Stir it Up!

It’s been years …many years since I’ve read a children’s book, but that’s just what I did the other day. Why would I read a novel written for young people? Well, because it wasn’t just any novel. Stir it Up! is the story of a young girl of Trinidadian heritage, living in Queens New York who aspires to be a Food Network star. Thirteen-year-old Anjali loves working in her father’s roti shop, takes cooking classes and cooks with her grandmother all the time, so when the chance comes around for her to enter the Food Network’s Super Chef Kids competition, she jumps at it. The only trouble is that the competition conflicts with her parents’ hopes and dreams for Anjali and she has to make the tough decision about following her parents’ orders or pursuing her dream. The story is sweet (no pun intended), but what I really liked most were the Trinidadian recipes sprinkled throughout the book.

Trinidad is a small place with a big personality. But even with that personality and zest for life which you feel is loud enough for the whole world to hear, it’s not every day that you come across the mention of Trinidad in a novel or find a cookbook from Trinidad. (I did encounter a crossword puzzle clue the other day where “Trinidad” was the answer, but that’s just as uncommon!) So, when I first saw Stir it Up!, I felt it was worth a read, even if I am thirty or so years over the recommended reader age!

Stir it Up! is written by Ramin Ganeshram, which is another reason why I wanted to read it. Ganeshram also wrote Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago, one of my favorite West Indian cookbooks, so I looked forward to seeing what recipes she had included in this story about and for young people - Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, Deema’s Easy Curry Chicken, Shrimp Burger Pitas, Trini-Style Salmon Sushi Rolls, Creole Rice, Coconut Rice Pudding, Ginger Beer to name a few. The recipes are easy to follow, approachable, and would be enjoyed by both young and old. If you haven’t tried any Trinidadian food, this would be an easy way to start exploring.

As for me, I’ll certainly be making some of the recipes, perhaps the Ginger Beer first, before all the mint in my backyard dies away for the winter. Then, I’m going to pass this book on to my niece, so that she too can feel a connection with part of her Trinidadian roots. Maybe she’ll make me a Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie some day.