Chow Chow Sambar Recipe (Chayote Squash Sambar)

Sambar is a very versatile dish in the South Indian Cuisine. It pairs very well with the breakfast dishes like idli/dosa and one can also have it for lunch along with the steamed rice. Chow Chow Sambar (Chayote Squash Sambar), is one of the kinds of sambar usually had along with the steamed rice. Chow Chow, also known as chayote squash belongs to the gourd family and has a good amount of folates, making it a healthy choice for cooking. Course : Lunch Ingridients : 1 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) 2 cups Chow chow (chayote squash) , cut into cubes 30 grams Tamarind , soaked in 1 cup of water 1 Onion , sliced 2 Tomatoes , chopped 1 tablespoon Sambar Powder 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 4 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , roughly chopped Oil , as required Salt , as required Ingredients for tempering 1 teaspoon Sesame (Gingelly) Oil , or vegetable oil 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu) 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing) 1 Dry Red Chillies 1 sprig Curry leaves , roughly torn Instructions To begin making the Chow Chow Sambar recipe, first pressure cook the toor dal along with turmeric and 2 cups of water for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally. Once the dal is cooked, whisk the dal well and keep it aside.Add a teaspoon of oil in a heavy bottoemd pan and heat it on a medium flame, add the sliced onion and saute for 2 minutes till the onions turns soft and translucent.Add tomatoes, chow chow and cook till the chow chow is cooked 3/4th, stirring occasionally.Once it is done, add the tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt to taste and let it simmer until the raw smell of the tamarind goes away and the chow chow is perfectly cooked.Add the cooked toor dal, adjust the seasoning, add the roughly chopped coriander leaves and let it simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes and switch off.In another small tadka pan, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and allow it to heat. Once the oil is heated up, add the mustard seeds, the dry red chilies and allow it to roast until lightly browned.Add the asafoetida powder and curry leaves, stir it in and turn off the heat.Pour this tempering over the cooked sambar and it is ready to be served. Serve Chow-Chow Sambar with Homemade Soft Idli or Masala Dosa. You can even serve it with Steamed Rice and Cauliflower Thoran for your vegetarian lunch or dinner.