Recipe – Coconut Choka

INGREDIENTS

ONION/GARLIC SEASONING:

• one large yellow onion
• one head of garlic
• 2-3 wiri wiri pepper or scotch bonnet
• thyme leaves
• ¼ cup water

CHOKA

• 2 coconuts
• 4 tbsp pureed onion/garlic seasoning
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce or fresh minced hot pepper
• 2 wiri wiri pepper chopped finely
• 1 tsp salt

APPLIANCES

• Coffee grinder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Break coconut in half. Drain water. Remove coconut flesh from shell. Chop into large pieces.
2. Roast coconut until edges and back are dark brown/black. Let cool.
3. Scrape off burnt pieces as much as you can. Wipe with a damp paper towel.
4. Chop into 2-inch pieces and grind using a coffee grinder. Empty into a large mixing bowl.
5. Puree onion, garlic, pepper, thyme leaves, and water using a blender. Use 4 tbsp of the mixture and add to ground coconut. Refrigerate remaining seasoning for another use.
6. Add salt and freshly chopped pepper, mix thoroughly with hands.
7. Adjust salt and pepper to suit your tastes.
8. Press mixture down into a bowl, mixture should be moist enough to keep its shape.

NOTES

1. This recipe makes a lot of choka, if you are a family of four, I’d recommend using one coconut.
2. Garlic and pepper need to be blended and smooth to achieve a similar texture from using a lorha and sil.
3. A food processor won’t work here; it cannot get the coconut down to a fine enough granule.
4. Coconut can be roasted in the oven using your broiler. Turn off your smoke alarm, because it will get smokey in your house!

A juicer can be used to make this dish as well. Once the coconut is separated from its juice, add the juice back to the shredded coconut. Proceed as normal with seasoning. (Source: – alicaspepperpot.com)