Chow Chow or Chayote Squash Chutney

 

I had seen this vegetable called Chayote squash before. I didn't know how to use it then. I later learnt about it in Mrs. Chandra Padmanabhan's book "Dakshin" about Chow Chow Chutney. So I started using this squash in my daily cooking every now and then. Though I used Mrs. Padmanabhan's recipe as a starting point, it was interpreted little differently for our Maharashtrian/Gujarati taste buds.

Chow Chow Chutney
Chayote Squash Chutney
Ingredients
1 Chow Chow or Chayote Squash, grated or chopped finely
1 green or red tomato, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tbsp. jaggery


Tempering
1/2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. chana daal
2 tbsp. urad daal
1/2 tsp asafetida
1 sprig curry leaves, torn

4-5 dried red chilies

Method
1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add ingredients for tempering. Saute till urad daal changes color to reddish.
2. Add squash and tomatoes. Cook on a medium flame for about 10 minutes.
3. Add salt, tamarind and jaggery. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Switch off the gas. Let it come to the room temperature.
5. Grind the mixture to a smooth chutney.

Note -
1. I don't peel the squash.
2. Sometimes, as a variation I also add 2 cloves of garlic in tempering.
3. Sometimes, I add grilled jalapenos or mini multicolored peppers instead of dried chilies.

Idli with Chow Chow Chutney

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