It is choko season, and some of you may be asking… what is a choko?
Choko, also known around the world as chayote squash, are a savoury fruit that is an important part of traditional diets across Mesoamerica, Cajun and Creole cuisines. Here in New Zealand, and in Australia we call it a Choko, and as a fruiting plant it is easy to grow in your back yard, the question is what do you with them when they are ripe and ready?
Great in a stew or casserole, they are often regarded as subtle flavoured and tough in texture, they can be eaten boiled, stir fried, baked, steamed and pickled, rarely you will come across them in a salad or salsa.
Choko’s have been a topic of discussion as they ripen, many of us have different techniques and approaches to making them taste good. From curries to soups, we are excited to try out some new things. With that in mind we thought we would share a simple and flavourable dish that adds the unusual texture of the choko with the sweet soft yumminess of our local kumara. Let’s get into it.
Choko and Kumara Curry:
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kumara, large
- 1 choko, large
- 2 tomatoes, medium size
- 1 red onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ginger, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oil (coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
- Cilantro/coriander leaves to garnish
- Rice to serve with
METHOD
Prepare the vegetable ingredients.
- Peel and chop the sweet potato into chunks. Boil until soft.
- Peel the choko. Remove the seeds and chop into cubes.
- Remove the skins from the tomatoes and chop finely.
- Dice the onion.
- Dice the garlic.
We sourced this recipe from Wikihow and there were a couple of others on there that we are keen try. Head on over to check it out if you interested.
