March 7, 2007

CHAYOTE SQUASH STIR-FRY


I am selecting the delicious Chayote Squash,as my choice of vegetable this week for Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging. This week's host is Anna of "morselsandmusings". Thanks Anna.


Chayote Squash:



Chayote,also called Chow Chow,is a native plant of Mexico. The starchy squash was a staple of the Aztecs. The name chayote is derived from the Nahuatl world chayotli. Medicinal uses of the chayote include a tea made of the leaves is reported to dissolve kidney stones as well as a treatment for arteriosclerosis and hypertension.(gourmetsleuth)For more info,click here.



Chayote Squash Stir-Fry:

Chayote is starchy and tends to be bland.But added with little more spice than usual,this vegetable tastes wonderful and can be cooked quickly as a side dish for a light lunch.Serve with a slice of sour dough country bread.

You Need:



3 cups of Chayote cubed,1 tsp butter or oil,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp Cumin seeds,2 tsp red split peas(chana dal),1/2 tsp dry red chilli flakes,1 small onion minced,1 garlic minced,few Curry leaves if you have them,salt,cilantro and 1/2 tsp lemon juice.



How to make it:


Heat butter/oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,split peas,let it darken slightly.Add onion,chilli flakes and fry until reddish on the edges.Put in garlic,saute for a min and add in chayote squash pieces,fry.









Put in 1 tbsp water,cover and cook until crisp tender.Open the lid,throw in some salt,cilantro and saute until dry.Turn off the heat and squeeze some lemon juice on top and mix.





Serve hot with a slice of sour dough bread:



Enjoy a light lunch or brunch with stir-fried and seasoned Chayote squash.

25 comments:

USHA said...

Wow!it looks great.I tried chayote squash for the firs time some 1week back...I think i added little more water..though it has come well...felt watery in recipe..

Yours looks very dry..i liked this style very much.,..

J said...

Hi Asha! Americans have different names for veggies isn't it! Haven't seen chayote here...but would love this recipe with potatoes!!:)

FH said...

Hi J! You are right!!:D It's confusing for us too sometimes!They also call them in Spanish names too and it gets even more confusing.Potatoes,Zucchinis all goes well with the stir-fry.Simple and tasty:)

FH said...

Hi Usha,thanks for both the comments.I will post the other one there.
Yeah,Chayote already has some water in them anyway,you don't need to add anymore for stir-fry.Just cover with the lid or may be 1 tbsp of water to avoid scorching the bottom and cook on low for sometime is enough to soften.Tastes great:)

Sig said...

Hey Asha, This is for your post in foodies' hope today, I still can't comment there :(
I'm so glad you made some non-veg dishes this time :) The Kesari Murgh looks yummy, but the Chili Con Corne is out of this world! It is a great idea, and I am definitely trying it out.
As usual the entire spread looks wonderful.

Suma Gandlur said...

Asha,
Seeme badanekayi palya is one of my favorites. I also add grated coconut. But it never occured to me to eat with bread though. :-)
Great dishes on foodie's hope.

FH said...

Hi Sig,thanks girl.Hope you try chili,it's great.My kids love it.
Sometimes Firefox browser works for FH,IE is too slow.I will paste this up there:))

Suma,I usually add some dry coconut too but skipped this time to make it easier on non-Indians who can't get it sometimes.Bread is equal to rice or roti,so I thought why not?:)
You can't get in FH too!Man,may be I should change the template or something.Thanks.

Anh said...

Asha, my family love chayote squash. It has a very funny name in Vietnamese - Susu. Dunno why. :P Your recipe looks great, I will defenitely try it out!

FH said...

Susu is great Anh!!:))
We love it too.This is Indian style stir-fry we eat it with rice or Roti usually.Slice of bread goes well too,hope you do try!:))

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I have made chayote before with Mexican flavors such as jalapeno and cilantro. I love your addition of mustard seeds. This is such a healthful and flavorful dish; I can't wait to try it!

FH said...

Hi Susan,Mexican dish sounds like fun too.Indian way is little different but not much.Sprinkle some dry or fresh grated coconut to this dish to make it even tastier!:))

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha! Every Weds. I open the new cookbook at FH and every Weds. it's a slew of recipes I'm wanting to try! Everything looks fantastic as usual. Haven't made dal maharani with chana dal, so must try that... and the chicken gravy looks too rich to be real. Naans, chili, yum yum yum... oh, and I love chayote, too, so it's a big long list of "to-dos" for me now. Thanks for sharing all your goodies! :)

Sumitha said...

Hey Ashakka isnt this our seemebadnekayi!Couldnt comment dear in foodies,Kesari murgh looks creamy and perfect to go with naan,the first pics of naan were nt so good akka but that last one looks perfect!

FH said...

Hi Linda,thank you.I am thinking of changing the template again.Lot of people can't log in.
Dal Maharani is tasty ,hope you try:)

It is Seemebadnekai Sumitha:)) Just a fancy name for it here.Sorry that you can't log in at FH.I will paste your comment there.The first Naan was almost like soft bread and second was better.I will post that sometime.Thanks girl:)

marriedtoadesi.com said...

Nice version of Chow Chow. My mom used to make chow chow kootu when we were growing up and I hated it. Now I love it!!!!

Sia said...

have you posted this recipe b4 ashakka? or may be i am getting little confused here.
its been ages since i have tasted chayote and never tried cooking this. i dont even remember how it tastes;) good presentation. quite colourful dish isn't it?

FH said...

Hi Kanchana,I do have one Chow Chow palya at Foodie's Hope.This is a simple everyday stir-fry.I love this veggie too,little bland without hot spices!:))

Sia,I posted a Seemebadnekai palya and beetroot palya with Tatte dose,remember? This is different,just a side dish for rice and Saaru we make usually but with slice of bread.E tarkari sigalva UK li? Jeegujje sigo kadele irutteno!Try.

Lady Amalthea said...

Hi Asha! I've tagged you for a meme!
http://noshesthoughtsreves.blogspot.com/2007/03/you-are-what-you-eat-meme.html

FH said...

Thank you Lday A!! I eat lot lot of bread!!!;D

Gattina Cheung said...

My dad used to grow chayote squash at his work place (he's a gardener). It tasted great in soup (chinese love soup). Now I've seen it very often at store here, will try stir-fry as your way! Look very pretty Asha!

FH said...

Thanks G! I have heard that Chayote squash plant grows very fast and get loads of fruits.I would love that!
In India it's available freely and cheap too.I have to pay a dollar per squash here in US!:))Try this stir-fry,it's tasty.

Kalyn Denny said...

Very interesting. I've seen this type of squash, but haven't ever cooked it. I think it's called Chayote in my grocery store too.

BTW, when people can't get the comment window to open, they can still leave a comment if they right click on the comment link and then choose "open comment in new window." I'm having to do that on quite a few blogs, so I was glad to learn that trick.

FH said...

Hi Kalyn,thanks.Yeah,they are called Chayote here and they do have little water content which makes a grear stir-fry cooking in it's own juice.Hope you try.
Thank you so much for that advice about comments.Lot of people have trouble getting in to my other blog.I will paste your comment so they can the new trick!:)

kitchen queen said...

Hi the chayote stir fry looks delicious and also simple and good.Iusually make kootu and thogaiyal with this vegetable. You can visit my blog view my recipes and give ur comments

FH said...

Thanks Kitchen queen, enjoy! :)