Callaloo

Name: Callaloo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Trinidad and Tobago
Ingredients: 400 g dasheen (taro) leaves or fresh spinach, chopped; 10 okra, sliced into rounds; 200 g pumpkin, diced; 400 ml coconut milk; 1 onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 spring onions, sliced; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 whole scotch bonnet chilli; 1 tsp salt; Black pepper

Also written: calalou

Dasheen or spinach leaves melted into coconut milk with okra, pumpkin, thyme and a whole scotch bonnet, Trinidad-style.

Published on 6 January 2026·Updated on 25 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#greens#okra#coconut#pumpkin#trinidad

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Soften the onion, garlic and spring onions in a large saucepan with a spoonful of oil for 3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, okra and thyme and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped leaves by the handful, letting them wilt, then pour in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Sit the whole scotch bonnet on top. Cover and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pumpkin crushes easily with a spoon.
Remove the chilli, still intact, and the thyme stalks. Whisk the mixture or blend briefly to a thick, slightly coarse texture.
Check the salt and serve hot with rice, boiled dumplings or plantain.

In Trinidad and Tobago, callaloo is part of Sunday lunch. If you use fresh dasheen leaves, cook them thoroughly; they must break down completely to lose their scratchy edge.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 289 kcal
Protein: 9.1 g
Fat: 22 g
Carbohydrate: 22.2 g
Fibre: 6.8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why leave the scotch bonnet whole and unpierced?

Left intact, the chilli infuses its fruity aroma into the coconut milk without releasing its heat, which sits in the seeds and membranes. Lift it out whole before mashing the dish, and above all do not burst it with a spoon while stirring, which would make the callaloo fiery in an instant.

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes, as long as you thaw it and squeeze it hard to remove the water, or the coconut milk thins out. Since it is already blanched, add it about ten minutes after the pumpkin rather than at the same time, because it needs far less cooking.

Won't the okra make the dish slimy?

Here that is exactly the point. The mucilage released by the sliced okra is what thickens the callaloo and gives it its unctuous body, unlike a dish of whole okra pods where the aim is to hold it back. So slice them without any special precautions.

Chilli peppers, from mild to Scotch Bonnet
How Caribbean and African cuisines harness the perfume and heat of Scotch Bonnet, and how others pair chilli with palm sugar, tamarind or pomegranate.

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