Chow Chow Pasi Paruppu Poriyal is an easy and quick stir fry made with chayote squash and moong dal. The simple stir fry made with cooked moong dal and chow chow, tempered with grated coconut.
Apart from being used in Sambar, this vegetable can be made as Stir Fry, Kootu. In both versions, a mix of different lentils is used. Making it with boiled moong makes this a delicious vegetable to enjoy for your meal.
These almost bland vegetable preparations are paired with the main gravy that is tangy or spicy. Else a bland dal with a spicy side dish. So this time for the Dussehra festival we decided to make this vegetable for lunch.
Chayote is called Chow Chow in Tamil Nadu, Andhra - as Bangalore Kathirikai or Seema Vankaya. We have always called it Chow Chow.
As all festival lunch menu will have either Red Chili dal or Green Chili dal, we make two other vegetable side dishes on regular festival days. I have shared more about our festival menu in the main post.
How should you cook and spice chow chow for this stir fry:
Since its a water based vegetable, overcooking will make it very mushy and this stir fry will lose its charm if the vegetable is not firm. The same goes for the moong dal.
To make sure the moong dal is not mushy, we switch off before the first whistle goes while pressure cooking it. In Microwave, we just do for 5 mins.
As the stir fry has to be dry, we don't use too much water while boiling both the vegetable or the dal. This stir fry requires a simple boil of the vegetable, you mix in the boiled lentil, temper with lentil and curry leaves. Finally, add freshly grated coconut. Instead of boiling separately, you can boil the vegetable and moong together as well.
Having been in Tamil Nadu for over four decades, our everyday cooking is a mix of both Andhra Cuisine or Tamil Nadu, I wouldn't be able to tell you. We cook a mix of both cuisines and for the most part, won't even realize that. I know my aunts also use grated coconut for stir fries but not all time.
Anyway, I have come to a stage where I cook a dish because my family likes it and not bother if it belongs to the same cuisine or not.
For this Chow Chow Pasi Paruppu Poriyal is first in the series of Thalis featuring Regional Cuisines for week 2, where it is going to be six different thalis showcasing elaborate thalis along with mini thalis.
While its a festival special here, check out what I have to share on my C4AS for Week 2 Day 1.
Thalis & Platters
Week 1 - Platters for Kids
Pyjama Party for Day 1
Sandwich Platter for Day 2
Fusion Platter for Day 3
Pizza Party for Day 4
PIN this for Later!
Ingredients Used in making this Poriyal
This stir fry is very mild and uses only dry red chili cook this vegetable.
The vegetable has to be firm so boiling it under 10 minutes is enough.
After tempering, add freshly grated coconut to make it very delicious.
Serve this poriyal or stir fry as part of the lunch menu along with sambar and rice to make a wholesome meal.
Chow Chow Pasi Paruppu Poriyal
Ingredients
For the vegetable
- 2 cups Chow Chow / Chayote Squash
- 1/4 cup Split Yellow Moong Dal
- 3 tbsp Coconut grated
For the Tempering
- 2 tsp Cooking Oil
- 3 Dry Red Chillies
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- 1/2 tsp Urad dal
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1/8 tsp Asafoetida /Hing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and peel the outer skin, core the centre and chop the chow chow into small cubes and keep aside.
- Wash and soak the moong dal in a bowl of water for 10 minutes.
- Boil the chow chow in a pan with just enough water.
- Microwave the moong dal for 5 mins.
- Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add the mustard seeds, and let it splutter.
- Add the hing, dried red chili, curry leaves and let it crackle.
- Add in the chayote cubes and saute for a minute.
- Next, add the boiled moong along with salt and combine everything well.
- Cover with lid and simmer for 5 mins.
- Open and add in the grated coconut and mix well.
- Serve as a side dish along with sambar and rice.
Suma Gandlur says
We add soaked moong/ chana dal to a lot of vegetables but not cook it unless if it is toor dal. This vegetable has been one of my favorites all my life and love this curry.
And as you mentioned. coconut is not added that much while cooking curries, in traditional Andhra cooking. However my mother has been living in Karnataka for decades now and wouldn't make a curry without coconut. 🙂 I on the other hand had to learn to skip coconut in my cooking because of my husband.:))
vaishalisabnani says
That is a quick and no frill poriyal . I haven’t tasted chow chow , like I told you last time , but I assume it must be like one of the gourds .
Moong Dal , we never cook in pressure cooker, I have seen you cooking Valli and with the ease you cook I am amazed , I can visualise your quick cooking !
The simple dish would have tasted amazing as whatever you cook tastes excellent, I speak this from my first hand experience .
Harini Rupanagudi says
Chow chow is my favorite vegetable and I like any dish prepared with it. This simple moong dal variation sounds lovely. I shall try this next time.
namscorner18 says
I make the same way using chana dal. With moong dal this looks delicious and quick to make.
srividhya says
Love chow chow and we call it as chow chow too. Tell me about the cooking style. Same here. More 4 generations are here in TN and our cooking style is a mix of Kannada and TN and sometimes I get confused regarding the origin. Love the addition of dal to this poriyal.