Africa: Seychelles: Seychellios Sousout (Choko Salad)
This Choko Salad- Salad Sousout– is refreshing and wholesome. The mildly sweet flavour and the crunchy texture of the choko paired with the tart-salty lemon dressing will delight even the skeptical taste buds.
INGREDIENTS:
2 firm young chokos
½ lemon- juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Salt and cracked pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Boil in slightly salted water in a medium size pot for about 15 minutes or until tender
Remove from boiling liquid and place under cold water to stop cooking process, as chokos need to be crunchy. You may choose to let it air cool, although you may run the risk of a lower level of crunchiness.
Once the sliced chokos have cooled down, gently peel off the skin by using a pairing knife and then remove seed from the centre. You may, at times, be able to peel the chokos by just gently lifting and peeling the skin with your fingers and only use a knife on the ‘crevices’.
Slice them thinly, approximately ½ cm thick, and place them nicely in a flat bowl or even a plate.
Prepare the vinaigrette by combining the onion, oil, lime juice and salt in a small bowl and, with your fingers, massage the onion for a minute or so in order to soften it a bit and mellow the flavour. Otherwise, the pungency of the onion will over power the delicate flavour of your chokos. This process is locally called mertri (fr. meurtrir meaning to bruise) or kreve (fr. crever meaning to kill).
Once the onion is softened and vinaigrette is ready, gently place it on the sliced chokos. Avoid tossing the choko slices because they will break. Serve
Enjoy!
NOTES:
If boiling or steaming your chokos, always lightly cook , for about 15-20 minutes, to retain the crispy texture.
If you have chokos with prickles, knock them off with the blade of a potato peeler, but otherwise leave the skin on.
If you choose to steam your chokos, you may decide to peel them as well as to slice them before you steam. This is because there will be less handling and consequently they will be less likely to break up when making the salad.
Very young chokos may be eaten with its skin on as well as its seeds which have a nutty flavour.
