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

Question 1

Why leave the scotch bonnet whole and unpierced?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Can I use frozen spinach?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Won't the okra make the dish slimy?

Accepted Answer

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.

Callaloo

Method

Nutrition · per serving

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