SPICE BLEND
Amchar Masala
An aromatic spice blend used in Trinidad & Tobago cooking, particularly in preparations such as kuchela and anchar.
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Specialty ingredients, practical substitutions, and trusted kitchen tools for cooking Trinidad & Tobago food with confidence.
Some Caribbean ingredients can be difficult to find depending on where you live. I created this pantry guide to help you identify the ingredients I use in my recipes, understand what they are, find practical substitutes when needed, and shop for specialty ingredients and useful kitchen tools.
These are some of the ingredients you’ll see throughout my Trinidad & Tobago recipes, especially in doubles, chutneys, sauces, curries, and traditional flavor builders.
An aromatic spice blend used in Trinidad & Tobago cooking, particularly in preparations such as kuchela and anchar.
Shop Amchar MasalaGeera is the Trinidadian name commonly used for cumin. It adds a warm, earthy flavor to channa, sauces, curries, and many other savory dishes.
Shop GeeraTamarind gives traditional doubles sauce its unmistakable sweet-tart character and is also widely used in Caribbean chutneys and sauces.
Shop TamarindMustard oil contributes the distinctive sharp, aromatic flavor found in traditional preparations such as mango kuchela.
Shop Mustard OilA warm aromatic spice blend used in selected Trinidad & Tobago recipes, including sauces and savory preparations where specified.
Shop Garam MasalaA few ingredients used every day in Trinidad & Tobago kitchens may have different names — or may simply be harder to find — in the United States.
What Mrs D means by “pimento pepper”
In Trinidad & Tobago cooking, pimento peppers are flavorful seasoning peppers used for their aroma and pepper flavor rather than strong heat.
They are commonly added to green seasoning, sauces, curries, stews, rice dishes, chutneys, and countless everyday meals.
Mini sweet peppers are not identical to Trinidad seasoning peppers, but they are an excellent practical substitute when pimento peppers are unavailable. They provide mild, sweet pepper flavor without adding significant heat.
Mrs D’s Note: Pimento pepper is there for flavor — not fire. Don’t replace it with a hot pepper unless you actually want to add heat.
Chadon beni is one of the signature herbs of Trinidad & Tobago cooking. It has a stronger, deeper flavor than cilantro and is used extensively in green seasoning, chutneys, sauces, curries, marinades, and everyday cooking.
Depending on where you shop, you may find it labeled:
Cilantro has a milder flavor and is not exactly the same as chadon beni, but it is the most practical substitute when fresh culantro cannot be found.
Look for fresh chadon beni in Caribbean or West Indian markets, Latin grocery stores, Asian markets, international supermarkets, and specialty produce stores.
You don’t need a kitchen full of fancy equipment, but a few good tools make traditional Caribbean cooking much easier.
Useful for straining tamarind pulp, sauces, chutneys, and other preparations where a smoother texture is needed.
Shop StrainerReusable plastic food covers are handy for keeping bara, roti, bread, and other doughs protected while they rest or proof.
Shop Dough CoversAmazon is convenient, but don’t overlook your local markets. Some of the best Caribbean ingredients are hiding in stores you may already pass every week.
Shopping Tip: If you can’t find an ingredient under its Trinidadian name, search for its alternate name. For example, chadon beni may be sold as culantro or recao.
Whether you’re making doubles, roti, curry, chutney, or one of my signature recipes, understanding your ingredients is one of the first steps to getting the flavor right.