Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Chow Chow Chutney and a Meme

This chutney came to life when I was rummaging through my fridge one day and found a chayote (chow chow). I was thinking of what to do with it when the idea of chutney popped into my head. It was the first time that I'd made chutney using this vegetable and it was fabulous!!

I made it similarly to the ridgegourd peel chutney I'd previously posted. I fried the chow chow, added coriander seeds to give it a special flavor, and a good amount of urad dal for body. The slight sweetness of the chow chow balanced by the tart tamarind, the spicy chillies, and the earthy coriander was truly a winning combination! All in all, I will definitely be making this one again and again!!

Ingredients:

Chayote/Chow Chow - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Red chillies - 15-20, or to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 (optional)
Tamarind - key lime size
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8

Method:

1. Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry until the dal turns golden brown and the red chillies have darkened. Remove to a mixer jar.

2. In the same pan, add a little more oil, if required, and fry the chayote along with coconut until the vegetable is cooked. The coconut shouldn't develop color during this step, so don't put the heat under the pan too high. Or, just add the coconut to the mixer jar (without frying).

3. Once the chayote has cooked, turn the heat off and allow to cool. Add to the contents in the mixer jar along with salt and tamarind and grind to a slightly coarse paste.

4. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the seasoning, stir and serve with any tiffin item. Enjoy!




Sorry, sorry! I was tagged to do a meme by Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine, Divya Vikram of Dil Se, and Namratha of Finger Licking Food. Lazy me had not gotten around to doing it until now! Ok, here goes:

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
English - Iron Man (awesome!)
Tamil - Santosh Subramaniam (nice family film)

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Do cookbooks count? Sad to say, I'm not reading a real book at the moment!


3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?

Life, Monopoly, Checkers

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
I love reading the covers of cheesy gossip mags while at the check-out counter of the grocery store. Sad, but true.


5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?

Roses, jasmine flowers (I miss them so!), garlic-ginger sauteeing, biryani, anything cooking in mom's kitchen!

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?

Gentle waterfalls, tamil folk music (dappanguthu rules!), tabla, mrindangam, sound of salangai when dancing (the heavy Indian ankle straps loaded with bells) bharatha natyam


7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

Loneliness


8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?

Do I have to get up already??

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?

I'm really not into the usual fast food stuff. It's true. I guess I had my fill of all of that stuff a long time ago! If you put a gun to my head, I'd have to say my local pizza place.


10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?

Maybe Shanthi for a girl. Still haven't given it lots of thought!


11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
work on charitable causes to try and make this world a better place, starting with worldwide vaccination against common diseases.


12) DO U DRIVE FAST?

Faster than my husband... Does that count?

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

Yes. My husband is my teddy bear. Got a problem with that? *laugh*


14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?

Scary..

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

Nissan Sentra

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?

Cosmopolitan, mango lassi, rose falooda


17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…

I do have time, but if I had the stamina, I'd love to read more and do volunteerism.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?

Yes, why not?


19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

No thanks! I don't want my hair any color other than my own natural black! :)


20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?

NJ, Long Island, back to NJ


21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Figure skating, gymnastics. What? I'm girly! Ok, I am willing to watch basketball or baseball occasionally!


22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Dhivya - expecting a baby and is a sweetheart.
Divya Vikram - nice homey recipes that are delicious.
Namratha - makes such beautiful cakes and doesn't share. Kidding!!


23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?

Probably some dust

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??

Yes if I were born to the same set of parents!


25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Night owl all the way. My husband's a morning person. I don't get it!


26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?

Sunny side up!


27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?

The beach... Any state, any country. :)


28) FAVOURITE PIE?

Cherry, apple, peach

29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR?
chocolate, strawberry, mango

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
No idea and no pressure!

I know that lots of you have already done this meme, so if you feel like taking it up, please feel free!

31 comments:

Meera said...

Lovely chutney. Very nice MeMe.

Cham said...

Love ur meme, i do give a glance to mag while i am waiting at the counter...:)U r pretty bad not having any fav Fastfood...:( he he suma sonnai Kalai, great to resist all those tempty junk!
The chutney looks great and yum, ha ha we both blogged chutney today :)

Siri said...

Nice Meme Kalai and the chutney looks so yummy!! Just to be sure that I will not miss any of ur future posts, I added u to my blogroll..:DD

Siri

Kalai said...

Thank you, Meera!

Cham, nice to know I have company when it comes to useless gossip! :)

Siri, thanks a bunch, girl! I really appreciate it. :)

Lisa Turner said...

There is nothing like Indian chutneys. Yum, yum and more yum. I enjoyed reading your response to the meme too :)

Unknown said...

nice meme
Loved the chutney..i too make this not only with chayote, also with ridge gourd(other cucurbits) using the same recipe...tatses delicious...

indosungod said...

That is a good way to use them chayotes. Loved reading your meme.
Oh by the way the tomato rice looks awesome too.

Mandira said...

I've seen them in store but haven't cooked with them before. Chutney looks like a good way to start using it :)

Uma said...

such a delicious chutney with a fun to read (really!) meme. I enjoyed so much, Kalai!

Something is waiting for you on my blog. Go Pick up. Hope you like it.

sra said...

I haven't bought chow chow in a long while, I find it sweeter than the rest of its kind, and it squishes too fast, but your recipe is making me reconsider ... enjoyed reading your meme.

EC said...

Chow chow and chutney...very innovative one

Daily Meals said...

Nice Meme! Chutney looks yummy...

FH said...

Chow chow chutney looks yum, must try!:))

I like sunny side up too!:D

Suganya said...

Ur Chutney looks great... Chow chow chutney sounds so different....Nice to read ur meme....

Madhavi said...

Love that chaw chaw chutney, looks awesome, yummy!!!Nice to read ur meme kalai..

Hetal said...

nice name.....and chutney!!

Anonymous said...

Yummy looking chutney Kalai! and a funny meme :-)

Pravs said...

Thats a nice chutney.. have to try it out. Good to read the tag..got to know a bit about you :)

Srivalli said...

beautiful looking chutney...and a lovely meme..loved that point abt driving faster!...it actually counts..heheheh

Priya said...

I hardly make any chutneys here in the US, while my mom would make one almost every week! Will try your's next time, sounds like a very good way to use up one chow-chow and still get enough qty.
Loved your meme Kalai! Need to find Santosh Subramaniam online and dappanguthu is always welcome :)) I love the fragrance of flowers too and miss the parijatham tree back home. I now have lilac scented room fresheners instead!!

Vani said...

I love the idea of chayote chutney! Am bookmarking this to try soon. Will let you know. Thanks for sharing! :)

Trupti said...

chutney looks delicious Kalai & nice MeME

Kalai said...

Thank you, Lisa! :)

I've done similar with ridgegourd as well, Sowmya. I love it! :)

Indo, thanks, dear. :)

Mandira, it's a wonderful way to start! :)

Uma, glad you had fun reading the meme and thanks again for the award! :)

Kalai said...

Sra, chow chow is sweeter and mushes faster, but none of that matters too much here. Make sure to add enough tamarind and chillies for the sweetness and you're grinding it, so who cares abt mushy, right? :)

EC, thank you! :)

Daily Meals, glad you liked it! :)

Ashakka, looking fwd to your feedback! :)

Sukanya, it was different from the usual, but delightful with dosa especially! :)

Thanks Hetal, Madhavi, Latha, and Pravs! :)

Kalai said...

Valli, my husband's been pulled over for driving too slow, so keep that in mind! :)

Priya, it will definitely give you a good quantity of chutney with just one chow chow. Nice to find a fellow dappanguthu lover!! Most people think I'm weird! :)

Vani, looking forward to your feedback! :)

Trupti, thanks for the kind words! :)

jayasree said...

Ever since my chitti told me about chow chow chutney, wanted to try it. Now i have ur recipe to follow. Nice reading ur meme.

Unknown said...

Nice to know more about you.I saw Iron Man last week.Loved it!

Homecooked

Sangeeth said...

very interesting meme and chutney ;)

Seena said...

kalai,
chutneys are always my favourites!
have noted the ingredients,
let me tell you, your pictures have been improved a lot.. :)
See u,

Unknown said...

nice meme dear.

Unknown said...

HI NICE RECEIPE IT SOUNDS GOOD...BUT WHN TO ADD THE CORIANDER SEEDS...IN THE PAN OR DIRECTLY TO THE JAR...I LIKE TO PREPARE THIS CHUTNEY...