So, when you go on a mission trip you have to do a few things. Work. Take cold showers. Sleep. Eat… Yes, eat! I’ve been going through the mission trip blues as of late and was thinking of a way to stay connected to where I’ve been and even share with others some of the things I’ve experienced while traveling. Along with the hundreds of stories in my head and thousands of photos on my hardrives the food is really the only tangible thing that I can think of to share that could give my friends and family a glimpse into what a mission trip is really like. If you have been around me at all you have listened to me talk about some of the food I have tried in other countries. Some of them were great and others not that spectacular. So, I wanted to try something that could be replicated here and not offend anyone at the pet store… so the Peruvian Cuy (guinea pig)–you’re really missing something here people–was out. So, I thought I would go with something simple and something I now crave on a weekly basis. It is Haitian Pikliz.

Haitian Pikliz is a blend of pickled shredded cabbage, carrot, onions, shallots, garlic and peppers. Some people refer to this as Haitian coleslaw with a kick. Most Haitian homes have a jar of pikliz on hand. It is much like American chow-chow. The relish is served as a side dish at most Haitian meals. I ate it on pretty much everything and even brought some back with me on the last trip to Haiti.

Below is the list of ingredients that I used. I would suggest using less peppers. I made a double batch and kept the peppers at the single portion.

Ingredients

1 glass 32oz jar
1 pair of tongs
4 cups of pre-packaged coleslaw or
1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 small shallot (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup onion (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lime (juiced)
3 large habanero peppers (thinly slice 2 & cut 1 in half)
3 cups of vinegar/white wine vinegar
4-6 cloves of garlic

RECIPE:
In a medium sized bowl, add cabbage, onion, lime juice, pepper, habanero peppers and vinegar. Mix with tongs, then add ingredients into jar and pour in vinegar mixture. Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before eating. The longer you allow the mixture to sit the better taste.

ENJOY!