Chayote Squash Stir Fry Recipe (Chow chow/Seemebadnekai Palya/Upkari)

Chayote Squash Stir Fry Recipe (Chow chow/Seemebadnekai Palya/Upkari)

Known as chow chow in India, seeme badanekai in Kannada, chayote is widely used in vegetable stews like sambar and palya. I love this simebadane palya my mom makes. We call it upakari in Konkani. It’s easy to make & is healthy. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of vitamin C they say. So here's a simple recipe for you to help you with everyday cooking. 

You can also make Pan Fried Chayote Squash (Chow chow/Seemebadnekai Phodi Recipe)


How to pick the best ones:

Pick chayote that is small, they’ll then be tender. Tender ones are best suited to make this stir fry. They mature and harden as they grow in size. Tender ones are usually green in colour. As they mature they tend to turn slightly yellow or white in colour.


Ingredients:

  • 1 chayote squash
  • 1 tablespoon of oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon of urad dal
  • 1 green chilli
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • 1 leaflet of curry leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of grated coconut (optional)

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 minutes


Preparation Method:

  1. Peel chayote.
  2. Give it a wash if needed. Washing helps get rid of its sticky sap given out while peeling.
  3. Chop it into thin slices horizontally. Then finely chop them vertically to make beautiful matchsticks.
  4. If the chayote is tender it would have a tiny tender seed. If it has matured then it’ll have a well formed, hard seed. Remove it off.
  5. Heat oil in a wok. Add in mustard seeds.
  6. Once mustard stops spluttering, add in urad dal. Then add in slit green chilli, pieces of dried red chilli, curry leaves & let them sizzle for few seconds. 
  7. Once urad dal has started to brown, add in chopped chayote, salt, 1/2 cup of water & cook closed on medium flame. 
  8. Add water as needed. Cook until it’s cooked through & soft. 
  9. Add grated coconut on top, mix well & serve hot.

P.S: You can also use finely chopped potato along with chayote in this stir fry.