Chow chow kootu recipe, learn how to make chow chow kootu or chayote squash kootu recipe, a Tamil-style recipe that goes great with rasam and rice.
No kootu I’ve ever made has looked as pretty as this Chow Chow Kootu. The mom-in-law made this the day after they landed in Singapore earlier last month. Thank God I had some chow chow languishing in the fridge. Sometimes, letting vegetables stay in there results in good things – like this kootu.
You can also try making chow chow chutney recipe and chow chow sambar if you love this vegetable (also known as chayote squash) as much as we do.
- 2 cups chow chow, cut into small cubes
- ½ cup channa dal / Bengal gram / kadala paruppu
- ½ cup grated coconut
- A pinch of turmeric
- 1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 green chilli (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp (coconut) oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal (optional)
- A generous pinch of hing / asafoetida
- A few curry leaves
- Wash and soak the Bengal gram
- Add to the cut, cleaned chow chow
- Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil
- Add turmeric powder and a few curry leaves and cook on simmer until the chow chow is cooked soft and the Bengal gram is cooked yet firm (about 15-20 mins)
- Add salt
- While the chow chow and Bengal gram cooks, grind the ingredients under "grind together" with a bit of added water
- Add to the cooked chow chow mixture
- Mix well and simmer until all extra water is absorbed and the mixture takes a thick consistency
- Heat oil for tempering and add ingredients in the order given
- Once the mustard seeds pop and the urad dal turns brown (if using) dunk everything into the kootu mixture and mix well
- Adjust salt
- Serve hot with rice and kuzhambu of choice
Step by Step Chow Chow Kootu Recipe:
Wash and soak the Bengal gram for around 30 mins to 1 hour
Add to the cut, cleaned chow chow
Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil
Add turmeric powder and a few curry leaves and cook on simmer until the chow chow is cooked soft and the Bengal gram is cooked yet firm (about 15-20 mins)
Add salt
While the chow chow and Bengal gram cooks, grind the ingredients under “grind together” with a bit of added water
Add to the cooked chow chow mixture. Wash out the grinder and add 1 cup water to this mixture.
Mix well and simmer until all extra water is absorbed and the mixture takes a thick consistency
Heat oil for tempering and add ingredients in the order given
Once the mustard seeds pop and the urad dal turns brown (if using) dunk everything into the kootu mixture and mix well. Adjust salt. Serve hot with rice and kuzhambu of choice
Chow chow is also called "Banglore kathirikkai (brinjal / egg plant)" in Madras. I have been told (by people who are not from Madras) that it is wrong to call it by that name because "Banglore kathirikkai" is a a different vegetable. Obviously…as this is not an egg plant at all! But in Madras, if you ask for Banglore kathirikkai you will get chow chow. It is Chayote squash in USA, used in Mexican cooking and widely available in all supermarkets. I was surprised to learn that so many of the vegetables used in Indian cooking originate from other countries. This one from Mexico, Kohl rabi (nool kol) from Germany etc. and of course potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes,green peas etc.
I Tried this yesterday and the dish came out really well.Infact my hubby loved this version a lot!! I have never been a fan of chow chow, but this recipe has made me change my mind..
Hey Nags i was just browsing through for chow chow recipes when i found that this recipe of yours has been copied verbatim. The link is here http://amezingrecipes.blogspot.in/2012/04/chow-chow-kootu-recipe.html i just thought maybe i should tell you about it
Awesome. Blessing for guys like me. Nanri
Blessing for married guys who cook. Well for all guys.. Awesome explanation.. I loved my chow chow knout.. Nani
to all kutu fans,
soak 2 -3 tsp of tur dal for half an hour. Add the tur dal, 1 tsp homemade sambhar powder and 8-10 curry leaves to the above ingredients (the green curry spots in the masala look very attractive and gives a very different tase and aroma) to the ingredients mentioned above for the kutu gravy… it tastes amazing as promised by my MIL.
Chow Chow can be replaced with white pumpkin (ash gourd), snake gourd, bottle gourd as the need or availability demands. Chow-chow is rarely available here.. but the Ash-Gourd kutu is heavenly and made at least once a week in our home.
As You said, the water need not be drained-i simply cook with it!
Hing / asafoetida should also be added after the cooking is done along with corriander leaves for garnish – then turn once.
Add 1-2 tbspn of curd just before serving.
Some MIL tips i follow with my eyes closed…
thanks anon!
sorry to sound stupid, but what is a chow chow? This looks good and would like to make it but don't know what a chow chow is?
chow chow is also called chayote squash. just do a google image search and you can see it.
I have tried making this kootu and it turned out well…
we make cucumber kootu instead of chow chow and dal replace cucumber. This looks soo good:)
soon i will make chow chow. mouth watering
good
Any way to make kootu without coconut? I'm allergic :(. My husband loves kootu but because of my allergy, i cant make any of them. Any ideas?
you could leave the coconut out and maybe add besan or rice flour mixed with water to thicken the gravy but it's definitely not going to taste as great.
hey, ive tried this recipe. it came out really well. today i tried this with raw papaya instead of chow chow. to my surprise it came out really well. thank u nagas for the wonderful recipe….
I tried it and turned out great. Thanks
Great Job.. !!! its' really nice for ppl who wanna try out different recipes… continue your good work.. 🙂
Yummy kootu, luv it with rice
Just made it for dinner. This is awesome. This will be a regular for sure. I used to see this veggie at Fairprice and wonder how to use this, now I know :D.
I totally agree Nags, Oh my, the kootu looks so vibrant and pretty and yummy. I can't wait to get back home and eat all my mom's food. :-).
Siri
That's so cool! Thanks for letting me know you tried the chow chow kootu recipe, Samarpita 🙂
I could never figure out how to cook chow-chow other than adding some to sambar! This looks superb!
thats such a bowl of yummy kootu
New to ur space n happy to follow u for more wonderful recipes..
Do visit me when u get time dear .
http://comeletseat.blogspot.com
Kootu looks so inviting.. nice colour..
Hi Nags
Very colorful…Chowchow koottu is one of the favourite recipes in our home and I make it atleast once a week. The ingredients I use is a bit different from your list, with Chana Dal being replaced by moong dal and for grinding, we use only coconut, greenchillies and cumin seeds.
Will try out your version too soon…
what is chow chow called in tamil?? thanks
Mala
This kootu sounds delicious, and the colour is beautiful! I'll have to make this quite soon!
As far as i know, its chow chow 😀 That's what my MIL calls it anyway.
Kootu looks delicious and rich in color!
http://www.appetitetreats.com
Kootu looks absolutely divine…sooo inviting..
You are right about the color… it is very inviting and lovely..
This looks so yum..I make this very often. Many a time using cabbage instead of chow chow.
This kootu is so so different from what we kannadigas make .. This is an easier version though
Can't agree less with you…this kootu is looking really pretty…must have tasted great too.
Will taste awesome with vathkuzhambhu and hot rice.Simple and yummy kootu
looks delicious