Katahar seed choka

 

  Katahar seed

"I have breadnut seed, you want? the man asked me.  Sun cooling down, Kumaka Santa Rosa on Friday afternoon. Some stalls setting up for the Saturday market.

 Last place I expected to hear breadnut seed and thinking that I never really hear anybody in Guyana call katahar.. breadnut.

I had come over to check out the oranges. A whole set of oranges spread over the stall. And some other packs of small vials - 'thing for pain.. all kind of pain'.

I had asked for one orange. He had peeled for me, one with a rough skin. 

I was to make sure the outside of the rind did not come into contact with my mouth as I sucked out the juice.

"Breadnut.. you mean katahar ?".. I asked him with orange juice at the side of my mouth and on my fingers .. 'is where you get katahar seed from.. how your katahar get to ripen, when everybody say it scarce."

Katahar lil scarce and price gone up and so. People always asking where have, and peeling and frying and freezing months in advance whenever they get any.

'I have plenty katahar.. Pomeroon River' he tells me. 

He asks a man to go and collect the katahar seed from the storage. 

The man look a lil puzzled and comes back with a green box with what might have been another pain medication with a word beginning with C on it.

Vendor says no.. and explains about the bag and so. 

Man comes back with black bag. 

Vendor asks neighbour for another black bag and she hands him one, I not sure what it might have had in it. He throws out half of the seeds for me.

I wonder what I going to do with all this katahar seed.

There is a smell of earth and ripeness in the bag. 'Wash in warm water before you boil it' .

Reach home the next day, wash and rub and take out those seeds which long past their eat by date and ready to germinate probably. 

Hoping that I have not missed any which should have returned to earth. 

Pressure them.  Store until I ready to peel.

Next day, as exercise, stand up and peel them, rotating hips and stretching hamstrings and meditating and breathing.. pick one, crush brown shell, examine, pop in mouth, or put in bowl. 

Put in freezer as I not ready to eat them. I know some will go in pumpkin. Leave a small quantity to do something with.

Choka

And so I  process the seeds in the chopper. Thing loose and nice, like crumbs

 Fry up  onion, garlic, tomato, pepper, salt and so and mix with the seed crumbs and process some more. Thing holding together like choka now.

Spread on toast. Thing look nice. Taste good.  Glad I did not season too much so get the flavour of the seed. Think maybe a lil geera next time and lil more salt.