delicious.
Mimi
What a beautiful dish!I don’t eat goat, but your pictures are fantastic!
[…] here comes Oz of Kitchen Butterfly in The Netherlands bringing us Tasot Cabrit (fried goat meat) which she likens to her native Asun from […]
Oz, your presentation is lovely! And while I don’t think I could eat goat, I’ll take those plantains anytime!
I quite like goat meat. Not had it fried though. And I can’t wait till next week!
I used to think that goat meat was too gamey but cooked properly – like what you’ve done – well it is just fantastic – food that can definitely ruin a friendship if someone ate my share! heehee
I have tried goat meat once & liked it!! Your creation looks very appetizing, Ozoz!!
MMMMMMMMMMMMM,….lovely presentation too!
I LOVE goat meat! its delicious… n that combo with yam looks so good!
Dear Ozoz, you come up with the most lovely things. 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever had goat meat before, but you make it sound so wonderful. 🙂
Another winning contribution to our culinary tour. Thank you Oz.