Chow Chow Kootu(Chayote Squash Kootu)

My friend who makes arachi vekkira pulikuzhambu always pairs it with this wonderful kootu, and it is a winning combination. The chow chow is simmered along with channa dal until both are soft and creamy.

With this post, I am starting the good practice of watermarking my photos. It has been quite a quest as I had to find a software that would work well with IPhoto on my Mac. I am using Impression - the free version, and it works ok. I tried Picasa and Acorn and it didn't seem to work that well for me. If anyone is out there, working with a Mac OS and IPhoto and has a better option to watermark photos, please let me know.

Place the channa dal, cumin and turmeric in a pan. Cook until the dal is just turning soft. Add the chopped chayote, green chillies and salt to the pan. Cover and cook until the chayote is soft. Check for seasoning.

Do the tadka in a seperate pan by heating the oil and letting the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal and when it turns brown, add the broken chilly and curry leaves. Add the tadka to the dal mixture.

Verdict: The chow chow kootu was creamy and sweet. Perfect combination to the spicy pulikuzhambu. It tasted even better with curd rice.