Chow Chow Thogayal - Chutney
Chow Chow, the bland vegetable is made into a super flavourful chutney in South Indian cuisine. A simple recipe with a handful of ingredients, tastes brilliant with steamed rice and ghee.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized chayote squash chow chow
- 1/4 cup coconut scraped fresh or frozen
- 1 inch tamarind piece soaked in 2 tbsp water
- 2.5 tsp gingelly oil or any other cooking oil
- 2 tbsps urad dal + 1 tsp for tempering
- 4 medium dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsps salt
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Instructions
- To make the chow chow vegetable into a chutney, start by vertically slicing it. Cut out the seed. Don't peel but scrape any spikes that may be there on the skin and dice or slice it.
- Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Add 2 tbsp udad dal and red chillies and saute on medium heat until the udad dal is golden brown. Remove onto a plate and cool for few minutes.
- Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in same pan. On high heat, saute the chow chow for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the flame, add 1/4 cup water, pinch of salt, cover and cook till chow chow is tender and fully cooked.
- In small mixer-grind the fried udad dal-red chillies, soaked tamarind and coconut to coarse paste. To this add the cooled cooked chow chow, salt and scrape the sides of the mixer and grind to a paste. Remove this into a bowl.
- Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a tempering ladle or small kadai. Add pinch of asafoetida, mustard seeds, once they splutter, add curry leaves and udad dal. Wait for dal to turn golden and transfer the tempering over the thogayal.