Daisann McLane

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

The roti, the delectable, fat, folded-up curry sandwich that is Indian Trinidad's main contribution to world cuisine, is a thoroughly creole invention that has no equivalent in India. (The word roti, in India, describes a kind of griddle bread.) Trinidad's roti begins with an enormous, almost pizza-sized flat bread that's often layered with a thin coating of powdery ground yellow peas. In Trinidad's top roti shops along El Socorro and the Eastern Main Road, the bread is slapped on the griddle when you order; you can watch it hiss and bubble as you wait. Then it's tucked like a blanket around a meat, fish or vegetable curry, wrapped in wax paper and foil, and the hot square package placed in a paper bag with a stack of napkins.

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Here, two simple ingredients yield huge, complex results. There's something about frying deep yellow plantains in oil that brings out their sweetness. The crisp outside yields to a soft, sweet center, the complement to a platter of rice and beans and garlicky pork. But, to be honest, they're so good, they might not even make it to the table.

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

Dominican meat and vegetable stew Daisann McLane

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

The roti, the delectable, fat, folded-up curry sandwich that is Indian Trinidad's main contribution to world cuisine, is a thoroughly creole invention that has no equivalent in India. (The word roti, in India, describes a kind of griddle bread.) Trinidad's roti begins with an enormous, almost pizza-sized flat bread that's often layered with a thin coating of powdery ground yellow peas. In Trinidad's top roti shops along El Socorro and the Eastern Main Road, the bread is slapped on the griddle when you order; you can watch it hiss and bubble as you wait. Then it's tucked like a blanket around a meat, fish or vegetable curry, wrapped in wax paper and foil, and the hot square package placed in a paper bag with a stack of napkins.

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking

The roti, the delectable, fat, folded-up curry sandwich that is Indian Trinidad's main contribution to world cuisine, is a thoroughly creole invention that has no equivalent in India. (The word roti, in India, describes a kind of griddle bread.) Trinidad's roti begins with an enormous, almost pizza-sized flat bread that's often layered with a thin coating of powdery ground yellow peas. In Trinidad's top roti shops along El Socorro and the Eastern Main Road, the bread is slapped on the griddle when you order; you can watch it hiss and bubble as you wait. Then it's tucked like a blanket around a meat, fish or vegetable curry, wrapped in wax paper and foil, and the hot square package placed in a paper bag with a stack of napkins.

Daisann McLane · NYT Cooking