Dhal & Rice & Caraila

Dhal & Rice & Caraila - it doesn't get any more Guyanese than this. This meal is my childhood. It's like the Guyanese version of what American kids think of broccoli - it's disgusting when you're a kid... but you magically love it as you grow up.

Caraila is also known as bitter melon. Yes. Bitter is the perfect word to describe it. It's got a kind of taste that I'll never be able to explain... so I won't even try. I found a very informative site on it that you should definitely check out if you're interested -- http://caribbeanpot.com/tag/guyana-corilla/

I absolutely devoured that caraila today & I think what I appreciate most about it is it's extreme health value. From what I've been told & what I've read, caraila is "good for your blood" and has been suggested as a substitute for insulin for diabetic patients.

I've always had caraila with shrimp - it just adds more flavor and makes it seem like you're not just eating a big old bowl of bitter.

Dhal is a staple of India that was brought over by the Indians when they were taken to Guyana by the British. It's basically "split pea soup" with added Indian spices and seasonings & I would never be caught eating caraila without it! Check out the Wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal

So after doing some further research, I've discovered there are a million crazy ways to make "dhal" & they all come out way differently from each other. But luckily I was able to find the Guyanese version here: http://www.inner-gourmet.com/2011/08/guyanese-staple-dhal.html

That's almost identical to how my mother makes her dhal & it's got pretty pictures to help you along!

The best thing about dhal, in my opinion, is that if I want a quick meal, I can just pull out some roti & dip it in my dhal & call it a day. It's basically what I grew up on & it fills my right up!

And that, ladies & gentlemen, was my Guyanese meal of the day. Oh - and there was pepper sauce right to the side, buried in the caraila... mustn't forget that ;)