My Culinary Journey: Episode 1 - Haiti

We start our little (big really) adventure with the random country generator selecting Haiti. What do I know about Haiti? When I was told the country was Haiti I immediately thought of a few things, none pertaining to cuisine. The name Haiti immediately triggered a memory from (2004?) when I was a young, enlisted Marine and we were told we were on stand-by for emergency deployment to Haiti to help quell a civil uprising of sorts. Thanks to my recent research, I now know that the conflict we were standing-by for was the 2004 coup. That mission ended up being tasked out to another unit that was much closer to the region than we were. Next, I think of voodoo. Lastly, I think of streets scattered with people armed with high-powered assault rifles and walking hyenas on chains. I clearly watch too much television. Are there even hyenas in Haiti?

Haitian cuisine though. I hadn't a clue. Seriously, nothing. It was then, at the beginning of episode 1, that I truly started to see how little I know about other cultures. So where do we start? Google, of course. Down the rabbit hole we go, deeper into the world of Haitian cuisine and culture until I finally decide on a couple of recipes I think I can manage.

Due to the French influence in Haiti over the years, a lot of the cuisine has French roots. Haitian creole. For my 2 dishes I chose Poule en Sauce, a traditional stewed chicken dish with bold flavors, and Diri ak Pwa, a traditional rice and bean dish also with full and bold flavors. I chose these dishes because there are so many versions of them that I felt I could pick and choose which ones I wanted specifically and yet still get the authentic experience.

Poule en Sauce (top), Diri ak Pwa (bottom)

Like many great recipes, there were options available. Like I said before, these dishes are basically known for being different from family to family, region to region. There really was no right or wrong here. One notable change is that I was unable to source scotch bonnet peppers, but websites said that habanero peppers can be substituted without compromising the dish in any way. Still, since we enjoyed these dishes so immensely, I will one day try them with the preferred scotch bonnet peppers. The rice dish was no different. Bean choices (pinto, red, kidney, black) sheesh, alright then... I went with small red beans because red is my favorite color.

So where do we start? With preparations, of course. In this case I stumbled upon some interesting cultural tidbits during my research. Traditionally the chicken is prepared by being hand washed in a bowl of lime and/or lemon juice and vinegar, typically with the halves of the lemon/lime being used as sponges to scrub the chicken. Alternatively, I found that you can use sour orange juice as well. My mind starts to do its thing as I read this all. There are so many questions. Why(s)? Things for a bit later. Bath time then...

Lime juice and vinegar with lemon halves for scrubbin'!

Scrub a dub dub.

The next step is marinating the chicken. The recipe says you can get away with marinating for as little as 30 minutes, but I opted for 12 hours instead. Also, it said to use around 2-3 Tbs of the marinade, but since I made a jar of it, I used a jar of it. I really didn't know what else to do with a specialized traditional Haitian marinade. Marinade time.

What is this marinade that you speak of? Epis. Duh. I basically couldn't find a Haitian recipe that didn't include epis in some way. Research indicated that it is a traditional and heavily used marinade or seasoning base. It is often compared to a sofrito or a pesto. Upon tasting it, I immediately drew similarities to basil pesto. Also, I have no experience with sofrito, so there's that.

The next problem was sourcing it. A brief search online showed that the nearest product to me was still multiple towns over. Lame. I could order it off Amazon, but I haven't the slightest idea as to which is bad, good, or best. I also couldn't get around the fact that they likely didn't purchase it in Haiti so much as they probably just made it. Fine, let's look up epis recipes then. Found a recipe I didn't hate.

Epis (Haitian marinade/seasoning base):

This recipe is made in a food processor. No need to get too particular on your chop sizes.

• 1 cup bell pepper - rough chopped

• 1 cup onion - rough chopped

• 1 cup green onions - with whites

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup vegetable bouillon paste - (Per my research, I used chicken bouillon cubes x2)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley or 8 Tsp dried parsley

• 5 Tbs fresh thyme (x10 sprigs) or 5 Tsp dried thyme - I had fresh (greenhouse)

• 1 Tbs whole cloves

• 2 Tbs dried basil

• 1 Tsp salt

• 1 Tsp black pepper

• 2 Tsp cayenne pepper

1. Mix all ingredients into a food processor until the desired consistency is reached. Again, we're looking for a pesto type consistency.

Rough chopped veggies and a mixture of fresh and dried herbs.

Somewhere in the blending process.

Poule en Sauce:

• 1 lbs chicken - (I used boneless thighs)

• 1/2 onion - diced

• 1/2 red pepper - julienned

• 1 scotch bonnet pepper - (I used habanero x2)

• 1/2 cup white vinegar - for the bath

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 1/2 Tsp tomato paste

• 2 Tbs epis - I used it all... like, a jar's worth

• 1 Tbs lime juice - for the bath

• 2-4 lemons/limes - halved - for the bath

• 2 Tsp minced garlic/jarlic

• 1 chicken bouillon cube

• 1 Tsp black pepper

• 1 Tbs all-purpose seasoning

• 2 Tbs fresh parsley (x4 sprigs) or 2 Tsp dried parsley

• 2 Tbs fresh thyme (x4 sprigs) or 2 Tsp dried thyme - I had fresh (greenhouse)

1. Wash the chicken in a lime/lemon/vinegar bath, and scrub it using lemon/lime halves like sponges. Rinse in hot water. Sour/bitter orange juice is said to be another option.

2. Create a marinade by using the epis and adding the thyme, parsley, black pepper, bouillon cube (crushed), garlic and seasoning salt.

3. Marinate the chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes but overnight is best.

4. Once the chicken is marinated, brown the chicken on both sides in a pan over medium/high heat. - I felt like maybe there was too much marinade on the chicken because it was taking forever to brown. It worked out in the end. Worries unfounded...?

5. Once the chicken is browned, add 1/2 cup water, red peppers, scotch bonnet, onions and tomato paste.

6. Cook for 20-30 mins on med/high heat. Reduce to low and simmer until desired internal temperature is reached (min 165).

This was a lot of fun, as it felt truly different than anything I'd ever done before (admittedly at this point, that isn't saying much). Even the preparation of the chicken was completely new to me. The flavors were incredible, and I hadn't had anything quite like it. Next time I will try with scotch bonnet peppers and see if there is a noticeable difference. Leah really enjoyed this one too, however it was too spicy for her mother. They test all my food, so they will likely be regular mentions in this journey.

During this entire process, I was simultaneously preparing and cooking the 2nd dish (Diri ak Pwa). Unfortunately, I greatly overestimated my ability to multitask completely new things (FAIL!), and I didn't get any photos of the process. Only the single photo that was shown at the beginning of this post. I will be extra careful going forward. This was an exercise in caution. Anyway, here is the recipe.

Diri ak Pwa:

• 3 cups rice - long grain

• 1 cup dry beans - pinto, red, kidney, black*

• 8 cups water

• 1 cup coconut milk - I used Thai style, if that matters.

• 3 chicken bouillon cubes

• 1 Tbs salted butter

• 3 Tbs olive oil

• 2 cloves minced garlic or 2 Tsp jarlic

• 1 large onion

• 1/2 Tsp thyme (x2 sprigs) - I had fresh (greenhouse)

• 1 Tsp salt

• 1 Tsp black pepper

• 3 whole cloves or 1/4 Tsp ground cloves

• 1 scotch bonnet pepper - I used habanero

*I pre-soaked my beans overnight, then drained them.

1. In a large pot add 8 cups water, beans, salt and 1 Tbs olive oil. Cook until beans are soft, generally 1 hour.

2. When cooked to desired firmness, strain beans from water and save water.

3. Using the same pot add 1 Tbs olive oil and sauté the onions for 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the coconut milk, chicken bouillon cubes, 6 cups bean water**, cloves and beans to the pot and bring to a boil.

6. Mix in the dry rice and scotch bonnet pepper and cook for 20 mins, leaving a minimal amount of liquid.

7. Once there is just a little bit of water remaining, reduce the heat to med and add the thyme and butter. Stir in and cover for another 10 - 15 mins, or until the remaining liquid is absorbed by the rice.

**I didn't have 6 cups of liquid left over from the boiling process, even though I pre-soaked the beans overnight (which the recipes didn't call for). I had closer to 4 cups.

Note: I would probably increase the amount of beans by at least 50% next time and adjust accordingly. I just wanted more beans.

My favorite thing about this dish was the clove taste. I was not exposed much to that particular flavor during my travels. The heat from the peppers gets balanced nicely with the coconut milk, and the clove kind of reigns supreme here. The chicken on top of a bed of this rice, and it was game over. Haiti had won a place in my heart. At this point in the journey, episode 1, I hadn't decided to incorporate desserts yet. Sorry.

It was quite a rollercoaster researching the history of Haiti. From being the only country in history to be established by a slave revolt, to being (as of 2024) declared a "failed state", and everything in between. Before this journey began, I honestly would never have so much as typed the words "traditional Haitian cuisine" in a search engine, let alone go down a rabbit hole. Huh, I wonder if Haiti has a version of Alice in Wonderland. What would a Haitian Alice eat in a Haitian Wonderland? Scotch bonnets would have a role, no doubt. Anyway, I'm done here. I didn't hate this experience, at all.

I have consulted the Oracle (Leah) regarding my next destination on this culinary journey, and she has foreseen the future. The future is in... Turkmenistan. Where the actual f...? Cool, whatever, I'm down for a challenge. See you soon.

Episode 2: Turkmenistan (coming soon-ish, probably)