What's
New
Chayote
Chayote (佛手瓜/合掌瓜) is an edible fruit belonging to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, along with melons, cucumbers and squash. It is pear-shaped in appearance with wrinkled green skin. The fruit has a flattened white single pit when halved lengthwise. It is an inherently sweet and mild tasting fruit. Its taste is often likened to cucumbers but with a firmer and crunchier texture similar to potatoes.
Common Uses
They are popularly used in Asian cooking for stir fries and soups. In western cuisine, they are also eaten raw in salads. The skin is usually peeled before using.
Names
1) Scientific Name: Sechium edule
2) Chinese (both simplified and traditional): 佛手瓜 fó shǒu guā (Buddha hand melon); 合掌瓜 hé zhǎng guā (Buddha hand melon), 寿瓜 shou guā (longevity melon)
3) Other names: choko, chokos, chouchou, hayatouri (ハヤトウリ), sayote, chocho, chow chow
4) Local names: Buddha hand melon, Buddha hand melon
Health Benefits & Properties
Chayotes are known to contain good sources of vitamin C, folate and zinc, therefore known to prevent cancer, acne and constipation.
Storage
Store it in the crisper (vegetables) section of the fridge. It is relatively long-lasting; may keep up to 2 weeks.
Selection
Select chayote that is small, firm but not too hard and unblemished. Avoid fruits that are sticky or discolored.
Recipes
Check out NoobCook’s recipes with chayote as a key ingredient.
Where to Purchase it in Singapore
In wet markets and supermarkets.
References and Further Reading
I love chayotes. We used to eat them a lot as a kid, as they are popular in Mexican cooking. We never peeled them though, just diced them and sauteed them with butter and a little salt.
My Mom says that eating the inner seed part of the chayote was good luck. Not really sure where that originated, but as a kid I always scrambled to eat it before anyone else could!
Chayotes are very delicious.. but the preparation is a little tricky when you wanna skin it.. Beneath the skin, chayote has a slippery sap that sticks to your skin.. when dried, it’s hard to remove and has a super glue texture on your skin (yuck)..
but it’s yummy… :D
Hi wiffy I love your blog. You have a new fan here :P
We call these sayotes in the Philippines. I really have nothing to say since I hate vegetables.
Regards
Pingback: Stir-fried Chayote with Pork Recipe 佛手瓜炒肉丝