Today, day 4 of BM# 5, I have a curry that can be made in a hurry in the pressure cooker. Chayote/ Chow chow/ Bengaluru vankaya takes a little while to cook on stove top, but takes just minutes to cook to tender in the pressure cooker.
I didn’t know chayote is a widely used vegetable in Latin American cuisine and it is also eaten raw in salads and salsas. Another thing that I didn’t know that even the root, stems and leaves of the chayote plant are edible. So there you go some wiki gyan to start a conversation at your next party.
Coming back to the curry, 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. Dish was mild and not too hot which is how I like my curries, but my husband on the other hand prefers spicier dishes, so increase the amount of curry powder and red chili powder if you want a spicier curry. Also curry powder can be replaced with garam masala, Kitchen king masala would be awesome addition too.
- 2 Chayote / Chow chow – peeled and chopped
- 1 Onion – large, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Tomato puree
- ½ tsp chili powder Red
- 1½ tsps Curry powder (I used MTR brand)
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Ginger+Garlic paste
- 2 tbsps Cashew butter
- ½ cup Milk (optional)
- to taste Salt
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- 8 - 10 Curry leaves
- Heat 1tbsp 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 6-7 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 cashew butter, red chili powder, curry powder, salt and chopped chayote. Mix well; add ½ cup of milk 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.
Lets see what my fellow marathoners have been cooking up today.
Curry in a hurry under 30 min:Aarthi, Divya, Jayashree, Kaveri, Pavani,
Seven Days of Indian Sweets:Gayathri, Priya Suresh,
Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,
Seven Days of Regional Specials:Harini, Vaishali,Suma, PJ
Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: Kalyani
Summer Coolers:Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli
new for me…looks appealing!
Very inviting curry,never tried chow chow like this way, fantastic..
I am lookout for chow chow recipes ..this looks delish
Beautiful colour.
looking good…yummy
Chow chow curry looks so inviting..
Lovely recipe.. looks yummy !!!Indian Cuisine
Looks delicious. Though it is one of my favorite vegetables, I never tried to cook it this way. A coconut stir fry or saagu is what I prepare besides using it in sambhar.Regarding your kadai question, my husband got me that from Metro store, Bangalore.
Delicious looking curry.
that was indeed some interesting gyan
Looks good Pavani. Perfect for rotis and rice too.VardhiniVardhinisKitchen
Do you buy cashew butter form the store or made it it home? I did not know there is something called cashew butter.
Thanks everyone.Thank you Suma for the info on your cute kadai, I’ll be look out on my next India trip.Hi Usha, I bought cashew butter from Whole foods. It’s usually with all the other nut butters, peanut butter, almond butter etc.. It is great make gravy dishes creamy without the addition of cream.