February 27, 2009

Jamaican Festival (Fried Bread)

My Jamaican festival bread goes to Meeta of "What's for lunch, honey" blog for her "Monthly Mingle" event. She has chosen "Caribbean cooking" as a theme for this month. Thanks for hosting, Meeta! :)

(A quick note to all event hosts before I start:
I will be taking a short break from cooking for events at "Aroma" blog probably until the last week of March or so, really need some time to read few books! My weekly blog posts at "Foodie's Hope" will go on as usual every Wednesday over there!)

Caribbean:

"The Caribbean region is mainly a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea.All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories. The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad & Tobago. The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the man-made Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean." Info from WIKIPEDIA.

Jamaica:
"Jamaica is the third largest Caribbean island. It's indigenous Arawakan-speaking TaĆ­no inhabitants named the island Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water", or the "Land of Springs". Formerly a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it later became the British Crown colony of Jamaica and later became independent in 1962. It is the third most populous anglophone country in North America, after the United States and Canada. It remains a Commonwealth realm. Its traditions of reggae, rastafarianism and Jamaican art mingle with cosmopolitan culture makes Jamaica an attractive destination for tourists. The natural beauty of the island also offers many amazing rivers, waterfalls, rain forests, coral reefs and sandy white beaches!"

I chose to make Jamaican festival, which are fried bread, either can be less sugary bread served with Fried Fish, Jamaican Jerk Chicken and rice and peas or sweet Festival bread as dessert. I found this recipe in one of the Jamaican travel websites. They are delicious as dessert sprinkled with powdered sugar, don't retain much oil even though they are deep fried. Hope you try!

Jamaican Festival:
Festival are oval shaped, somewhat thin, slightly sweet, crispy flour and cornmeal fritters. Why do they do call it Festival? May be because eating them is like having a festival in your mouth, as one of the theories go! :D

You need:
1 1/2 cups plain flour,
3 tbsp cornmeal,
about 1 cup of water,(you may need less, do not add all at once),
1/2 tsp salt,
3 tbsp sugar, less for savory festival and more if you like them very sweet,
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence.

How to make them:
1. Sift the plain flour in to a bowl and stir in the cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder.
2. Add Vanilla and mix. Add water tbsps at first and then as much as you need to get a very firm dough like Poori dough. Do not make them sticky and soft dough. You can add more flour if it becomes sticky which could make the bread hard, so do try not to add too much water to the dough to begin with.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20mins. Divide into 8 or 10 pieces and without handling the dough too much, make shapes like elongated ovals or as you see in the photo, keep them aside.
4. Heat oil to 365F and deep fry the Festivals until golden, drain on the paper towel.
5. After they are cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar on top to serve or just plain with Jerk Chicken or fried Fish.

That's it! Beautiful Festivals are ready to eat. Have fun eating them! :)

94 comments:

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow Iam still searching what to cook for the wvent....These bread look yum.

Daily Meals said...

Festival looks delicious...seems easy to make...will give it a try...

FH said...

KF, there are so many dishes from Caribbean, I had trouble too but got this easy one! :)

Vijaya, these really are so tasty, hope you do try! :)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Asha you are the best and always come up with grand ideas! What a lovely entry! Thank you so much!

FH said...

You are welcome Meeta, glad you liked it. I wanted to make something simple and delicious, this Festival fits perfectly for both. Enjoy! :)

Priya said...

Never tried baking a bread. Looks simple and give a try.

krystyna said...

Jamaican Festival Bread sounds good for me - also the beautiful name.
Thank you Asha for this easy and great recipe.
And thanks for geographical information. I like it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

sunita said...

This does look delish! Great entry :-)

FH said...

Priya, at last a bread without baking! It doesn't retain much oil either, do try! :)

Thank you Krustyna. One day, I want to go to one of the Caribbean countries to enjoy a vacation and their yummy food! :)

Thanks Sunita, bread without baking and so very delicious too!Enjoy the weekend! :)

Pavani said...

Are these like puffed up like puris?? Very interesting "festivals". Sound simple too. Have a great weekend Asha.

AnuSriram said...

Thats a delicious bread! Nice click! Lovely entry for the event!

EC said...

What a cute name to the dish..looks cool, never thought we could eat festival !!!!

Uj said...

There are so many cuisines that I have not experimented yet. Looks delicious.. perfect entry.. looks simple but great

Deepthi Shankar said...

That looks beautiful .. had never of this one .. shall try this sometime

FH said...

Pavani, not puffy hollow like Puris but like very puffy tender bread. Try it, my kids loved them! :)

Thanks Anu! :)

EC, Festival in the mouth and tummy! :D

FH said...

Uj, there are millions dishes we haven't tried, always so fun to try a few, thanks to these blog events!:)

Deesha, do try, it's easy and you can cut the recipe to half just to try and see if you like it. :)

zlamushka said...

Hi Asha,
Never had these, they look so delish....

Uma said...

love the shape of those cute breads! Mouth-watering.

Cham said...

Fried bread like our puri, Looks so good! I never tasted one Asha!

FH said...

Hi Z, thanks. they are very tasty, hope you try! :)

Uma, kids love these, try and make some for your kid! :)

Almost like it Cham, not hollow like Pooris. I can say they are like corn cakes but sweet! :)

KonkaniBlogger said...

The bread is looking very good Asha! I don't think I've ever tried any carribean food. Enjoy your break and your books. Will wait to hear about them :).

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

bread looks delicious.. nice dish to send to the event.

FH said...

Maya, I started reading Q and A, not finished yet and it's a small book!
Yeah, a small break from Aroma will do me good, will see you at FH next week, hugs! Try this one, so easy and very Caribbean!:)

Mahimaa,hope you try this bread, no baking and wonderfully tasty! Enjoy your weekend!:)

Ashwini said...

The bread looks very nice..Very easy too .. Will try this sometime..Happy 3 week vaccation for reading..:-))

jayasree said...

Festival bread looks delicious and easy to make. Though its deep fried, you are tempting me to give it a try.

Raaga said...

Since the vada burst on my face on Dussara... I don't think I deep fried much. I did make papads when someone was visiting for lunch. Amma has been doing a lot of frying, but they leave today.

These festivals look lovely... truly delicious.

Unknown said...

looks delicious..different recipe..

Purnima said...

WOW..yet another mindblowing simple recipe from you, feels like JAMAICA! I shall revert with feedback when I make this for kids surely! :D THANKS!!Enjoy reading!

FH said...

Thanks Ashwini! Hope you try. Half way vacation, but will make the most of it! :)

Jaya, they don't retain much oil like Pakodas, make a few and try! :)

Raaga, for some reason, my vadas burst too, I had to keep the lid on and I took it out of the heat after that. I think I dropped the water along with vadas too! :D Stay away from frying if you don't like it! :)

FH said...

Thanks Sowmya, nice to try other country's cuisine once in a while! :)

Hope you do, Purnima. It's very tender and not too sweet, so kids' favorite snack here! Have a great Sunday, just came home from shopping and thought of checking the comments! :))

Anonymous said...

Stunningly crispy...would love to have a bite of it !

Siri said...

I have never tried Jamaican food Ashaji. Thanks to these food events, I get try and taste so many differnet unknown dishes! the fried bread looks yummy, reminds me of our 'mirchi bajji' ;)

Enjoi your reading and please do share your book recommendations with all of us. I am currently reading 'Balckberry Wine' by Joanne Harris and am thoroughly enjoing it. I started reading 'Mistress of Spices', but had to stop mid way as it was too depressing for me - the marital violence and stuff. But, I love the movie.

Have a great week ahead.

Hugs,
Siri

FH said...

Hahaha!! Yeah, like sweet bajjis! We are expecting snow today, so mirchi bajjis will be nice but not frying today.

I am expecting 2 books from Amazon, will list at FH. Still reading Q and A,can't get time if I keep on cooking here, so the short break. Let's see how it goes. I haven't read Mistress of spices yet. Domestic violence is never okay, reality is much scarier. Enjoy the books and rest of Sunday! :)

Sum Raj said...

woo..this looks cute nd delicious..

FH said...

Hi Suma, good to see you girl. Yes, these are great for kids as snacks, try! :)

Anonymous said...

Hii asha, fried bread looks delicious! caribbean cookin is totally new to me.Thanks asha for sharing the recipe.
btw, i made a thali gettin some good ideas from your thalis at FH.I'll post it soon with your FH blog link in my blog.

Finla said...

I have never had them, actually i am a novice to caribbean cooking, i have been serching for a recipe and got one tommorow i will be making them as the deadline is almost near and i don't want to miss it like lasqt time.

FH said...

Kalpana, it's always so good to experiment and find new tastes.
YAY! You made a thali! Can't wait to look at it, good for you! :)

Hi F, good to see you girl. Cynthia has plenty of those dishes, try one of them. Yeah, these dishes are new to us, good to try and taste! :)

Preety said...

wow gr8 entry for the event asha..i never tried this one..looks like bread rolls my mom use to make..ya i know this is diff recipe..

Pavithra Kodical said...

Wow loved the shape of this bread. This is new to me.Looks delicious :)

Usha said...

This bread sounds wonderful Asha, would love to taste a little bite of it :-)

Lakshmi said...

Bread looks yummy Ashakka. Enjoy your break dear :)

Anonymous said...

This is an awesome dish!! I will bookmark this one.

You have another blog!! How come I never came here before? I am kinda confused!! how do u manage 2 blogs? This shows I am not around for long right? I don't even know how i landed here.

Divya Kudua said...

Lovely bread..have never heard of it though..was looking for a bread-suffix when I saw the name Festival.;-)Happy reading..looking forward to your posts on FH!!

Priya Suresh said...

Am still searching for caribbean cooking, u r coming up with delicious fried bread, looks really yummy!!!

Meera said...

Bread really looks delicious!!

Vibaas said...

never heard of it. looks very yummy, though :) you know so many new recipes :)

Laavanya said...

What an interesting name for a dish... with the flour and cornmeal does this taste a bit like hush puppies?

Suganya said...

Such a different recipe Asha. Fried bread sounds so good. YUM!.

Anonymous said...

Asha, your bread looks wonderful and delicious!

FH said...

Alka, Preety, Pavithra, Usha, LG, thanks girls. I was so busy today, I am trying catch up everybody now! :))

Soma, this blog is fairly new, opened it just to cook and post for events, nothing else! Unlike FH, these are short and quick recipes!:)

FH said...

DK, I know! Festival is bread but I was tempted to add 'bread" it too, but it sounds like "Chai Tea" or "Taxi cab" as Americans say! :D

Priya, Meera, Vidhas, Laavanya (Yes, it does taste like Hush Puppies but sweet and lot less cornmeal),Sukanya and Chuck, thank you so much. Enjoy the recipe! :)

Poornima Nair said...

Beautiful bread Asha....looks delicious...

Vishali said...

what a wonderful fried bread Asha...its indeed a festival seeing it and will be eating it too :).

Hey i have few doubts regarding baking breads ...can i post the question here itself?

FH said...

Poorina, thanks. Hope you try! :)

Vaishali, go ahead and ask. It's easy for me to answer here than checking my emails often, you will get quicker reply here! :))

Madhu's cooking gallery said...

This is new to me..have not experimented Jamaican cooking.. looks delicious! I would love to try this one..

Unknown said...

Oooh those look awesome! carbs are such turn ons!:)

- Sharon

Divz said...

hi asha..thats nice to look at..so thats a bread thats not baked but fried...hmmm... the ingredients/ method looks so similar to doughnut!!

FH said...

Madhu, start this easy one, always nice to cook and enjoy different cuisines! :))

Sharon, carbs rock! But you know it will be the doom for people like me who "absorb" everything and show too! ;D

Divz, for somebody who is afraid to bake, this would be the perfect bread, tastes so good! :)

Chutneytales said...

Asha,I didn't know that you have two blogs..You are great..You manage two manage 2 food blogs ..
Festival looks great and i will try this one..Its simple and looks delicious ..Thanks for introducing such new dishes :)

FH said...

Madhu, I opened this blog last year just to post dishes for various events, keeping my main "Foodie's Hope" blog just for once a week posts! :D

Do try, it's easy.

Archy said...

Festival bread name itself is so tempting !! Looks very nice and easy !!

Dibs said...

haha! Great name for bread!

Nandini Vishwanath said...

I did not know about the existance of this blog! What all have I missed?

FH said...

Thanks and Dibs. It's nice to try other cuisine and strange names too! :D

Hi N, you missed a LOTTTT!!!;D
I opened this last year to cook and post just for events. Foodie's Hope is my real child, my first child I mean!!:)

DK said...

Yum..I am so trying out these :)

FH said...

I was just there at your blog few mins ago! :D

Hope you do try, enjoy your weekend DK!

Varsha Vipins said...

Oh great..they look yum..frying the dough was totally fab n I dint think of it.I thought its a baked one..Loved it Ashakka..:)
I am yet to make something for the event..:P..Glad that date was extended..:)

FH said...

Varsha, frying is a bit scary but this bread doesn't retain much oil. Really comes out tender, hope you try! :)

Vibaas said...

Have something for you here -> http://vibaas-world.blogspot.com/2009/03/potato-sandwich-and-awards.html

Adlak's tiny world said...

looks so yummy.

FH said...

I will check today, thanks Vibhas! :)

Thank you Adlak, hope you try!:)

Andhra Flavors said...

wow what a perfect entry.

Meenal Mehta said...

Hi Asha

fantastic idea and blog:) Congratulations on your wonderful work .Just bumped in your blog and dropped by to say hello.

Iam a fellow food blogger.Let me know if you are interested in exchanging links

Happy Holi and looking forward to having you back in March end
-Meenal

FH said...

Thanks AF! :)

Welcome to Aroma, Menal. Glad you found me, hope to see here again. See you later! :)

Vaishali said...

Yum, Asha, how gorgeous are those? Thanks for a delicious recipe.

Pavani said...

ooh..ur blog is really good with so many lovely dishes

FH said...

Thanks Vaishali and Pavani, enjoy and hope you try a few of these! :)

Raks said...

Similar,I used to eat when I was a kid I remember:)
Have a nice weekend,enjoy reading!

Srikitchen said...

mmm! lovely breads! seems easy to prepare!

FH said...

Thanks Raks, nice to have some break in between! :)

Very easy, do try Srilekha! :)

notyet100 said...

lovely name ,...whts the othe rname of cornmeal,..is it the same as cornflour,..??/

Recipeswap said...

Bread and its fried so even better....good click Asha.

UjjU said...

Thanks Asha,it was not my MIL...its my friend's MIL who arrived. :)

Purva Desai said...

The name of the event itself makes it sound lovely and colourful. Bread looks yummy dear...great entry for the event

FH said...

N, Corn meal is bit coarse like Rava, not the corn flour but you can use Corn flour if it's available! :)

Thanks Neema! :)

Oops! Ujju, I read it fast! ;D

Anonymous said...

they look like festival food :) my mouth is watering..

FH said...

Thanks Purva and Shree. Caribbean food is almost like Indian food with similar spices, except breads like this one. We loved it! :)

Pavani said...

thank u so much for ur lovely comments asha...

FH said...

You are welcome Pavani, keep blogging! :)

Anonymous said...

MY HUSBAND AND I JUST GOT BACK FROM JAMAICA AND WHILE GOING INTO THE CITY, OUR DRIVER STOPPED TO GET US JERK CHICKEN AND THIS WONDERFUL BREAD CAME WITH IT, I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET HOME TO LOOK IT UP. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY MAKING IT MYSELF. THEY ARE SOOOOO GOOD!!

FH said...

Thanks Anon. Yes! Even I was blown away by this bread's taste and so easy to make too. Kids enjoy these as well. I would love to visit Jamaica some day, must have been fun! :)

Jay said...

Asha, Is there a way you can make the festival bread in a bread maker or at least the dough? With my little one I know I would not have the time to do the dough But, if I at least do the dough in a bread maker all I would have to do is let it sit for the 15 mins, roll it out then deep fry it. Please let me know I woud really like to do this recipe. I had it yesterday at a Jamaican restaurant and I had my hubby keep asking them to bring more because I didn't want to seem greedy even though it was for me. After the first basket I didn't share the next batch with anyone..lol!

FH said...

Hi Jay, so sorry for the late reply, been busy.
If you make the bread dough with yeast, you can use the bread machine for dough but this dough is just with Baking pd, so you can use a regular mixer/blender to make dough quickly. Add dry ingredients and start the mixer, slowly add liquid just until they are mixed, then gather the dough by hand to make dough. No need for bread machine. Do not mix the dough too much in the blender, just until it becomes loose lump. Do the rest by hand. Enjoy! :)