Cooking

May, 2016 - Haitian Chef (Chef Stephan Durand) serving Mais Moulin, Aran so and Soup Joumou at the White House in Washington DC for the Caribbean-American Heritage Month Celebration

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Haiti is on its way to replace wood-burning stoves with clean, ethanol-fueled cook stoves through project Gaia.

Project Gaia is a Non-profit non-governmental U.S organization working to provide cheap eco-friendly alcohol based fuel on ethanol stoves in the developing countries. Most Haitians rely on charcoal and firewood to cook their daily meals. As a result, the nation is experiencing extreme deforestation over the years and an estimate reveals that it has been reduced to 2% of the earlier cover. Furthermore, the polluting fuels like wood, charcoal, dung, coal and petroleum have shortened the average lifespan of Haitians by 6.6 years due to the illness caused by household air pollution. In Haiti, POET in association with Project Gaia will replace wood-burning stoves with clean, ethanol-fueled cook stoves. Jeff Broin, the founder and Executive Chairman of POET has donated 12,000 gallons of ethanol of which 6,200 gallons have passed the Haitian customs in December 2014. Dometic, another partner of the project would supply locally made ethanol stoves and 'Novogaz' will be responsible for its distribution. "POET Bio refining - Jewell' will produce the needed ethanol.

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Here is a picture of a Recho Pa'w. This project was created to improve cooking in Haiti and funded by USAID.

The Recho Pa'w project, with a budget of nearly $9 million U.S. and funded by USAID to promote better cooking methods, was officially handed over to the Haitian population in a ceremony featuring representatives of USAID, LPG distributors and biomass stove manufacturers as well as the US Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White. The objective of the project, which will be focused in the urban area, is to build the permanent groundwork for cost-efficient, clean cooking. The project aims to convert 300,000 families toward the use of propane and biomass stoves.

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This is one of my favorite dishes that mother would make every Saturday. What do you need in order to make a the Best Haitian Bouillon.

You need to have well seasoned and baked golden brown cut turkey necks, turkey backs, chicken feet, blue crab claws, fresh cut legumes, mustard green, spinach, cabbage, and cut carrots.

watercress
1/2 cup green beans
1 small onions
scallions
carrots
white malanga
medium potatoes
cup flour
beef broth
some cilantro
some parsley
some thyme
1 hot pepper
salt and pepper

Put all the vegetables in a large pot, add beef broth, cook well, add meat, make dumplings. Crush the malanga in the soup to make it thicker.

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The secret to making Tassot de Cabrit or Fried Goat, Haitian Style. This is what you do: Since goat meat is usually hard to cook, cut no bigger than 2-3 inches in thickness. Wash your goat meat in vinegar and use cold water to rinse.

Then take your time to marinate in orange and lime juices, pepper and salt for several hours. Then put the marinated meat in a pot without putting in additional water. The water will be added later.

You will add water periodically, a cup at a time to give time for the seasoning to penetrate the meat. When meat is cooked, removed from the liquid. Heat oil in a large frying pan and, without overcrowding the pan, fry the cooked pieces of meat. Serve while still hot.

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What you should do in order to make a good Conch or Lambi, Haitian Style

First, since Conch is a tough meat, tenderize it with a mallet. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Drain conch pieces after soaked in vinegar and water for 2 hours. Use some oil to sauté onion and garlic until onion is tender. Add ingredients and conch into the pot with seasons. Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until conch is tender.

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Have you ever tasted a Haitian Pain Patate? If you have not, you are missing a lot. Here is how you can make a Haitian Pain patate by yourself:

You need tp preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grate the sweet potatoes and mash the banana into the grated sweet potatoes.
Then, mix in all the remaining ingredients except for 1 tbsp. of the brown sugar. Continue until all are completely mixed into the batter. Line or grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan then evenly spread mixture in. Top evenly with the reserved brown sugar. Bake for about an hour and a half.

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The best way to make Diri Ak Jon Jon or Rice Mushrooms - Diri Ak Djondjon, Haitian Style: You need to first, slice mushroom caps and place in cold water for 15 minutes to a half hour

Then, you heat oil or butter in a pot and sauté onions, thyme and garlic until tender. Add water from the mushrooms and bring to a boil. At this moment, you add rice, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow the rice cook for about 20 minutes or until it becomes flaky.

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How to make a good Beans Puree or as they say in Haitian cooking, Sauce Pwoa

First thing first, clean the beans. Search for stones and twigs, then rinse the beans in water. If you have enough time, cover with water and soak overnight
Then, heat oil and add beans. then add ingredients to give it taste such as ham, parsley and water. Then, boil until beans are tender. Separate about 80 percent of the beans and blend along with some of the juice into a puree. then, return pureed or crushed beans to pan with the remaining 1/4 and cook over low heat.

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What you should do to make Rice Red Beans or Diri Ak Pwa Cole

Get beans and rinse in water. Cover beans with water and soak.
You must cook beans in water until it becomes tender or in approximately 2 hours. Then, fry some salted pork in oil, include onions, green pepper and garlic.

Then you add beans and the reserved cooking water. Once it begins to boil, add rice. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.

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