Over the centuries, colonial rule and immigration have left Trinidad with an incredibly diverse ethnic mix - a real melting pot of people originally from South America, Africa, India, the Middle East, Europe and China.

This is reflected in the food, as seen in this recipe: parsley and thyme are European, allspice and habanero chilli are Central American, the sweet caramelised chicken is a distinctively Caribbean way of cooking, and the heavily cumin-scented amchar masala sprinkled in at the end is a uniquely West Indian take on a classic Indian spice blend.

It makes a delicious and rich curry and is served here with rice & peas, fried breads known as bara, stewed greens, a fruity apple chow and the quintessential Caribbean hot pepper sauce.

MARINADE SPICES: Thyme, coriander leaf, parsley, allspice
AMCHAR MASALA: Cumin, fenugreek, fennel, black pepper, nigella, ginger
TRINIDAD CURRY POWDER: Coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cumin, fenugreek, allspice, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, habanero, chilli
CHOW BLEND: Red pepper flakes, green pepper flakes
BARA SPICES: Turmeric, cumin
HOT SAUCE SPICES: Red pepper flakes, habanero flakes, garlic flakes, chilli flakes
RICE SPICES: Allspice, thyme
HABANERO CHILLI.

• 4 chicken thighs OR 500g sweet potatoes for a vegetarian version 
• 1 medium white onion 
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 4 cloves of garlic 
• 500g new potatoes
• ½ green cabbage (any type is fine!) OR 200g whole spinach leaves
• 1 eating apple 
• ½ cucumber 
• 2 medium tomatoes 
• A small bunch of coriander (about 25g) 
• 1 lime
• 180ml milk (any type is fine)
• 250g plain flour plus extra for rolling
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 heaped tbsp of sugar (dark brown is best!)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 300g basmati or standard long grain rice (not easy cook) 
• 400g tin of kidney beans or gungo peas - drained
• Oil for frying (sunflower or vegetable oil is best!)