Chow Chow Recipe

Prep Time: 05 mins 
Ingredients:



Ingredients:

Chow chow / chayote - 1
Sunflower oil - 2 tsp's
Urad dal - 2 tsp's
Dry red chilly - 3 or 4
Tamarind - a small pinch
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp's
Salt to taste
Water - 3 tsp's



for tadka:

Oil - 1/2  tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

First wash the chow chow and peel its skin. then cut into half and remove its seed and white veins. chop them into chunks and set aside.

In a Pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil and heat it. once the oil is hot, add urad dal and dry red chilly. roast till the urad dal turns into golden color. remove the roasted urad dal and dry red chilly to a separate bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, add remaining oil and add in the chopped chow chow. saute them in medium flame for about 7 - 10 minutes, till it is cooked soft. add tamarind and also roast along in the last minute.

Transfer the sauteed chow chow to your chutney jar, add in the roasted urad dal, red chilly and grated coconut. add salt to taste. grind it coarsely first. then add water and grind into a thick chutney. transfer to a serving bowl.

For tadka, heat a small tadka pan, add 1/2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp mustard and curry leaves. once the mustard splutter, add the tadka to the chutney / thuvayal.

Serve with rice and rasam combo. this chutney tastes good with dosa too.

Note:

You can skip grated coconut and make this chutney as such.

                                                      Chow chow kootu / Chayote Dal

Ingredients:

chow chow - 1
moong dal / paasi paruppu - 1/4 cup
turmeric powder - a pinch

to dry roast and grind:

dry red chilly - 3
cumin - 1 tsp
grated coconut - 3 tsp's

for tadka

oil - 1/2 tsp
mustard - 1/2 tsp
split urad dal - 1/2 tsp
dry red chilly - 1 (broken)
asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

First wash the chow chow and peel its skin. then cut into half and remove its seed and white veins. chop them into small pieces and set aside.

Heat a pan and dry roast the cumin, dry red chilly and grated coconut. grind into a smooth paste with little water.

Wash and cook the moong dal  with a pinch of turmeric in 1 cup of water. when the dal is half cooked, add in the chow chow pieces to the dal and cook for another 5 minutes. chow chow and dal  has to get cooked well(the whole process may take 15 minutes).

Then add the grounded mix to the pan and let it boil for a minute and transfer the dal to a serving bowl.

For tadka, heat a tadka pan, add oil and heat it. add mustard, urad dal and dry red chilly. when the mustard splutter, add asafoetida powder and curry leaves. transfer the tadka to the dal.

Notes:

You can add 1 green chilly and crushed garlic, while cooking the dal and chow chow together. this way, you can get a different taste.

 Don't pressure cook the dal and vegetable. the texture and taste of the dal gets spoiled, when pressure cooked. so best to cook in stove top.

You can also make this with chana dal instead moong dal.

Pasala Keerai Kootu Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins 
recipe adapted from cook at ease
Ingredients:


Pasalai keerai - 1 bunch
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4 (crushed)
Toor dal - 1/4 cup



for tempering:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Vadagam - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chilli - 1
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp

To roast and grind

Dhania - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Dry red chilli - 1
Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook the toor dal in a cup of water with a drop of sesame oil, a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of hing for about 4 or 5 whistles.

Clean the pasalai keerai in a stariner under clean water. once washed and drained, chop the leaves and set aside.

Heat a pan, add one tsp of oil, add finely chopped onion, and saute well till it turns translucent, next add the crushed garlic, tomatoes and saute them in medium flame till the tomatoes mix well with the onions. add a pinch of turmeric, salt & mix well.

Now add the chopped pasalai keerai to the pan and saute the leaves along with the onions and tomatoes till the leaves wrinkle and get cooked. once the leaves are cooked, add the boiled and mashed toor dal and the grounded coconut paste and mix well. add salt to taste and little water as per the consistency you require. let it boil in medium flame for about 2 mins and switch off the flame.

In a small tadka pan, heat a tsp of oil, add mustard and let it pop, then add vadagam, cumin and hing. in a very low flame saute them for few seconds and the tempering to the keerai.

Serve the keerai kootu with hot rice and with appalam or potato roast.


 Notes:

You can use moong dal instead of toor dal.
Add more red chilli, if you prefer the kootu spicy.