pepper choka Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

While you will see similarities with this Onion Choka and Classic Pepper Choka (basically roasted hot peppers made into a SPICY condiment), with the simplicity (and the perfect blend of flavor and texture) of this version, it could easily be your new favorite side to curry dishes. TIP! Use as much thinly sliced onion as YOU desire.

You’ll Need…

6 hot peppers
6 – 8 cloves garlic
1 Large Red Onion
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup olive oil

Important! This is meant to be SPICY! Wash your hands and/or wear gloves when handling such hot peppers. Please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

To help control the heat level and for a unique flavor (you wont get with mature ripe peppers), I like using the peppers which are green and about 90 % mature. During the summer months I simply grill them until charred on my outdoor grill. However (being careful) you can roast them until charred on your gas stovetop. Be mindful that if using metal tongs, it can heat up all the way to your hands after a while.

Once the peppers are cooled (enough to handle), place them (stems removed) along with the garlic and salt into your mortar and smash it with the pestle until it’s broken down. You DO NOT want a paste, but something more chunky.

May I suggest you be very careful when smashing it, as the liquid and pieces of pepper can go flying and could end up making contact with your eyes. Yes, you may use a food processor if you wish – but PULSE! I usually use one hand to hold the pestle and the other to cover or shield whatever I’m crushing (so it remains in the mortar).

THINLY slice the onions (use as much as you like as we want the onions to be the star of the recipe) and place it directly over the now crushed roasted peppers and garlic. A typical pepper choka will not have as much onion as the focus in that recipe will be the peppers.

We’re almost done. Heat the oil in frying pan until you see whispers of smoke, then (be careful) pour it directly over the raw onions. This will take the raw edge off the onions and add a wonderful flavor to the completed onion choka. This step is called “Chunkay”.

Give it a proper stir and enjoy! The heat from the peppers (and smoky flavor from charring), flavors of the garlic and onion, and the slight crunch from the raw onions.. definitely one of my fav condiments to enjoy with curry dishes. Store in a clean glass container in the fridge for up to a week.

Besides the onions being the key to this choka, you’ll also love the oil drizzled over whatever you’re eating. As I mentioned above about adding as much onion as you want, the same goes for the heated oil. It will be one of the best pepper oils you’ve ever had.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

The Ultimate Murtani (spicy choka) Recipe.

May 28, 2025November 18, 2019Leave a Comment

Choka.. a spicy condiment made from roasted vegetables and hot peppers (as hot as you can handle) is one of those delectable vegan dishes we enjoy in the Caribbean. While most chokas are meant to be as spicy as you can tolerate and very basic.. usually made with one vegetable (like eggplant or tomato) , this Murtani is meant to be SPICY and made with a combination of fire grilled vegetables, as you’re about to see.

You’ll Need…

1 medium eggplant
2 large tomatoes
2 scallions
2 Cubanelle peppers
8-10 scotch bonnet peppers
1 head garlic
8-10 okra
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1/3 large onion
3 leaves shado beni (optional)

Important! While it’s recommended that an open flame (charcoal, propane etc) fire is used for grilling off the vegetables, you can certainly do this in a very high indoor oven as well. Keep the seeds of the scotch bonnet to maintain the heat level and remember to wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water.

In this recipe (watch the video below) I’m using my Coal Pot to grill off everything. Something my great grandmother and her ancestors would traditionally use to grill and cook on.

Basically all you’re doing is grilling everything until they are charred and in the case of the tomatoes and eggplant.. cooked all the way through. To assist with cooking faster, I did make some deep cuts into the eggplant.

For the garlic, I cut off the root end to expose the garlic, then I drizzled on 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and wrapped it in foil. This will allow for the garlic to roast evenly on the fire and take on a lovely sweet flavor.

After everything was fire roasted, I went inside and scraped off any excess char and with the Cubanelle peppers (optional as it’s not traditionally used) as they cooled, the skin came off easily (same for the tomatoes).

Remove the stems off the peppers and okra and discard.. and be sure to remove the stem area of the tomato as it can be very tough. Cut the eggplant down the center and scoop out the lovely flesh. Place all of this into your food processor, along with the salt.

Pulse to achieve a chunky consistency. Then scrape into a deep bowl. Top with thinly sliced onions.

The final step is to CHUNKAY! Basically heat the remaining olive oil until you see whispers of smoke, then pour it directly over the sliced onions. Give it all a mix and top with the finely chopped Shado Beni.

Don’t forget to taste for salt yea! Yes, this is meant to be VERY spicy, but you can certainly tailor it to your own liking. A great side for curry dishes or grab some hot Sada roti and dip in.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

The Ultimate Pepper Choka Recipe.

May 28, 2025December 8, 20152 Comments

Not sure if it was the way I was dressed/looked or the washed-down accent I used in placing my order, but the doubles vendor inside West Bees supermarket in Diego Martin (Trinidad) took time from her busy lunchtime line of customers to warn me “son be careful eh, this rheel hot“. Pepper choka is one of the many SPICY condiments you’ll find at most street vendors throughout the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Scotch Bonnet (known locally as congo pepper) peppers, fire-roasted and made into a chunky sort of salsa.

WARNING! This is extremely hot.. but so GOOD! You’ll see me add some ingredients which takes the recipe away from being completely traditional. However, they were items fresh from my garden and I love changing things up a bit. If you click on Recipe Index above, you’ll find a more traditional recipe there.

You’ll Need…

4 scotch bonnet peppers
2 chocolate seven pot peppers (7 pod)
2 ghost peppers (bhut jolokia)
5 cloves garlic (1 tablespoon olive oil to grill)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small red onion
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
8-10 cherry tomatoes (optional)

Note: if you can get ‘green’ – mature but not ripe (red or yellow) scotch bonnets, you’ll find that the heat is a little less pronounced and the flavor is quite unique. I used a variety of hot peppers as I had them growing in my garden, but you’re free to use mainly scotch bonnets (habaneros work great as well) if that is all you can get access to.

Basically you want to flame roast these for maximum flavor, but you can also roast them off in your oven. If you do use the oven, be sure to open the windows in your home or you’ll choke with the scent of the roasted peppers. Place the garlic cloves in a piece of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Direct roast the peppers (I used my outdoor grill) and place the garlic cloves away from direct heat. Flip the peppers so they roast evenly on all sides. Takes between 4-6 minutes.

While my peppers roasted I harvested some cherry tomatoes and parsley from my garden. The tomatoes were SWEET, so I didn’t want to grill them (add a bit of sweetness and additional texture to the choka), but if you want you can use 2 large tomatoes and grill them as well.

In a heavy bowl place the salt and garlic and crush till smooth (I used a traditional ponger) but you can do this step in a mortar and pestle. Then go in with the peppers (minus the stems) and crush.. don’t make it smooth as you want some texture from this. Then top with the chopped tomatoes, parsley and thinly slice onion. If you have lemons, you can go in with a couple tablespoons for a much brighter flavor.

Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil till it starts to smoke, then pour it over everything and mix well. This step is called chunkay!

This is wickedly HOT, but such a tasty and mothering condiment. I guess this could pass for being the English Caribbean version of salsa? Store in a container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Whenever you’re going to use some, heat it for about 20 seconds in the microwave to awaken the flavors.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

A sensational pepper choka for the grown.

May 28, 2025October 10, 20096 Comments

pepper choka I recall my mom making something similar as a young fella and being warned that I/we should not touch it due to the high pepper content. Like everything your parents didn’t want you to do.. you did. The overwhelming heat was simply unbearable as a youth and I did learn my lesson, however that was the start of my love affair with extremely hot peppers and sauces made from such peppers.

Note: This is not like other chokas you’ll find on here that’s part of a meal. This pepper choka is more of a pepper sauce which is added on the side (in very small quantities) to add a bit of flair to any dish as you would normally use hot sauce. I just love this as a side when I’m enjoying a steaming hot plate of chicken pelau.

You’ll Need…

12-14 green (but mature) habanero or scotch bonnet peppers.
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 medoum onion sliced thin
1/2 head of garlic (about 5 cloves)

* If you can’t source habanero or scotch bonet peppers or maybe the heat is too much for you, feel free to use any pepper with a bit of heat to them.

TIP: I highly recommend that you roast your peppers in an outdoor grill, since while roasting it will give out a very strong peppery scent that can overwhelm your home and even cause you to cough. If you’ve ever allowed water to run onto a plate with hotsauce, you’ll know what I mean when I say it will choke you and cause you to cough.

This is one of the simplest recipes you’ll find on here. Start by getting half a head of garlic and using a sharp knife, cut the end off (I’ll explain why later) Then using foil wrap, competely enclose the garlic (you’ll notice that I didn’t completely enclose mine in tin foil, but that was a mistake) and place it away from direct heat on the grill. Then place the peppers onto the grill on low to medium flame/heat.

scotch bonet pepper choka

roasting garlic for pepper choka

how to roast garlic

Allow the peppers to roast/grill for about 15-20 minutes and be sure to turn them often so each side gets in contact with the grill and flames. You’re trying to char the skin as it gives the pepper a smoky flavour and somehow intensifies the heat of the pepper.

habanero pepper choka

trini pepper choka

pepper choka recipe

Allow the garlic to roast for about 25 minutes or so then remove. Remember how I asked you to cut the tips of the garlic (see pics above)? Now, with the cut tips facing a small bowl, gently squeeze the head of garlic (remember to allow it to cool a bit first), it should easily squirt our the lovely roasted flesh of the garlic. In the same bowl place the salt and roasted peppers. Remember to remove the stems from the pepper first. Then using a masher or in my case a “pounder” crush everything into a chunky paste. This is meant to be rustic, so don’t worry about crushing everything uniformly.

how to make pepper choka

trinidad pepper choka

The next step is to place the thinly sliced onions on top of the now crushed peppers and garlic, then heat the oil on medium to high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, gently pour it over the onions and mix thoroughly. You’re done!

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oil for pepper choka

pepper choka

Tip! : Be sure to use a pair of disposable latex gloves (or any water proof gloves) when handling the hot peppers. The oil that’s released can and will irritate your skin.

Tip! : By roasting the garlic you’ll find that it gets a bit sweet and loses some of the true “garlicky” taste. If you looking for a more traditional pepper choka, don’t roast the garlic but only use about 2-3 crushed cloves.

Final Tip! Yes, you can use a food processor instead of pounding away as I did. But you’ll need to add a couple tablespoons of oil when processing the roasted peppers, garlic and salt. Then pour it into a bowl before adding the sliced onions and pouring the heated oil. Remember to keep you face/nose away from the container if you used a food processor. The smell will be VERY peppery.

Again, I must warn you that this is incredibly hot and should be used in moderation. This can be made and left out for a couple days, then store in a covered contained in the fridge. However there are 2 things you must know.. 1. When using from the fridge I recommend that you heat it in the microwave before serving to bring it back to it’s original state. 2. When stored in the fridge you will find that it will lose some of it’s heat. I’m not sure why this happens, but from experience I know it does.

So what do you think my mom said when I went against her wish and took some of the pepper choka she made? “Who doh hear does feel”! In typical Caribbean parenting way.

pepper choka

Appetizing Onion Choka.

The Ultimate Murtani (spicy choka) Recipe.

The Ultimate Pepper Choka Recipe.

A sensational pepper choka for the grown.

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