Tchaka (tyaka, chaka or tiaka) is a very nutritious traditional Haitian dish made with corn, red beans and salted smoked pork.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry corn kernels
- 1 cup red kidney beans
- 2 smoked salted pork trotters , cut into slices (or salted smoked pork)
- 1 small bunch thyme
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 8 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion
- 1 goat pepper (or habanero pepper)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 bitter oranges , squeezed
- 1 lime , squeezed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pepper
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Dutch oven
Instructions
- Soak corn kernels and red kidney beans in plenty of cold water for 10 hours.
- Discard the water.
- Add the corn and red beans in a pressure cooker.
- Add the parsley, half the garlic, half the thyme, onion, chili, and pepper.
- Cover with water, close and lock the pressure cooker and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes after it comes to a boil. Drain and reserve the cooking water.
- Rinse the pig's trotters with plenty of water and place them in a pressure cooker.
- Add the rest of the garlic, thyme, and parsley, pepper and the juice of the bitter oranges.
- Cover with water, close the pressure cooker and cook for 45 minutes. Drain the pig's trotters and reserve the cooking water.
- In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and brown the pig's trotters. Add the cooking water from the pig's trotters.
- Add the red bean and corn mixture and their reserved cooking water.
- Add the bay leaves and the whole goat pepper.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, or until the tchaka thickens.
- At the very end of cooking, add the lime juice.