Pineapple chow recipe - Indulge on my rendition of this popular Trinidadian spiced infused street snack with additional papaya (paw paw). Chow is the perfect grab and go island food.
When it comes to fruit I absolutely love all things pineapple related and if you don't believe me, that's fine! Just have a look at some of my pineapple smoothie recipes on the blog. Trust me when I say those smoothies are rotation in Charla's house. I like them especially during the spring, so refreshing and incredibly tasty might I add.
What is pineapple chow?
Now, you're probably wondering what I earth is chow? Well as the pictures suggest we certainly aren't referring to "chow mein" rather a contrast.
Chow is essentially a popular on-the-go snack hailing from Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of fresh fruit that has been slightly seasoned with herbs - shado beni (known as spirit weed in Jamaica) is the preferred choice of herb and is also used in Green Seasoning. If you cannot obtain shado beni then cilantro is the next best thing which is what I used.
What other seasoning is used in chow?
Additional condiments, such as black pepper, salt, garlic, hot sauce and scotch bonnet but most importantly is that drizzle of lime are all used to seasoning chow.
The lime juice in my opinion really enhances the flavour of the fruit, especially if it's extra sweet along with the other ingredients.
Adding some papaya to your chow
As much as I love pineapple chow, I wanted to change things up, a little with this papaya (paw paw) that had been sitting in my fruit basket for over a week now. It's time to put this pineapple and paw paw chow idea into action, less talking and more doing.
One of the many benefits of chow is how diverse it truly is. Trinbagonians pretty much chow any fruit and I don't blame them. Moreover, my chow medley includes some red onion and cucumbers to boot.
Reasons why you should make this pineapple paw paw combination chow
By default this recipe is incredibly healthy, tart with a hint of spice and an added sweet note. Just think you could start your day with this tropical fruit bowl. Fruit contains enzymes which the stomach needs to help break down food.
Papaya plays a role in My Papaya Chia Pudding, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice and Papaya and Pineapple Smoothie.
Therefore, I would advise eating this in the morning on an empty stomach to cleanse yourself on the inside. However, with that being said, you can certainly prep the fruit with, condiments in a bag which is what I did, grab a fork then hit the road!
Other cuisines from Trinidad and Tobago to try
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Pineapple chow
Ingredients
- 1 large papaya paw paw peeled with seed removed
- 1 large pineapple peeled and chopped into chunks (can use 1 large can instead, drain juice)
- 1 small red onion chopped
- ½ cucumber peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon of cilantro chopped finely
- 1 garlic cloves minced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce and/or ¼ scotch bonnet optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Grab two freezer bags and double bag them or a zip lock bag.
- Proceed to add the chopped pineapple, papaya, cucumber, and red onions in the bag.
- Season the fruit with cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, hot sauce and scotch bonnet
- Drizzle the entire contents with the juice from a lime.
- Tie a knot in the freezer (if using) or zip the bag then give a good shake so all of the condiments and juice fully saturate the fruit.
- Eat straight from the bag (and go) or serve in a bowl.
- Refrigerate any leftovers
Nutrition
Greetings dear Charla! I hope that 2018 is treating you well. I'm not one for "spicing up" my fruit salads, but your recipes are always so delish, I'm going to give this Chow recipe a go over the summer. Keep well and stay warm. 🙂
Hi Ceil. I hope you enjoy it when you do make it. It's not too spicy, just the right balance of sweet with a hint of spice.
Saving this one for summer BBQs! Would make a great potluck side dish!
Yay!! That's what I like to hear Lisa.
I'm drooling over this. One of my best friends is from Trinidad and she's been promising to take me home for ages but I haven't made it yet. In the meantime, I will console myself with a big bowl of this, because I love everything about it!
Thanks Jeni. I haven't been to Trinidad, closet I've been was Grenada and Barbados but like you I am acquainted with many Trinidadians and love the food!
Your pineapple papapya chow sounds delicious as it both of my favorite fruit. I need some like this to forget this harsh winter. Addition of hot sauce sounds interesting too.
Thanks Swathi. It's sweet and spicy at the same time, very nice combo.
I have been loving fresh fruit with spice! This is so pretty and the combination of ingredients sounds divine.
Thank you so much Valentina.
Loving these amazing tropical flavors going on here!
Thanks Shadi