Fish or Chicken Tacari is an East Indian recipe that we discovered in Belize. This is a turmeric rich dish. Pictured above is Marion's Fish Tacari from Punta Gorda with vegetable rice and callaoo (amaranth leaves) . This recipe comes from Pearleen Coleman's Cafe in Big Falls where Kris and I spent some wonderful time with her discussing how food can heal.
Pearleen's Tacari Chicken
1 whole chicken (or fish of your choosing, see our section on fish and meats)
Coconut oil.
Yams 1 big one as a low glycemic substitute for coco root.
yellow ginger (cut up fine about 3/4 inch piece or 1 tablespoon powdered)
Garlic 3-4 cloves chopped fine.
Onion 1 good sized one chopped in chunks.
Culantro leaves or sweet pepper leaves about a handful- if you can't find any use cilantro.
Cumin 1 teaspoon full.
Black Pepper (don't be shy)
Lime or lemon
Salt to taste
Cut up chicken into small pieces. Wash with limes and drain. Season chicken with cumin pepper and salt. Let sit a bit then...
Heat oil and fry garlic and yellow ginger together, be sure to crack some pepper in! Throw in the meat, cover and cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Then add Yams, onions, culantro and cook for 20 mins more. Gravy should be thick.
Modifications: I like to add some red bell peppers or/and tomatoes just for color! Try it out and share with us your extra touches!