CHOW CHOW MŌRU KOOTU (SOUTH INDIAN CHAYOTE AND YOGURT STEW)
SOURCE: MADHUR JAFFREY. MADHUR JAFFREY’S WORLD VEGETARIAN: MORE THAN 650 MEATLESS RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Kootu is a curried stew of vegetables and legumes from the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Its nutty fragrances and creamy body come from the generous quantities of coconut, while a few roasted spices provide a complex blend of flavors that tantalize the taste buds and olfactory senses. In this version of Kootu, Indian cooking doyenne and veteran actress Madhur Jaffrey uses the chayote or its local name, chow chow, to absorb the sharp essences of the spices and finishes the stew with mõru or yogurt at a last minute to give a tangy aftertaste and to act as a binder between the vegetable and the coconut.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds/681 grams chayotes
2 tablespoons/30 mL cooking oil, preferably canola OR peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon/0.5 grams brown mustard seeds, preferably brown rai or raya
OPTIONAL: 10 to 15 curry leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results
1/8 teaspoon/0.4 grams turmeric
Salt
Water
2 teaspoons/4 grams coriander seeds
1 whole dried hot red chile
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon/13 grams yellow split peas OR chana dal
1 cup/240 mL plain yogurt
1/2 cup/38 grams finely grated fresh coconut
1/2 to 1 fresh hot green chile, finely chopped
Specific Equipment
Wide-bottomed skillet or frying pan
Small cast-iron pan
Coffee grinder OR mortar and pestle
Mixing bowl
Spoon
Serves 4
Instructions
1. Peel the chayotes and slice into two halves lengthwise. Cut each half further into three sections lengthwise. Cut each section again into 1/2-inch/1.27 cm pieces. Leave the seeds in and set the chayote pieces aside.
2. Pour the cooking oil into the pan and set over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and toast briefly. Stir in the curry leaves, if desired, upon continuous popping of the mustard seeds.
3. Stir inchayote pieces and turmeric until well-coated. Season with salt. Pour in 1/2 cup/120 mL water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook the chayote pieces for 20 minutes or until tender, replenishing the pan with water, if necessary.
4. Toast the coriander seeds, dried ref chile, fenugreek seeds, and yellow split peas or chana dal in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously until the yellow split peas or chana dal turns reddish. Remove from heat to cool the toasted spices.
5. Transfer the toasted spices into a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind the spices into a fine powder.
6. Combine the yogurt, coconut and green chile in a mixing bowl. Add the toasted spices into the yogurt mixture and season with salt. Stir everything with a spoon until well-blended.
7. Mix in the yogurt mixture to the chayote pieces. Simmer the chayote and yogurt gently while stirring continuously. Remove from heat when heated through and transfer to a serving bowl.
