Tomato Choka

Author Notes

I inherited my love of tomatoes from my father. I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face light up for anything the way it does for a juicy summer tomato. Though my Trinidadian mother never made this dish when we were growing up, I learned to make it years later in my dad’s honor. Tomatoes are either grilled or roasted under the broiler until soft and sweet, mashed, then drizzled with hot oil infused with onions, garlic, hot peppers, and other seasonings—a method called chunkay in Trinidad.

It’s a dish that reflects the East Indian influence on the cuisine, but with a distinctly Caribbean flair. Normally the tomatoes would be cooked whole, but I love the extra char and depth of flavor you get from halving them. Classic choka is usually seasoned with onions, garlic, and lots of Scotch bonnet pepper, like the recipe on the blog Cooking With Ria. In addition to those ingredients, I include other Trini staples such as ginger, thyme, and shado beni. The ginger adds a bright kick, and the herbs bring a complex flavor. Also known as culantro, shado beni is a more pungent cousin of cilantro, which can be used as a substitute in a pinch. As Scotch bonnet peppers are not for the faint of heart, you can use half a pepper instead, or lessen the heat by scraping out the seeds with a small spoon.

Ripe tomatoes straight from the farmers market are ideal, but this is also a great way to resuscitate sad grocery store tomatoes if you’re desperate, which happens to me frequently in the winter months. In Trinidad this would be eaten for breakfast alongside sada roti, a flatbread similar to naan, but it’s also great as a side with rice or, as I recently discovered, as a hamburger topping.
—Lesley Enston