Pineapple Chow

Trinbagonians make a quick pickle called chow that they eat as a snack or an accompaniment to meals. Goes really well with fried foods too, especially fish.

The seasoning ingredients are the same but it is the flavour of the fruit used that makes each bowl of chow distinct from the other. Salt, pepper, fresh lime juice, garlic and the signature chadon beni (culantro) is all you need. Fresh coriander/cilantro can be used as a substitute. However, if you do substitute with fresh coriander/ cilantro, be sure to include the tender stems – that’s where a lot of the flavour lies.

For chow, depending on the fruit, you want something that is not fully ripe so that you can have that wicked combination of sour, salt and sweet. Cucumbers, mangoes, golden apple, five-finger and cashews can all be made into chow. I even saw someone make genip chow.

I bought a Guyanese pineapple the other day and made some chow to accompany a pork dish I had made in celebration of Chinese New Year.

Here’s the thing about chow, the garlic is an essential ingredient in the mix but you have to use with it a certain degree of restraint. Too much and it will be too pungent and dull the taste of the chow, too little and you will feel something is missing. My recommendation is to add a little, mix the chow, and let it rest for 10 minutes, taste the chow and add more to suit your taste, if necessary. I find that grating the garlic or turning it into a paste helps it to incorporate better into the chow but the usual way is to mince the garlic very fine. Another thing, you can’t be shy with the pepper; you don’t want it to blister and dull the taste buds but you do want it to have some bite.

The amount of seasoning ingredients is exclusively based on personal taste so taste your chow as you make it and adjust as you go along. You are looking for a pickle that is salt, sour and sweet with savoury notes.

INGREDIENTS

• Peeled, cored and sliced pineapple or chopped into chunks
• Salt
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• Fresh lime juice to taste
• Fresh garlic, made to paste, grated or finely minced
• Finely minced chadon beni, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together all the ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for the flavours to meld before serving. If not serving right away, cover, refrigerate and bring up to room temperature before serving.

NOTES

• Skip the lime juice if your fruit is tart.
• Use a combination of peppers with seeds and membrane and some without so as to have a good balance of heat.