Thursday, February 2, 2017

Chayote Kootu | Chow Chow Kootu without coconut

Chow Chow / Chayote Kootu, an easy to make healthy & delicious kootu that goes well with any spicy kulambu varieties. It's one of our family favourites and I have been making this kootu at least once in a week as an accompaniment for our lunch meal.

This kootu is one of the dump all together in a pressure cooker recipes. In today's recipe, i have used pressure cooker to speed up the process, but you can cook this kootu in open pot too.

Tips to make delicious kootu

Don't skip the pearl onions in the tempering. It truly elevates the taste of the kootu.
I have used the coconut oil in the tempering, it gives a nice aroma and taste to the kootu and also you won't miss the coconut in the kootu.

Chow Chow Kootu

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 3
Recipe Category: Kootu | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients
Chayote/Chow Chow(medium) - 1
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Green chili - 2 to 3
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - few
To Temper
Coconut Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Pearl onion(fined chopped) - 2
Curry leaves - few
Red chili - 1/2

Procedure

In a pressure cooker, add the moong dal along with asafoetida powder and water.Turn on the heat and place the pressure cooker and bring it to boil, in the mean time peel the chayote and remove the center white part and cut into small pieces,slit the green chilies.Once the dal comes to boil, keep the flame in medium for 3 mins.

Then add the chayote ,green chili & turmeric powder and cover the pressure cooker with lid and put on weight and cook it for 3 whistle.

Now mash the dal gently with laddle and add water as per your required consistency & salt,bring it to boil again.In the mean time, in a another pan, temper the ingredients listed under "To Temper".

Add the tempering into the kootu and switch off the flame.Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Tasty & healthy Chow Chow Kootu is ready.

Related: How to make white pumpkin kootu

Notes:

Adjust the green chili as per your taste.
You can add a tbsp of grated coconut for extra flavor.
Initial 5 mins cooking of dal alone helps to give mushy dal and adding chayote later helps to retain the shape of chayote.If dal & chayote are cooked together, then chayote would become too mushy.
If you cook dal and chayote together, then make sure to chop the chayote in big pieces so that it doesn't disintegrate in the dal.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Chow Chow Chutney | Chayote Chutney | No onion No Coconut Chutney

Chayote Chutney/ Chow Chow chutney ,a healthy chutney recipe without coconut & onions. It tastes great with both Idli and Dosa varieties.

When we were in Hosur, we used to buy vegetables from the farmer's market. Everything was fresh and cheap in that market. If any of the vegetables or greens cost was very low (less than 5 rupees), they bunch together more than one(like 2 for 5 rupees) for 5 rupees in order to avoid giving the change(that's very difficult in India to get proper change for rupees).

Usually chayote was very cheap in that market and I got minimum 5-6 chayote for 5 rupees.Making kootu with chayote repeatedly got boring and i don't know what to make with chayote.

At that time, Amma suggested this chutney. Immediately I tried it and it was so delicious with idli or dosa. Instead of grating, Amma cut this veggie into small pieces and cooked it in boiling water and did the remaining as i mentioned here. So you can either saute or boil as per your wish, either way, the chutney tastes good.

Related : How to make Crispy Golden Brown Dosa

Chow Chow Chutney

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 2
Recipe Category: Chutney | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients
Chayote - 1/2 of medium size
Tomato - 1
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Red chili - 2
Garlic - 1 pod
Coriander leaves - handful
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
To Temper
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard & urad dal -1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Procedure

First remove the skin & center white part of the chayote, then grate it with grater. Cut the tomato roughly.Heat the kadai with 1 tsp of oil.

Add the channa dal, red chili and garlic one by one. Saute it till the dal becomes crispy, then add the grated chayote.

Saute it in oil for few mins and then add the tomatoes.Cook the chayote(it may take 5-7 mins in medium flame), in the mean time tomatoes also becomes mushy.Finally add the coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Mix the coriander leaves with chayote,the heat from chayote is enough to cook coriander leaves. Let it cool and then put it in mixie jar.

Add enough salt and grind into smooth paste. Temper the ingredients listed under "To temper" and add it in the chutney.

That's it tasty and healthy chutney is ready to serve.

Related: How to make Chow Chow Kootu