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6 cho cho on a white plate
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Stuffed Christophine (Cho Cho/Chayote)

Who knew that stuffed christophine aka cho cho could be tasty and incredibly easy to make. The christophine is halved and boiled, with the flesh scooped out then filled with sauteed seasoned saltfish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Caribbean
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 3 people
Calories 241kcal
Author Charla

Ingredients

To boil the christophine

  • 3-4 large christophine
  • water see instructions
  • ½ teaspoon pink salt (3g)

To saute and steam

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup mixed bell peppers (150g) chopped
  • 4-5 okra chopped and de-slimmed, see notes
  • ½ lb saltfish (250g) see notes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15g)
  • 2 cups white cabbage (140g) shredded, tightly packed
  • ½ cup warm water (118ml)
  • 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (5g) see notes
  • 2 teaspoon chadon beni (10g)
  • 2 teaspoon thyme (10g) dried or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (5g)
  • black pepper and pink salt to taste

Instructions

  • Fill a ¾ of a medium sized saucepan with water and bring to the boil with ½ teaspoon of pink salt.
  • Chop each christophine lengthways then place them in the saucepan of boiling water.
  • Boil the christophine until they are fork tender (this should take about 20 minutes).
  • Drain off the water and allow to completely cool.
  • Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and edible seed (you can use this as mash) and set the christophine aside.
  •  On medium heat, add the olive oil and proceed to saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
  • Add the okra and bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Fold in the saltfish so it combines with the okra and bell peppers.
  • Add the tomato paste along with the cabbage.
  • Stir in the water so the tomato and cabbage are more evenly distributed.
  • Cover the frying pan with the lid and steam for 8-10 minutes.
  • After the given time, season with seafood seasoning, chadon beni, thyme, hot sauce, black pepper and pink salt to taste.
  • Fill each of the shells with the saltfish/vegetable mix.

Notes

  • Don't overboil the cho cho or they will be too soft and fragile when the flesh needs to be scooped out.
  • You will need my D.I.Y saltfish recipe and Seafood Seasoning too.
  • While the cho cho is boiling start to cook the ingredients that you will be putting into the cavity to save some time.
  • You can add more vegetables if you want to.
  • You can de-slim the okra if you want by following this method from when I made Ochro Rice.
  • It's best to serve straight away, alternatively you can refrigerate for up to 2 days.
  • DO NOT freeze the stuffed christophine, you can freeze the saltfish/cabbage mix by itself if you need to.

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 523mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1898IU | Vitamin C: 103mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg