Like all places, the food in Belize reflects the products which are found or easily grown nearby in combinations which have been influenced by the unique Belizean cultural blend of Maya, Caribbean, and Colonial British. Red or black beans and rice cooked in coconut milk are prominently featured on practically every plate, and form the foundation of the Belizean diet. Add to this, stew chicken or sea food just pulled from the water, fried plantains, sizzling fry jacks or Johnny cakes, hot conch fritters and cool potato salad and you've got yourself a genuine feast. Wash it all down with a glass of lime juice, an icy bottle of Belkin beer or the local rum punch and you've just had the perfect dinner, by Belize standards, of course.
Instructions
1. Make Rice and Beans--which, by the way, is a totally different dish than Beans and Rice. It is the standard side dish of Belize. Kind of like 'corn' in the American Midwest or 'grits' in South, it graces every plate in Belize, no matter how upscale the establishment. To make them, boil up 1 cup of beans. Use the liquid from the beans to cook 3 cups of rice. Mix the rice and beans together and add 1 can of coconut milk, 1 chopped onion, ½ diced , 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Give it a stir and then cover the pan and place it over low heat for approximately 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
2. Fry plantains. Choose plantains that look like overripe bananas--very brown with many darker spots. Peel and slice. Fry slices in butter or margarine until they are uniformly brown. Serve them hot with sour cream on the side, if you can get it. Alternatively, mix ¼ cup honey with 1 cup orange juice and brush over warm, fried plantains.
3. Whip up some fry-jacks, the local take on sopapillas. Mix 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cut in ¼ cup of shortening or lard. And ½ cup of water, one teaspoon at a time, kneading after each addition until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 4 equal portions. Press each portion to flatten and cut into triangles. Fry triangles in hot oil until they turn brown and puffy. Serve hot and drizzled with honey.
4. Pound out some Conch for fritters. The Conch season is from October to June. Begin by cleaning and tenderizing 1 pound of Conch. Once it's tender, dice the Conch and add, ¼ cup chopped bell pepper, 2 tablespoons Marie Sharp's Habanero Hot Sauce, ¼ cup chopped tomato and ¼ cup chopped onion. In a separate bowl, sift 2 cups of flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper together. Add blended dry ingredients to the Conch mixture and stir. Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice and up to 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of water to form a stiff dough. Drop spoonfuls of dough into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with slices of lime or tartar sauce.
5. Stew a chicken. It is one of the most common ways to cook meat in Belize and is very simple to do. Put one cut up chicken in a large pot. Cover it with water and add 1 tablespoon of chicken flavor granules, ¼ cup , and 1 ball of Red Recado. Cook over low heat until the chicken begins to fall off the bones. Use a fork to pull the chicken from the bones and use the meat to fill taquitos, burritos, or enchiladas.
6. Make a bowl of potato salad. It sounds so American, doesn't it? In many ways the two are alike, with the exception of two key ingredients: canned mixed vegetables and Heinz Salad Cream. Salad cream is a reflection of their British influence, as it is the most popular salad dressing in the UK. It is similar in flavor to Miracle Whip, if you need a substitute. To make Belize Potato Salad, boil, slice and cube red potatoes. Add 1 can of drained mixed vegetables and Heinz Salad Cream, a spoonful at a time, until you reach a consistency you are happy with. Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk and top with slices of hard boiled egg.
Tags: chopped onion, baking powder, , bell pepper, black pepper