chayote squash koottu
Chayote squash is generally bland and watery and doesn't seem to have much of a strong flavor of its own. So, to me, it is ideal for using in several different dishes combined with different spices. I like its texture when cooked.
I grew up calling it chou-chou and loved the various dishes my mom made with it - like chou-chou more-kozhambu(aka more-kali), more-koottaan, chou-chou koottu, even chou-chou sambar.
The koottu recipe here is adapted from one of my favorite cook books for south indian foods: Dakshin by Chandra Padmanaban. This book is a gift from my husband and I treasure it because when the recipes are followed closely, they come out pretty tasty - sort of like how my mom makes them.
Koottu, to me, sort of refers to the gravy in the dish which is made with specific ingredients: if it has lentils and certain ingredients which i list below, then it is a Koottu :-) The vegetable in the koottu can be substituted for other seasonal vegetables - for instance, chayote squash in this recipe can be substituted with say, ridge gourd or ash gourd or yam or snake gourd and still have a delicious koottu.
Ingredients
for the spice paste:
2/3 cup dry(or fresh) grated coconut
7-8 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp par-boiled rice (puzhungal arisi)
2 cups cooked toor dal
3-4 cups diced chayote squash (or any other vegetable in season)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil
some water
6-8 curry leaves*
tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
Preparation
I grew up calling it chou-chou and loved the various dishes my mom made with it - like chou-chou more-kozhambu(aka more-kali), more-koottaan, chou-chou koottu, even chou-chou sambar.
The koottu recipe here is adapted from one of my favorite cook books for south indian foods: Dakshin by Chandra Padmanaban. This book is a gift from my husband and I treasure it because when the recipes are followed closely, they come out pretty tasty - sort of like how my mom makes them.
Koottu, to me, sort of refers to the gravy in the dish which is made with specific ingredients: if it has lentils and certain ingredients which i list below, then it is a Koottu :-) The vegetable in the koottu can be substituted for other seasonal vegetables - for instance, chayote squash in this recipe can be substituted with say, ridge gourd or ash gourd or yam or snake gourd and still have a delicious koottu.
Ingredients
for the spice paste:
2/3 cup dry(or fresh) grated coconut
7-8 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp par-boiled rice (puzhungal arisi)
2 cups cooked toor dal
3-4 cups diced chayote squash (or any other vegetable in season)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil
some water
6-8 curry leaves*
tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
Preparation
- dry roast the spice paste ingredients and when cool enough to handle grind them to a fine paste with just a tad bit of water to get them all together; set aside
- heat oil in a pan, add the tempering: chana dal first, when it turns golden brown, urad dal and when it is golden brown, add mustard seeds; keep a screen lid handy as mustard seeds will try to jump out of the pan
- when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the diced chayote squash, turmeric powder, curry leaves, some salt and some water; cover and let the chayote squash cook till soft
- add the spice paste from step 1, and the cooked toor dal, brown sugar; stir well and let it simmer for about 5-8 mins till the flavors meld; add a little water if the gravy seems too thick; adjust salt to taste
- off heat garnish with curry leaves; serve warm with rice or roti or naan.
Labels: chayote squash, curry, dal, indian, koottu, lentil, vegetarian
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