Series: Eat Local, Eat Seasonal – The Humble Chayote

by | Dec 8, 2020 | For the love of food | 2 comments

MY KITCHEN TABLE

Series: Eat Local, Eat Seasonal: Small efforts towards sustainable living

Eat Local, Eat Seasonal: The Humble Chayote

Today’s post brings to focus: ‘eating local’. It is an effort that my family and I have been making this past year. Over recent years, we have developed a taste for more wholesome choices of daily snacks and ingredients that go into our food, though there is much to still change. But, understanding the food we see on our plates is a process and developing a habit towards healthful sustainability is a journey. We are just beginning ours. So far, healthy food choices for usour family has meant sticking to water as our main thirst quencher, so fizzy drinks have become an ‘occasional’ option and such products are just left off our weekly shopping list. Home-baking now means using wholesome grain flours and other wholesome ingredients rather than heavily bleached and processed ingredients; and the kids and hubby, I have to say, rather enjoy these healthier alternatives now. I think we are quite ready for the next leg of our journey; i.e. eating local. Over the next few months, specifically the Indian autumn and winter months, I will be exploring wholesome and nutritious foods grown locally and how these can be used in our seasonal recipes, even as substitutions in global recipes that may call for ingredients locally unavailable to us. Come join me in this blog series of ‘Eat Local, Eat Seasonal’; let’s begin our effort towards sustainable living together, even if it is a small one.

Our first autumn veggie in focus is the ‘Chayote’ or commonly known as Chow Chow in India. I first came upon this vegetable when I moved to Bangalore. I assumed it was some kind of fruit, and its looks never really prompted me to try it. But having seen it as a regular  feature particularly among local organic farmers this pandemic year, I decided to give it a try. The day I bought it, I had to post a picture of it on our residents’ community messaging group to enquire about how I could cook with it. I started off with one simple recipe similar to the Goan ‘Foogath’ or the Keralite ‘Thoran’. And, oh how wonderfully comforting and delicious this humble fruit / vegetable (I bought these from a local organic farmer at the rate of 6 INR / 500g) turned out to be! Even the kids and hubby relished it. I have since found out that the ‘Chayote’ although belonging to the gourd family, can be consumed in its entirety and has a single seed at its centre which one can propagate into a climber in your kitchen garden. I am yet to try this. But what I am all set to try is a series of recipes using this tasty vegetable, recipes that are relevant to the autumn and winter season. So stay tuned!

So, what sort of goodness does the Humble Chayote come packed with?

As you cut into a chayote fruit, its crispy yet juicy texture makes its high fibre content obvious. Great for blood sugar control and better heart health. A rich source of antioxidants and multivitamins like folic acid, vitamin C and zinc among others, the chayote can contribute to reducing inflammation and promoting healing in the body (reference: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chayote#1-2). From every part of the plant being edible, to the wide variety of ways in which it can be consumed; from a wide range of appealing and essential health benefits to its relative low cost and availability; the humble chayote is definitely a fruit/veggie to try out. You may just never give it up. I for one have certainly grown fond of it!
I leave you for now with this simple and delicious Chayote foogath recipe to try. Drop me a message to let me know if you have any other ways you have used this fruit/ vegetable.
CHAYOTE (CHOW CHOW) FOOGATH / THORAN
Servings: 2-3
Preparation and cooking time: 20 mins.
Ingredients:
  • 2-3 medium to large chayote fruit (peeled and cubed)
  • Cold-pressed coconut oil for sautéing
  • 1 pinch asafoetida powder (hing)
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
  • 1 tsp urad dal (split black gram)
  • 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves
  • 1 dried red chili OR 1 split green chili (optional)
  • 1 pinch turmeric (i like to add little extra)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup grated  fresh coconut
Method:
  1. Boil cubed chayote in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and keep aside. (You can reserve this water for use in other cooking preparations.)
  2. In a pan, heat coconut oil, and add asafoetida, mustard seeds (allow to sizzle), cumin seeds and urad dal (low flame) until urad dal browns.
  3. Add curry leaves and chili, allow aromas to release.
  4. Add boiled chayote cubes and turmeric and salt to taste. Stir well.
  5. Add grated coconut, stir and cover for a few minutes over a low flame. (Alternatively you can add the grated coconut just before you add the chayote in order to roast it in the spice mix a bit and reduce its raw flavour based on your preference.)
  6. Switch off flame and serve. This recipe is paired well with a coastal prawn / fish curry and red rice  or even with dal or a coconut based Chawli (black eyed peas) gravy, rice / roti of your choice.

2 Comments

  1. Usha Prasad
    Usha Prasad on December 9, 2020 at 8:54 am

    . In Phillipines they make a special dish called Tinola. boil ginger, chicken and drumstick leaves with big cut pieces of chayote. Enjoy.

    • janellefernandes
      janellefernandes on March 1, 2021 at 3:18 pm

      Thanks for the pointer Usha! Will surely try it out! Sounds like the perfect dish for cold weather!