Easy Chayote Squash Side Dish Recipes / Chow Chow Vegetable Side Dish For Chapathi / Easy Chayote Recipes / Bangalore Vankaya Gravy Curry for Chapathi or Rice

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Easy Chayote Squash Side Dish Recipes / Chow Chow Vegetable Side Dish For Chapathi / Easy Chayote Recipes / Bangalore Vankaya Gravy Curry for Chapathi or Rice 

Today's recipe is a side dish for chapati prepared with chow chow vegetable. This is no regular curry. It has got a rich, creamy texture with just the normal ingredients. The addition of lentils like the channa dal and moong dal gives the dish a delicious and homely taste. Actually you can prepare two versions for the same curry that goes with rice 🍚 as well. I have already posted the simple chayote kootu. Though the kootu also included channa dal but the taste of this easy chayote squash side dish gravy was completely different and tasted better than that of kootu. 

To make the dish rich and creamy like that of the restaurant style, I have added some milk. The curry was so delicious 😋 that my man 👨 loved it a lot and had way extra curry with chapattis. To accompany this dish with rice, just avoid adding milk to the gravy. You will be left with a simple yet amazing side for rice which can either be mixed or as a side. The preparation of this Bangalore Vankaya ( Bangalore Kathirikai ) is very easy. Just mix all the ingredients in the cooker and cook. As simple as said. 

Preparation

Peel the skin of Bangalore Vankaya ( Bangalore Kathirikayi ). Discard the inner seed. Chop into small pieces and keep aside. Wash the lentils and keep aside. Get the remaining ingredients ready. Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add chopped onion ,slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste.
  

Fry until the onions turn transparent. Throw in the chopped tomatoes along with salt and turmeric powder.

Cook until the tomatoes become soft. Now add the masalas like coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder.

Give a nice mix and add the washed lentils.

Stir in completely and add the chopped chayote pieces and mix well.

I had some leftover purple cabbage fry which I included in the curry. This is completely optional, but if you have any other leftover fry, you can go ahead and add it in your preparation. I do this kind of preparation on a daily basis which adds an extra flavour to the dish. You can add fresh cabbage leaves as well.

Now add sufficient water and cover with the lid.

Cook for 2-3 whistles and switch off the flame. Remove the lid when the pressure subsides. If you are serving this curry with rice, then serve hot after checking the seasoning.

If you are planning to serve this dish with roti, then go ahead and add milk in the gravy.

MIx it well and add little tomato ketchup.

Give a nice stir and check for seasoning. Add chilli powder if you want it more spicy. For me, it was perfect. Let it cook on a low flame until it comes to a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathi. Chow chow vegetable side dish  with restaurant style gravy for chapathi is ready. 

Ingredients

Chayote vegetable 2 big

Channa dal  3 tbsp.

Moong dal  3 tbsp.

Onion  1 big

Tomatoes  2

Ginger garlic paste  1 tsp

Green chillies  2

Turmeric powder  1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil  2 tbsp.

Garam Masala powder  1 tsp

Coriander powder   tbsp.

Chilli powder  1/2 tsp

Leftover cabbage fry  1 cup ( optional )

Milk 1/2 cup

Tomato ketchup 2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. 
2. Temper it with mustard and cumin seeds. 
3. Once they crackle, add onions and slit green chillies.
4. When they turn transparent, add ginger garlic paste. 
5. Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder and cook until the tomatoes become soft. 
6. Sprinkle coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder. 
7. Mix well and add the washed lentils ( dals ). 
8. Add the chopped chow chow and the leftover cabbage ( optional ). 
9. Add water, mix well and cover with lid. 
10. Cook for 2-3 whistles and switch off the flame. 
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice. 
12. If serving with roti or chapathi, then add milk and tomato ketchup to the cooked gravy and let it come to a boil. 
13. Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti. 

Notes

• You can add any leftover fry curries for this gravy curries. This is purely optional. You can skip this step if you do not have any leftovers. I generally tend to use my leftover foods in this way. Adopting this method, gives a new dish each and every time and prevents food getting wasted. Your family will also get the feeling that they are eating fresh and not leftovers. 
• Addition of lentils gives a very homely touch to the dish. , So do not skip the lentils. 
• You can also include other lentils like whole moong or sprouts as well. 

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how to cook chayote vegetable / Kootu Recipes

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how to cook chayote vegetable / Chow chow Kootu / Kootu Recipes

Kootu is a traditional dish which can be prepared with any kind of vegetables mixed with lentils. It can also be referred to as a stew which is of semi gravy consistency. Kootu is a Tamilnadu dish which is popular all over India especially in South India.

Today´s recipe is a kootu dish prepared with chow chow. Chow chow is also known a Chayote squash in English. There are different names in different languages for this veggie. In Hindi, it is known as Ishkus, in Tamil - Seemai Kathirikai, in Kannada - Seeme Badanekayi and in Telugu - Bangalore Vankaya or Seema Vankaya.

This chayote ( chow chow ) belongs to the squash or gourd family and is very low in calories. It is rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is also very rich in Folate Vitamin. This is a versatile veggie that can be used in the preparation of dry curries, gravy curries, sambar and kootu.

Today´s recipe is chow chow kootu. This kootu is a perfect combo for roti or chapathi. This also goes well with plain rice. The addition of lentils like channa dal and moong dal makes it a wholesome dish which is very healthy.

Preparation

Peel the skin of the chow chow and discard the inner seed. Chop them into small bite sized pieces. Keep aside. Grind roasted channa dal, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and coconut to a coarse paste.

Add diced tomatoes and grind once again to make a smooth paste.

Keep this paste aside.

Heat a pressure cooker and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add chopped onions and sauté until they become translucent.

Add turmeric powder and mix.

Now add the ground paste and mix well. Add salt and sugar.

To this, add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils ( channa dal and moong dal ) and sambar masala powder.

Mix well and add little water sufficient to cook the chow chow and the lentils.

Check for seasoning and cook with the lid on. Cook for 3-4 whistles and switch off the flame. Serve hot with roti, chapathi or rice.

Ingredients

Chow chow 3 ( medium sized )

Onion 1

Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp.

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sambar masala  1tsp

Moong dal 1/4 cup

Channa dal 1/4 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

To grind

Coconut 2 tbsp.

Garlic 5 pods

Ginger 1" piece

Green chillies 3

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Roasted channa dal 2 tbsp.

Method

1. Grind all the ingredients given under to grind list. Keep aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pressure pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. 
3. When they splutter, add onion and sauté until pink in colour. 
4. Add turmeric powder, the ground masala paste, salt and sugar. 
5. Mix well and add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils and sambar masala powder. 
6. Mix well and add enough water to cook the lentils and veggies. 
7. Cover with the lid and cook for 3-4 whistles. 
8. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes

• You can skip the roasted channa dal but it gives a nice thickness to the kootu. 
• Sambar masala gives a unique flavour to the curry. If you do not have that handy, simply add little Garam masala powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. 
• You can skip the green chillies during grinding and add chilli powder while cooking to get a nice red colour to the kootu. Or you could also add dry red chillies while grinding. 
• I have washed the lentils before adding to the curry.

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