Choko Soup (Gluten Free)

Chayote, Christophine or Choko, Mexican Pear Squash or Alligator Pear

I am quite partial to the odd choko but you don’t often see them in shops. They are an unusual looking vegetable being pear shaped, lime green, sometimes with bristles and some would say with not much flavour. Chokos originate from Southern Mexico and Guatemala, belong to the Curcurbitaceae family i.e. gourds, and have quite a few common names like Chayote, Christophine, Mirliton or just plain old Choko here in Australia/NZ. You need a bit of space to grow these, if you intend to harvest a crop yourself, as it’s quite a rampant vine. Don’t forget you will also need something for it to grow it over. Apparently all parts of this plant are edible, inclusive of roots, stems, leaves and seeds as well as the fruit itself. We prefer to use the tubers (peeled and chopped) then mixed into stir fries or seasoned and roasted in a little olive oil. And now we have this delicious soup recipe!

As is with many soup recipes there are no hard and fast measurements but rather you should taste and feel your way.

Choko soup

7 or 8 Chokos peeled and diced,

3 or 4 potatoes, again peeled and diced, 

several cloves of garlic finely chopped,

1 large onion peeled and diced finely,

curry powder,

4 cups chicken stock,

1 tin of coconut milk/cream

Kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Grated or chopped fresh ginger (optional).

Splash some olive oil into a pot and sauté the garlic, ginger and onion until soft.

Add the diced choko and potatoes and continue to cook. At this point add some curry powder, (to your taste), season with salt pepper and mix through. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Add some kaffir lime leaves if you have them.

Once all is cooked through and tender, put through a blender or whizz until you have a purée and then add the tin of coconut cream and bring to simmer over a low heat so that it doesn’t stick and voilà! Choko soup.