Simebadanekayi Upkari

When we first came to Bangalore, this vegetable caught our attention as it was available in plenty. This vegetable is known as “Simebadanekayi” in Kannada. In Tamil it is know as chou-chou and in western countries esp. in US it is known as chayote.

This vegetable cooks very easily and varies dishes can be made from it. Besides, it is also very good for health and not expensive too. It is a very versatile vegetable. It can also be used in Sambhar, Sindhi Kadhi, Kurma, salads or even fries or “phodis”.

When I first tried my hand at this vegetable, I was not aware that the skin needs to be peeled. So we all had a tough time eating this - as the peel does not cook and is very hard and chewy! Ofcourse, I have learnt my lesson the hard way - literally!

This dish which I have made here is a typical Bangalorean dish.

Ingredients:

Simebadanekayi	2
Channa Dal (split gram)	3 tbsps
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Jeera (cumin seeds)	1 tsp
Dry Red chillies	2
Green chillies	1
Asafetida	A pinch
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Salt	To taste
oil	1 tbsp
Corriander leaves (chopped)	2 tbsps
Lime juice	2 tsps

Grated coconut (optional) 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and peel the skin of simebadanekayis. Halve it and discard the white seed which is inside. Then cut the vegetable into cubes.
2. Wash the channa dal and keep aside.
3. Heat a pan/kadai/wok on a medium flame. Add to it oil, mustard seeds, jeera and dry red chillies.
4. When mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, asafetida and green chillies. Then add the washed channa dal. Stir well and add half a cup of water and allow it to cook for a while.
5. When channa dal is half cooked, add the simebadanekayi cubes, salt and mix well. Simebadanekayi leaves its own water. But if necessary, you may add a little water to avoid sticking at the bottom.
6. Cook till done. Add lime juice and mix well.
7. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.
   
8. Serve hot.

Serves: 3

Note:

• Grated coconut is generally also added as garnish along with coriander leaves.
• This dish goes well with rice and dal and even with chapattis.

See here for more info on this vegetable:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote