Caribbean and African Cooking: Bhaji Potlicker

In the Caribbean, they call spinach bhaji or callalloo. This is not the dish Callalloo, but the vegetable, which reminds me of an old calypso describing the cooking of bhaji in a Dutch-pot. 'Bhaji is a ting that spring it own water
To prevent the bhaji from boiling over you take a big brick and put am on the cover. When the bhaji boil down . . .' etc. I've called this dish 'Potlicker' because apart from the desire to 'lick' the pot because the food is so good, the bhaji is cooked in its own pot liquor. You should use a cast iron saucepan or casserole, or a frying pan with a lid. Forget about the brick!

Serves 3

1 lb peeled shrimps
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tsp jeera or cumin, ground
finely chopped fresh chilli, to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
a grate of nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp margarine or ghee
2 tsp creamed coconut

Marinate the shrimps in lemon juice, garlic, jeera and ginger, for at least 1 hour. Cook the shrimps in a little butter or margarine for a four minutes, stirring. Set aside. Add the remaining butter or margarine the shrimp juices in the pan. Put in the onions and spinach and reduce on a moderate heat, covered. When partly reduced, crumble the stock cube and stir. Add the chilli, nutmeg, creamed coconut and shrimps. Mix well and cook for another 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Try coconut rice and side salad as an accompaniment.