Tomato Choka

This authentic Trinidadian Tomato Choka is going to take you an easy 20 minutes to make. It only takes a few simple, quality ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen. Choka is perfect as a side dish for any meal, can be served with rice, roti or bake.

Coming home and smelling the aroma of the onions and garlic chunkeying, or sautéing, I knew something delicious was for dinner. Soon, the sweet savory smell of Tomato Choka had me looking forward to what was about to be another incredible home cooked meal by the GOAT, my mom.

This saucy dish with chunky tomatoes matches well with fry bake or roti. In my household, it was always bake and tomato choka. It became a classic Tuesday dish. Tomatoes are in peak season during the summer, which makes this the perfect summer recipe.

As I got older and I realized how easy it was to make, it was served for breakfast and as a side dish during lunch. Especially when we had family vacations, and I'm talking famalay - favorite cousins, aunts, uncles - it was one of the dishes we did buffet style.

Jump to:

• Why You'll love this Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make Tomato Choka
• Variations - Roasted Tomato Choka
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tomato Choka

Why You'll love this Recipe

This authentic recipe will recreate the true essence of what it was like growing up in Trinidad. It's going to feel as if you're at dinner at my mom's or having breakfast at my auntie's.

1. It's vegan and gluten-free so if you or anyone in your family have any dietary restrictions, doh study it.
2. Choka is easy to make. With prep, you'll have this comforting dish on your plate within 20 minutes.
3. It goes well with other dishes, including fry aloo and curry chicken, or you'll have a full meal with leftovers.
4. This also includes instructions for roasted tomato choka.

Ingredients

If you don't already have these in your kitchen, grab the highest quality ingredients on your next visit to the grocery store.

• Tomato - Tomatoes are the star ingredient for this choka. Use quality, fresh plum or roma tomatoes. If you're wondering what to do with roma, this is a great recipe to use a few pounds of tomatoes.
• Onions - Use diced yellow onions, small to medium.
• Garlic - Use fresh garlic, four to five cloves are typically enough, but can always adjust for preference.
• Sweet Pepper - Use fresh red bell peppers
• Hot Pepper - We use scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, you can always use one to your spice tolerance. Omit the spicy pepper if you have a low tolerance for heat.
• Bandanya - Also known as Culantro or Shado beni, Bandanya is authentic to this recipe. However, it's not commonly found in American grocers. It can be found at ethnic markets. If not, cilantro is the best alternative.
• Pimento - Fresh pimento peppers is hard to find the states, but can found in the ethnic markets or farmers markets. Otherwise the canned version without additives works just as well.
• Sugar - Helps balance the tomatoes acidity and adds a sweet layer of flavor to the choka. Use white or brown sugar.

How to make Tomato Choka

Rinse off all of your fresh vegetables before use.

Start off by cutting, dicing, mincing, slicing, chopping all of your fresh vegetables. Dice all of the vegetables except for the tomatoes. Finely mince the garlic and cilantro.

Lastly, leave the hot pepper intact so that it can be fished out later. Trust me, you don't want to be the one biting into the habanero. It blends into the choka really easily.

For the tomatoes, give them a rough cut into quarters. You don't need to cut them down smaller than that because they'll break down while they are simmering. They'll release their juices and become saucy.

Bring a large pot or pan to medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil or neutral cooking oil. Once it's hot, add garlic, onions, sweet pepper, hot pepper, and half of the pimentos and half of the cilantro. Let that chunkey, or sauté, for two to three minutes.

Once it is aromatic, add tomatoes, sugar, salt and black pepper into the pan. Give everything a really good stir. Cover the pan with a lid over medium heat for 12 minutes to allow the tomatoes to soften and release their juices.

After 12 minutes remove the lid and mash everything down with the back of a wooden spoon. Add up to ½ cup of water if want a saucier tomato choka.

Pro Tip: Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are, adjust the water to your preference. If you like a chunkier choka, you do not need to add water or just a few tablespoons. If you prefer a saucy choka, then adjust with up to ¼ to ½ cup of water. Cover the pan and allow it to simmer for an extra 2 to 3 minutes.

You're looking for a loose, saucy consistency. Once it's done remove the pan from heat. Add the other half of the cilantro and pimentos. Don't forget to take out the hot pepper, or leave it in if yuh want trouble.

Serve hot with roti, bake or rice alongside other Trini dishes like fry aloo and fry plantain.

Variations - Roasted Tomato Choka

Roasted tomato choka is another extremely popular way of preparing this tomato based side dish.

1. Broil the tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to take out a foot long sheet of aluminum foil. Add the tomato and hot pepper into the center. Wrap the foil around the tomatoes and hot pepper. Place the foil over an open flame or in the oven under a low broil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, carefully unwrap the hot foil and you'll see the tomatoes are blackened or charred.
2. Remove blackened skin. Carefully remove the skin of the tomatoes. They'll be soft, smokey, and full of umami.
3. You can cook as usual according to the recipe card. The other way is to mash the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the chopped ingredients. Then, pour ½ cup of hot oil into the mixing bowl and allow it to cook off the rest of the ingredients. After 2 minutes, add the cilantro and stir together.

The Trini Tomato Choka is ready to serve.

Equipment

To make Tomato Choka, you'll need the following basic kitchen items:

• Chef's Knife - For chopping up all the vegetables. Sharp is best for cutting tomatoes.
• Cutting Board - A plastic or wooden cutting board works fine for vegetables, but a butcher block is always best and versatile.
• Pan - A nonstick pan or enameled cast iron pot will work for sautéing and simmering.
• Wooden Spoon - For mixing and mashing the tomatoes.

Storage

Tomato Choka stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. If you open the container and it smells rancid, toss it out.

To reheat, return it to a pot and heat on medium for 5 minutes, or until warmed through.