Chayote Curry Recipe | Chow Chow Masala Curry)

Chayote curry is a simple and delicious side dish that is great to serve with either roti or rice. Chow-Chow is cooked in an easy to make spicy tomato gravy.

It is always important to have some quick and easy recipes in ones repertoire. These come in very handy when you are short of time, especially on a busy weeknight. Here’s one such curry in a hurry recipe that can be made in less than 30 minutes. I rely on my pressure cooker or my Instant pot to make these quick recipes.

Chayote Squash | Chow Chow

Chayote squash aka chow chow is one of my favorite vegetable. It has a nice crisp, almost pear like texture. Along with many South Asian cuisines, it is also widely used in Latin American cuisine. It is savory and is eaten raw in salads and salsas. The root, stems and leaves of the chayote plant are also edible. Here’s some more information on national center for food preservation.

My mom makes a simple dry chayote curry with just sauteed chow chow that is flavored with curry leaves and fresh grated coconut. That is my favorite way of enjoying this vegetable, but today’s gravy is also equally delicious.

Ingredients:

To make this chow chow masala curry, you need the following ingredients:

• chayote – look for evenly colored, firm, blemish-free squash. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• onion
• tomato
• ginger-garlic paste
• garam masala or curry powder – I used MTR brand curry masala that I bought recently and it gave the dish the bright orange-red color and subtle masala flavor that was not too over-powering.
• ground almonds – I add this to thicken the sauce. Feel free to use ground cashews or almond meal or even almond butter.
• milk – to give the sauce a gravy consistency. To make the dish vegan, substitute milk with water.

Instructions:

I make this curry in the pressure cooker because it is quick and needs only 10 minutes of hands-on time. You can use an instant pot or even make it on the stove top. How-to’s for these are included under tips.

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add tempering ingredients and once the seeds start to splutter, add the onions and sauté until lightly browned around the edges, takes about 4-5 minutes.
• Add turmeric and ginger+garlic paste at this point; mix well and cook for 1 minute.
• Add tomato puree and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Next add ground cashews, red chili powder, curry powder, salt and chopped chayote. Mix well.
• Add ½ cup of milk (if using) or water, no need to add too much water since chayote gives out moisture while cooking.
• Close the lid and pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles.
• Once the pressure drops, open the lid and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Tips

• To make this dish in an Instant Pot – follow the recipe as written and cook on high pressure/ manual for 4 minutes. Then let the pressure release naturally.
• The curry can also be made in a skillet – will just take a little longer, may 15 minutes to cook chayote until tender.
• Substitute chayote with zucchini or bottle gourd or potato in the recipe.

Few more recipes to try:

• Spicy Chayote Curry
• Mixed Vegetable Sagu
• Masoor dal Sambar