Chow Chow Payasam | Chayote Squash Kheer Recipe

I am so surprised at myself for making this Chow Chow Payasam | Chayote Squash Kheer Recipe! Let me share with you how this dish came into being in my kitchen.

Over the past several years, I have been collecting cookbooks and writing down recipes from various magazines and cookbooks.

Once when I visited my aunt’s place I saw a magazine – Aval Vikatan and its suppliment which had 30 payasam / kheer recipes.Some were known to me and some were new. One of the dishes that intrigued me was this chow chow payasam!

I clicked a pic of that page and later when I came home, transfered it onto the laptop and forgot about it. A week or so ago I was in the process of deleting all the unwated stuffs from the laptop and that’s when I saw the pic of this recipe.

I was still not sure how it would taste. We do use chow chow in sambar and make a dry curry with it, which also happens to be my favorite, yet this vegetable in a dessert sounded mismatched!

I got a really small chow chow just to try it out and made this kheer as a part of the Aadi 18 lunch menu.

I did not even hint about the ingredient of this kheer while serving lunch and it was only after I got a positive feedback from my folks did I reveal the ingredient!!

They were equally surprised and no one could even guess it was chow chow!!!

This kheer has a lovely shade of pale green and since I wanted it that way, I used the regular sugar instead of jaggery.

This vegetable is also know as Mearakaai , Chow chow, Seemey badanekaye etc. In China the local vendor told me it was called Buddha’s Hand! This vegetable is found in several cuisines and in our place we add it to Sambar, Kootu and make a dry curry. Even chutney tastes good.

So, here is the Chow Chow Payasam | Chayote Squash Kheer Recipe

I used:

Peeled & Chopped chayote squash- 1/2 cup
Milk- 11/2 cups
Sugar to taste
Ghee- 1 teaspoon
Chopped cashews and raisins as needed

1. Pressure cook / microwave the chopped chayote squash with just enough water.Once done ,drain excess water and mash well with a potato masher.Keep aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and add roast individually – cashews till brown and raisins till puffy.Drain and keep aside.
3. In the same pan add the mashed chayote squash and cook for a minute.
4. Add sugar and milk and simmer for a few minutes
5. Before taking it off the heat add the nuts and raisins.
6. Serve warm / chilled.

Note:

• You can add cardamom powder if you like the flavor.It can be added just before switching off payasam.
• I added regular sugar. Jaggery can also be used.

This is part of August,Week 1, Cooking from Cookbook Challenge Group.

5 from 1 vote

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Chow Chow Payasam | Chayote Squash Kheer Recipe

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

A simple dessert that can be made of festival days /special occasions

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Author: PJ

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Peeled & Chopped chayote squah
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• Sugar to taste
• 1 teaspoon Ghee
• Cashews and raisins as needed

Instructions

1. Pressure cook or microwave the chayote squash with just enough water. Once done, drain excess water and mash well with a potato masher.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashew till golden brown and drain from the pan and keep aside

   
   

3. In the same pan , roast the raisins till puffy and drain and keep aside

4. To this pan add the mashed chayote squash and cook for a minute.

5. Add sugar and milk and simmer for a few minutes.

6. Finally add the roasted nuts and raisins and remove from heat 

7. Serve warm / Chilled.

Recipe Notes

• You can add cardamom powder if you like the flavor.It can be added just before switching off payasam.
• I added regular sugar. Jaggery can also be used.