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RECIPES / CARIBBEAN COOKING

Trini Dhal

Yellow split peas cooked until completely tender, swizzled to a silky, pourable consistency, lightly seasoned near the end and finished with a traditional hot-oil chonkay of deeply golden garlic and whole geera.
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PREP
15 mins
COOK
70 mins
YIELD
About 6 side-dish servings
CUISINE
Trinidad and Tobago
HEAT
Mild

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (200 g) dried yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
  • 5 cups (1.2 litres) water, plus up to 1 cup (240 ml) hot water for adjustment
  • 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 2 pimento peppers, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper, optional and left unpierced
  • 2 teaspoons BackYard Blendz Original Green Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more only if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, optional

For the chonkay

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil or coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon whole geera (cumin seeds)
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3 caripoulé leaves, optional

Method

  1. Prepare the split peas. Sort through the split peas, removing any stones or damaged peas. Rinse several times. For faster, more even cooking, soak in fresh water for at least 1 hour or overnight, then drain. Soaking is helpful but not essential.
  2. Start the dhal. Place the split peas in a medium heavy-bottomed pot with 5 cups water, the crushed garlic, pimento, turmeric and whole Scotch bonnet, if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim away any foam that collects on the surface.
  3. Cook until completely tender. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for 40–55 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the split peas collapse easily when pressed. Unsoaked peas may take 60–75 minutes. Add hot water 1/4 cup at a time only if the peas are exposed before they are tender.
  4. Swizzle the dhal. Remove the whole Scotch bonnet without bursting it. Use a dhal gutney, whisk or immersion blender to break down the peas until smooth and silky. Avoid prolonged high-speed blending, which can make the texture gluey.
  5. Season and set the consistency. Return the dhal to low heat. Stir in the BackYard Blendz Original Green Seasoning, salt and optional black pepper. Add enough of the remaining hot water to produce a pourable consistency that lightly coats a spoon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes so the fresh seasoning cooks into the dhal. It should be slightly looser than the final target because it thickens as it stands.
  6. Prepare the chonkay. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the whole geera and optional caripoulé leaves. Cook for 20–30 seconds until fragrant. Add the sliced garlic and cook, watching closely, until deep golden brown. Do not take the garlic to an ashy black colour, which will make the dhal bitter.
  7. Chonkay the dhal safely. Remove the dhal pot from the heat. Stand back and slowly pour in the hot seasoned oil, directing it away from your face. Cover the pot immediately for 30 seconds to contain the splutter and trap the aroma.
  8. Rest and serve. Stir the chonkay through the dhal, then rest for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. If it has thickened beyond a pourable consistency, stir in hot water 1 tablespoon at a time before serving.

BackYard Blendz Chef Notes

  • Family green-seasoning method: Stir 2 teaspoons BackYard Blendz Original Green Seasoning into the swizzled dhal for the final 5-minute simmer, before the chonkay. This confirmed family quantity supports rather than masks the garlic-and-geera identity.
  • Dhal should pour, not sit like paste. It should flow from a ladle and spread through rice while retaining enough body to coat it.
  • Manage the water. Begin with 5 cups. Use the additional cup only for cooking and final consistency corrections.
  • Cook the peas fully. Blending cannot rescue peas that are still firm at the centre.
  • Control the garlic colour. Deep golden brown gives a toasted edge without the acrid flavour of blackened garlic.
  • Whole-pepper option: Leaving the Scotch bonnet intact adds aroma with limited heat. Remove it before swizzling.
  • Fresh-herb alternative: If omitting the green seasoning, add 1 tablespoon finely chopped chadon beni during the final 5-minute simmer. Do not use both by default.
  • Storage: Cool promptly and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat until piping hot, adding water gradually to restore the pourable consistency.
BackYard Blendz Green Seasoning Original, 170g pouch of fresh Trinidad herb marinade
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