Fiery Pepper Choka
A smoky Caribbean Pepper Choka made with fire-roasted Scotch Bonnet peppers, garlic, and onion on the Traeger Flatrock Griddle. This modern approach preserves the traditional flavors while creating incredible depth and texture.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 2 dozen Scotch Bonnet peppers
- 20 to 25 cloves garlic
- 1 large red onion roughly chopped
- 5 limes juiced
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped Chadon Beni bandanya, culantro
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil optional
Instructions
- Wash the peppers, remove the stems, and allow them to air dry.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil onto your Traeger Flatrock Griddle, or any flat-top griddle, grill, open flame, large frying pan, or even your oven if that's what you have available. Add the whole peppers, garlic cloves, and onion, cut side down.
- Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cover everything using a griddle dome or an inverted pan and continue cooking for another 8 to 12 minutes, making sure to turn everything every 3 to 4 minutes so they char evenly on all sides.
- Important: Try to roast the peppers outdoors if possible, as the aroma and capsaicin released into the air can be quite intense and may leave you coughing. I purposely keep the peppers whole during roasting because cutting them beforehand releases even more of those oils into the air. You'll experience something similar when grinding the peppers through a food mill or food processor, so be mindful if you're working indoors. Likewise, be careful when washing your utensils afterward, as the pepper oils can linger. I also try my best never to make this when Pali is around, and especially not when his sisters were younger.
- Once you've achieved a nice char on everything, it's time to set up the food mill and start grinding the ingredients.
- Determine the sort of texture you want your finished Pepper Choka to have. In my case, I like a bit of body to it. If you're using a food processor or blender instead, I recommend pulsing the ingredients rather than letting the machine run continuously so you have better control over the final consistency.
- Once you have the base, add the chopped Chadon Beni (bandanya, culantro), parsley, salt, and the juice of the limes. If Chadon Beni is difficult to source where you live, cilantro (coriander) can be used as a substitute, although the flavor won't be exactly the same.
- Give everything a good mix. At this point, if you find the Pepper Choka a little too thick, stir in the olive oil. There's no need to heat it first.
- I should explain that, traditionally, you would finish this with a chunkay, as I demonstrated in my Murtani (Spicy Choka) recipe. That's where you'd top the choka with thinly sliced onion before pouring smoking hot oil over everything to temper the ingredients. Not only does that quickly remove much of the rawness from the onion, but it also adds another layer of smoky flavor.
- Since I roasted the peppers, garlic, and onion with a generous amount of oil on the Traeger Flatrock, I decided to skip that final chunkay step. Much of that smoky character had already been developed before everything was ground together. You could almost think of it as a reverse Pepper Choka.
- That said, if you enjoy the sharper flavor of a more traditional Pepper Choka, feel free to stir in a little fresh (raw) onion and garlic after grinding everything, then finish it with a hot chunkay if you wish. One of the things I love most about Caribbean cooking is that there's always room to adapt a recipe while still respecting the traditions that inspired it.
- I'd also encourage you to give my Curry King Fish recipe a try and serve this Fiery Pepper Choka as the side condiment. Drop me a comment below if you have your own variation of this recipe, and be sure to watch the accompanying video where I share additional tips and give you a better look at the traditional Caribbean food mill I used.
Video
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Pepper Choka without a Traeger Flatrock?
Absolutely. Any grill, open flame, stovetop griddle, oven, or heavy frying pan can be used to roast the peppers, garlic, and onion. The goal is to achieve a good char before grinding. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I've seen my elders use an old frying pan to roast the peppers, and my grandmother would roast her peppers in a chula (dirt stove) before using a lorha and sil (stone mortar and pestle) to grind everything.Why are the peppers roasted whole?
Keeping the peppers whole reduces the amount of capsaicin released into the air during cooking while still allowing them to develop a deep roasted flavor. Plus, it helps retain more moisture and prevent drying out.Can I use cilantro instead of Chadon Beni?
Yes. While Chadon Beni (bandanya, culantro) gives the most authentic flavor, cilantro (coriander) can be substituted if necessary. The flavor will be milder and slightly different.Do I have to finish Pepper Choka with a chunkay?
No. In this recipe, the peppers, garlic, and onion are roasted with oil on the Traeger Flatrock, creating much of the smoky flavor traditionally added during the chunkay step. If you prefer the traditional finish, you can still add fresh onion and garlic before pouring hot oil over the top. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!