Best colombo ever !

Hello food lovers ! Today we’re going to learn how to cook a Colombo, a traditional West Indian dish.

There are numerous recipes of Colombo, but it’s necessary to hold and respect some points which make of this dish an authentic Creole enjoyment : It’s important to use blend of cumin.
We never put curry in the Colombo but Colombo powder, that you can easily find in any exotic groceries.
The choice of vegetables varies according to the recipe, but potatoes are essential. You can add: zucchinis, eggplants, French beans (from Guyana), carrots, papaya vegetable, you don’t have to put a lot of vegetables, 3 are enough. You can also add tomato, but just one.
You have to let marinate the meat beforehand.

Ingredients :
– 1 chicken (free range chicken)
– 3 potatoes and 1 carrot (it’s optional)
– 2 garlic cloves
– 1 bunch of welsh onion
– 1 big onion
– 1/2 sachet of Colombo powder ( 4 dessert spoons)
– 1 dessert spoon of a blend of cumin: mixture of cumin, fenugreek, and yellow mustard.
– Fresh or dried Thyme
– 4 cloves
– 2 bay leafs
– parsley sprigs
– 1 lime
– 1 west indian chili
– Salt and pepper

For the chicken marinade:
2 mashed cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of Colombo powder, 4 dessert spoons of vinegar, 2 cloves, 2 bay leafs, chili.

Preparation :
Cut the chicken in pieces. Rinse it a first time in water with vinegar to remove the excess of grease.
Mash a bit the cloves to spread their flavour. Marinate.
Brown the blend of cumin in a hen. Add the oil, welsh onions, onions cut, cloves, mashed garlic, thyme and bay leafs. Add the chicken pieces and brown it off by moving from time to time. Add Colombo powder and some water (with the chicken marinade) at the level of the chicken. Add parsley. Cover it and let it cook 15 – 20 minutes.
Cut vegetables in small pieces and add them to the chicken. Cover it and let it cook during 20 – 25 minutes over medieum heat.

When vegetables are tender, the sauce is thick and is removed easily from the hen, it’s ready ! You can serve it with rice 🙂

« Bon appétit » ! 😉