A Return Home

The SEasOning

COVID fucking sucks. The end of 2019 was pretty freaking awesome. I got married and was able to celebrate with friends and family. Little did I know that was the last time I’d see my mom in person for 22 months. Frequent phone calls, and the occasional video chat, while much needed, were not a replacement for being able to sit around my mom’s table eating her food.

Food is how my mother shows affection. If she feeds you, she likes you. It’s something my friends and my brother’s friends have figured out – my mom can’t resist feeding anyone that hints at being hungry.

So after 22 gruelling months, my wife and I were finally able to go home for a visit. The first thing my mom asked was what we wanted to eat. Since the visit was only 72 hours long, I had to be judicious about what I wanted. Finally settled on something basic that I don’t make for myself, but I’ve been craving…

Fry Bake, tomato choka and fried aloo.

Yup, simple homecooking.

The recipe below is what I’ve been able to tease out of my mother and cross-referenced against other sources. My mother is such a pro at this she doesn’t measure anything. She instinctually knows how much of everything goes into a dish by sight, feel and smell.

To me, this meal encompasses the best of all the simple pleasures of West Indian cooking. It’s a stripped down version of something you might find on a table in India, but it’s still delicious and uniquely Caribbean.

Share this meal with friends and loved ones. Pig out with reckless abandon and don’t feel bad about it. If you and I ever cross paths, maybe we can visit my mom. She’d love nothing better than to sit at the kitchen table with us shooting the breeze while we eat everything coming out her pot.

The Ingredients

Tomato Choka – serves 2

2 large tomatoes
1/2 red onion sliced into half circles
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 scotch bonnet sliced

Fried Aloo – serves 2

1 large or 2 medium potatoes peeled and thinly sliced into half moon shapes
1/2 large red or yellow onion sliced into half moons
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

Fry Bake – makes 8

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp yeast
Oil for deep frying

The Method

Tomato Choka

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Slice your tomatoes in half. When the pan is hot, place the tomatoes in the pan cut side up. Leave the tomatoes to cook till the skin starts to develop a char on it ~ 5-7 min. Gently flip over and cook on the cut side till some char starts to develop. Once some char has developed all over the tomatoes transfer them to a bowl.
Return the pan to the heat. Add a couple teaspoons of oil. When hot, add the onions, garlic and hot pepper. Sauté briefly.
Add the tomatoes back to the pan along with any juices that have leaked out. With a wooden spoon mash up your tomatoes until it’s the consistency of chunky tomato soup. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Aloo

In a non-stick hand over medium heat, warm a couple teaspoons of oil. When hot, add the onions and fry till some colour starts to develop.
Add your potatoes and garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir to incorporate everything.
Much like trying to brown meat, you don’t want to disturb this too much. Let the potatoes fry and develop some colour. Stir very occasionally to prevent the onions and garlic from burning. I would suggest keeping the heat at medium and letting this take it’s time to cook (15-20 min). You want to get some nice crispy brown bit, but you also want to get the potatoes fully cooked and soft. It’s a hard line to walk trying to get crispy, not burnt, fully cooked, and not mush.
Once cooked, adjust your seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Fry Bake

Mix the sugar, yeast and water together. Let stand for 10 min to let the yeast bloom.
Heat your frying oil to 350F.
In a mixing bowl, stir together all your remaining dry ingredients.
Add the wet to dry and knead into a soft dough. It’ll take 3-5 min of kneading to get a soft smooth dough. It’s ok if the dough is a little wet, you can always knead in a light dusting of flour.
Once kneaded, brush with oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 20-30 min.
Once rested divide the dough into 8 golf ball-sized rounds. With a rolling pin or with your hands shape them into circle about 1/4″ thick. Don’t roll them thinner than that or they’ll end up being stiff and hard after frying.
Once your oil is hot, fry in batches. They cook really fast, about 30 seconds per side. You want to get them to a nice light brown and have them puff and swell up.
Once cooked, remove from the oil and set to drain on some paper towel.