Culinary Travel: French Guiana

Nestled between the Caribbean and the Amazon, French Guiana is a rich natural haven boasting a great many protected animal species and carefully preserved areas.

French Guiana is also home to a colourful blend of different cultural backgrounds. A native land, a land of exploration and a land of enslavement, French Guiana's extraordinary history has left its traces in every sector of today's society, and can still be sensed in a number of almost mythical places: Iles du Salut, which include the infamous Devil's Island where political prisoners were held, Mount Favard, the Saint-Laurent du Maroni transportation camp and the Iracoubo Church.

Chicken Colombo

Colombo powder is the West Indian version of curry powder. A spice blend that came to the region by way of Indian immigrants, colombo contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, pepper, cloves, and rice. Note that it doesn't contain hot pepper and the rice makes it a thickening agent as well as a spice blend.

Ingredients
1 chicken cut up, or 8 pieces of chicken
1 shallot, peeled and chopped finely
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed - divided
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons colombo spices - divided
3 tablespoons oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 hot pepper, minced finely (more or less to your taste)
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (or 1 teaspoon each dried thyme, rosemary, and basil)
1 cup coconut milk
salt and pepper

Directions
Make a marinade by mixing the chopped shallot, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, ground coriander, vinegar, water, and 1 tablespoon of the colombo spices in a shallow dish. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and place in marinade, turning to coat thoroughly. Place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

After the chicken has marinated (save the marinade), heat the oil in a large and sturdy pot on medium heat. Add the chopped onions, minced hot pepper, and 2 more cloves of crushed garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften - about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned a bit on all sides - about 10 minutes. Add the cubed eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes, the lemon juice, the herbes de Provence (or substitute herbs), and the leftover marinade. Stir to combine well, cover and cook on low medium heat for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of colombo and stir to combine well. Cover and cook another 15 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is done as you like.

Stir in the coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with rice.

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(602) 843-5100
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