Photo by Jean Paul Vellotti

This past Sunday I prepared a number of Trinidad Chinese dishes for a story I wrote for NPR’s Kitchen Window, to be published next week in celebration of the Chinese New Year 2011, the Year of the Rabbit.

The picture you see is what we in Trinidad call a lagniappe or “a little something extra”. Those of you familiar with New Orleanian culture will also be familiar with the term.

Using my Caribbean style practical-magic I threw together this dish with the bits and pieces from other items on the menu–rum washed pork, red pepper, onion, and christophene (also known as chayote). My husband, photographer Jean Paul Vellotti, took the photos of the dishes and this is the final result of my experiment with the extras.

And here’s another lagniappe: For this recipe–and others–to make a Trini Chinese New Year feast, check out NPR’s Kitchen Window, next Wednesday, Feb 2, 2o11.

Plus, don’t forget to check back here for a variation on the NPR-published version of this dish.

Special thanks to Miya’s Sushi of New Haven, CT for the use of their kitchen and dining room for the shoot.