usvi-on-line
Roti's, local food, and cheap eats questions
Right on, Lulu!!!Lulu76 wrote:Soggy Dollar's roti is fantastic. I haven't had it on St. John. It would be worth it for the trip to Jost even if there weren't Ivan, painkillers, hammocks, the most beautiful water in the world...
I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner, but I think I know now. Thanks!
Got a good recipe? That would be a great surprise for dinner for the little Mrs...
Smiles-
MJ
Rotis are ka-bobs. Here are some from Foxy's Taboo-
Yum!
Yum!
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I have never had roti as a kabob. At soggy dollar it is kind of a cooked stew inside a tortilla (or roti bread if you are highly motivated) with mango chutney on top.
This is the recipe I use. A girl at Ruth's place taught me to put the curry in the water/broth before I boil everything, and I think that makes it even more delicious.
You can get mango chutney at Trader Joe's if you want to make it before you get an order from Ruth.
http://www.caribbeanchoice.com/recipes/ ... recipe=228
This is the recipe I use. A girl at Ruth's place taught me to put the curry in the water/broth before I boil everything, and I think that makes it even more delicious.
You can get mango chutney at Trader Joe's if you want to make it before you get an order from Ruth.
http://www.caribbeanchoice.com/recipes/ ... recipe=228
Well then I am definitely having rotis at soggy dollar next month! 
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melmd - Somehow I never get around to looking for roti until I'm on St Thomas heading for home. It's a great item to pick up to take on the plane. There's a little cafe behind the park next to the vendor area that's near the Visitor's center. As you're coming off the ferry that goes into Charlotte Amalie it's at the right hand corner of the street behind the bandstand (about a block and a half from the ferry). I can't remember the name of the place but they have great Mango ice cream too.
Someone told me once that Gladys's on St. Thomas has great roti, but I haven't made it there yet. Maybe next time?
I make it at home all the time using the recipe I posted. It tastes almost like what I get at Soggy Dollar, except I think that she (Patrice is her name, I believe) makes the chutney from scratch and the jarred stuff is not quite the same (The Sunny Caribee brand at Ruth's is good though.). It would probably also taste better if you ordered West Indian Curry from Ruth. I just use the Kroger brand because I already have it and I'm cheap.
I make it at home all the time using the recipe I posted. It tastes almost like what I get at Soggy Dollar, except I think that she (Patrice is her name, I believe) makes the chutney from scratch and the jarred stuff is not quite the same (The Sunny Caribee brand at Ruth's is good though.). It would probably also taste better if you ordered West Indian Curry from Ruth. I just use the Kroger brand because I already have it and I'm cheap.
If I'm not mistaken roti isn't a kebab or a specific meat sandwich- it actually refers to the bread itself. And then of course there are many types of common meat stuffs to have with it. It's not really indigenous to USVI. It's actually Asian, from Malayasia and India specifically I think, and worked its way to the islands a long time ago in immigration from India to Trinidad I think. It spread from there- but probably to other UK Commonwealth nations more readily. Real roti bread is killer, heavily layered and buttery, almost like pastry dough but flat and cooked very quickly on a hot skillet. Think of a hot multi-layered crepe. I was a bit disappointed to see so little of it in STJ myself, but in retrospect it makes sense. American style BBQ is more native to USVI than roti at any rate.
Last edited by thebin on Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I agree with thebin. Rotis have been a staple in India forever (and we know that India is a very old civilization). They are similar to chapatis, an unleavened flat bread, and filled with whatever you have around, then wrapped. Indians were brought to work in the Caribbean after slavery was ended. The largest concentration was in Trinidad and Tobago. They brought their own foods and the roti arrived in the West. It eventually worked its way around the Caribbean, being modified to suit local tastes and available foods and grains. Lots of versions by now.
