Name: Caribbean plantain chow chow curry (chayote stir fry)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cho cho (peeled and cored (chow chow/chayote or christophine)); 1 large plantain (peeled and chopped); 1 tsp of split peas; 1/3 cup of shredded coconut; 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds; 1 scotch bonnet (or use a chilli); 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder; 1 tsp of himalayan pink salt; 1/2 a red onion (sliced); 1 tsp of dried thyme; 10 curry leaves; 1 cup of hot water; 2 tbsp of coconut oil

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Plantain chow chow curry recipe is a generously seasoned Indian and Caribbean inspired vegetable stir fry that is vegan friendly, wholesome and filling too

Brace yourself for this Caribbean plantain chow chow curry recipe coming your way, this one is light and very very simple to make. I know sometimes curry recipes can be overwhelming, almost to the point of intimidation.

Here in the UK curry are pretty much a part of the British culture, you won’t find a Town/City that doesn’t have a plethora of curry houses, that’s how notorious they are over here.

Since experimenting more with Indian spices I have successfully managed to incorporate a more than usual selection of different spices into my Caribbean cooking. You see Jamaicans don’t toy around with a laundry list of Indian spices incomparsion but say Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana. These are islands with a significantly higher Indian population and are much influenced by thse flavours.

This plantain chow chow stir fry has an influence of Caribbean flavour with raw Southern Indian spices – lightly seasoned and not too hot, so if you’ve not a fan of heat, no worries as you won’t need to sit this one out. The scotch bonnet is added to the pan whole for flavour only, so heat won’t penetrate the food (as long as it doesn’t burst).

What is chow chow (cho cho)

Chow chow (aka cho cho/chayote or christophine) as it is known in the Caribbean is a pear shaped vegetable which belongs to the same family as melons and cucumber, that’s not surprising given it’s high water content. As with all high water veggies it is low in calories and a good vegetable to include if you’re weight watching.

Where to buy chow chow

Chow chow is also known as Chayote, Christophine, vegetable pear to just to name a few. You can purchase Chow chow from any Indian or African Caribbean grocery store. The plantain really pairs well with the Chow chow not only as a clean complex carbohydrate vegetable, but also for some added sweetness, coupled with the shredded coconut.

I’m telling you, this plantain cho cho curry is a tasty, meat free meal that’s filling enough for lunch or dinner.

How to make Caribbean plantain chow chow curry

First parboil (partially boil) the plantain and chow chow for 2-3 minutes then drain off the excess water and set aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry the mustard seeds, with the onion and split peas until the seeds begin to crackle on medium heat and the split peas/onion turn golden.
Continue to stir and rotate the pan, then add the scotch bonnet, thyme, curry leaves, turmeric, coconut, salt and steamed veggies
Combine and stiry fry the vegetables for 1 minute before pouring in the hot water.
Reduce the flame to low, cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Notes to making the Caribbean plantain chow chow curry

If you cannot obtain a chow chow use zucchini instead, it’s the closest thing
Chow chow is also known as cho cho, chayote or christophine
Make sure the plantain is ripe (not green) how ripe is your preference. The more ripe (darker the peel) the sweeter and softer the plantain is.
Head to a ethnic market (Latino/Black/Asian) to source your plantain/chow chow

More plantain recipes

Spicy sweet shrimp and plantain

Pastelon (Puerto Rican plantain lasagna)

Plantain pie

Yellow plantain porridge