ChowChow (Chayote) curry – ChowChow Ambad | Khovla raito

Chayote is actually a fruit which is used as a vegetable. It is also called vegetable pear. It belongs to the squash family. It is a widely available vegetable and found cheap in Indian markets. Yet sometimes people ignore this vegetable not knowing what to prepare with it or are either not aware of its nutritional value. Mostly it is used in sambhar but there are a whole lot of recipes this wonder vegetable can be used in. Chayote is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

ChowChow by itself doesn’t have any peculiar taste but is somewhat mild sweetish. But when made as a curry, it absorbs the flavors of the curry very well.

This is my mom’s recipe. This curry has an amazingly unique flavor and very tasty (mainly because of the ground masala of mustard, jeera, pepper, hing and garlic). Goes along with any kind of rice and roti as well. The same recipe can be tried with other vegetables like white pumpkin and dudhi (bottlegourd). This recipe done with white pumpkin is famously called among Sourashtrians as Khovla raito. 

Ingredients

1 chayote peeled and cut into small cubes

1 medium sized onion

1 big tomato

1 ts kuzhambu podi

1 ts mustard seed

To grind

½ ts mustard seed

¾ ts jeera

¾ ts pepper

¼ ts hing

4 garlic pods

Preparation

Pressure cook chayote for 2 whistles and keep them aside.

Add oil in a pan. Once hot add mustard seed. After they crackle add finely chopped onion and sauté for few minutes. Add tomato and cook till it becomes mushy. Now add kuzhambu podi and required salt. Add the cooked chayote, ground masala and mix everything well. Add required water and let the gravy simmer in medium flame for 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.