The CONCACAF Cookbook: Dosti Roti (French Guiana)

 

In the lead up to this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup we here at Prost Amerika will be presenting our team previews with something new: food! You can check out all of recipes in the Gold Cup section. And of course please let us know how your meals turn out by using the Comments section below!

Roti makes the world go round. At this point there many people who are probably reading this and saying, “Wait a minute, Sean! Roti is a dish from India! How can you say that it is a traditional dish from French Guiana?” So here is the cool thing about food: as we travel or move, it is one of the things that comes with us. Case in point: French Guiana. French Guiana is a country whose culture is very prominently influenced by colonialization. Of course most people associate French Guiana with well the French. But there are other influences as well from North America, Europe, and in this case India. Roti was originally brought over to the Caribbean through Indian laborers. Dosti Roti is from French Guiana and is a slight variation on the traditional roti recipe because we will doubling the dough.  What, you didn’t think we would leave you our loyal football readers hungry?

Ingredients

(credit:Foods of South America)

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

1/2 pound chicken, finely chopped

1/2 pound of cheese

Directions

1.) If you do not have the chicken already cooked go ahead and chop it up and put it in a pan on top of the oven at a low heat. Especially when it comes to cooking with different items always take care of your meats first as they can often take the longest to do.

2.) In a mixing bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine your yeast and your warm water. With yeast you need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Once you see small bubbles start to pop up you will know that your yeast is ready.

3.) Combine your two bowls in the mixing bowl. Then move your dough onto a cooking board and using your hands start to knead the dough until it is one large ball. As with many of these dishes you will need to keep an eye on the consistency of the dough. If it is too sticky or too dry add a little more warm water. If it is too wet then add a little more flour. Yeast can be incredibly fickle and even the most specific recipes might need a little adjusting here or there. You should knead for about 10 minutes and will know it is ready when it has the consistency of an ear lobe. Once you are done kneading set it aside for one hour and let it rest. Grab a drink and take care of your dishes.

4.) Check on your chicken. If it is cooked all of the way through move it to a burner that is off and put a top on it. Roti cooks really quickly so it will still be warm when you are ready to add it.

5.) After an hour has passed let’s get back to the dough. Turn one of your burners on to a low to medium setting.  With your dough start breaking it up into smaller balls. After the dough has been divided up start flattening each ball in your hand. You may want to use a little bit of flour so that they do not stick to your hands.

6.) Place your butter in a small bowl and stick it in the microwave for 20 seconds.

7.)Place a skillet on the burner. Then take one of your rotis and using a basting stick gently spread the butter on one side of it. Place a little bit of flour on it and just a dash of vegetable oil.  Take another roti and place it on top of the buttered side. To make sure that the two are together use your fingers to press down on them. You may also want to do it around the edges as well.

8.) Stick your roti on the skillet. It should cook rather quickly so stay next to your burner. Flip it occasionally so that both sides are evenly cooked.

9.) Once it is golden brown on each side place it on a plate with a napkin or towel covering it.Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all of your rotis have been used. You can start dividing up your chicken and cheese for each roti. In French Guiana and in many parts of the West Indies it is traditional to eat it as a wrap so fold it and enjoy!

Drink to go with your Dosti Roti? Tafia

Any drink that is also used for medicinal purposes has to be a pretty darn good drink, right? As opposed to rum, tafia is not made in wooden barrels and is distilled from molasses or brown sugar. It is a drink that you find more in the working class so it seems like it would be perfect before a football match. Add a little lime juice and you should be all set!

Will French Guiana supporters be eating Dosti Rotis at the 2017 Gold Cup Final? 

Making their first-ever appearance at the Gold Cup French Guiana come into the tournament on a bit of a roll. They finished third at the 2017 Caribbean Cup, defeating both Cuba and Haiti during the process. They aren’t actually a member of FIFA and are an overseas department of FIFA. What this means is that players playing in this tournament can play in the Gold Cup are still eligible to play for France. The roster is fairly evenly split between players playing in the French Guiana Honor Division, the top division for football in French Guiana, and in various levels in France.

One of the few players that goes against this trend is Florent Malouda. Malouda, the former French international, starred for Chelsea and Lyon during the 2000s and currently plays in the Indian Super League for the Delhi Dynamos. He was originally born in French Guiana and because they are not a member of FIFA he would not need to file a one-time switch (not that France would really care either way at this point for a 37 year old midfielder). Given that this is French Guiana’s first-ever appearance in a Gold Cup having someone of Malouda’s experience level should help co-managers Marie-Rose Careme and Jair Rose Karam on the pitch.

A player to keep an eye on is striker Sloan Privat. Privat was tied with Rhudy Ever for the most goals from French Guiana at the Caribbean Cup with three and has played for the likes of Gent in Belgium and Sochaux and Guingamp in France. He is a strong, phyiscal attacker who isn’t afraid to mix it up with center-backs from time to time. Given French Guiana’s competition in Group A (Canada, Costa Rica, and Honduras) those aren’t necessarily bad skills to have.

Prediction: Although French Guiana will surprise some given their experience up top they will struggle to earn any points in Group A. No need to make a second batch of Dosti Rotis as French Guiana will be eliminated during the Group Stage.