Trinidad and Tobago Callaloo

Growing up in Trinidad & Tobago, your Sunday and holiday lunch or dinner was not complete without the side dish, callaloo.​

Callaloo is a staple side dish, and the main ingredient is dasheen bush, which is the leaves of the taro or elephant ears plant, (Colocasia esculenta). We also eat the root of the plant, as a ground vegetable, dasheen. ​

Additional ingredients include okra, pumpkin, garlic, onion, green seasoning (chive, thyme, cilantro [shado beni], or culantro), one habanero and a few pimento peppers, coconut milk (fresh coconut, can, or powder), blue crab (optional) or crab flavor “Maggi Flavor D’Pot bouillon” or salt, and black pepper.​

All the ingredients are placed in the pot, covered, and simmered until cooked. When finished, remove the crab and the habanero pepper (being careful not to burst the pepper, or you may not be able to enjoy the dish). Whisk using a swizzle stick or immersion blender for a smooth creamy look and texture. Then add the crab and pepper to the callaloo.​

Callaloo is normally served with rice, macaroni pie (baked mac & cheese), stew chicken, and salad. ​

Another favorite dish is Callaloo & Coo Coo (cornmeal & okra) with fish.​

When my family and I migrated to the Chicago area, there was a limited supply of dasheen bush (sometimes no supply!), and spinach was the substitute. This resulted in a very tasty dish with a slightly different flavor. In cities like New York, where there is a diaspora of Trinbagonians, you are more likely to find dasheen bush.​

Note that for certain recipes at home, it was a “watch and learn” process with no fixed measurements, hence measurements are not included. 

Here is the link to the closest recipe, that includes the above ingredients with measurements:
How to make Trinidadian style Crab and Callaloo.