Chayotes...other dishes

I would like to share 2 other recipes using Chayote or "Chouchou"!   

1) Sauteed Chayote with Dried Shrimps

Ingredients:

• 500 g chayote / faht-sáu-guâ - peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp dried shrimps / hâ-máih (see photo on next blog)
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• Salt and ground black pepper 

Steps:

1. Wash clean the dried shrimps. Soak them in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat oil over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic until tender; then add chayote. Cook chayote, stirring occasionally until crisp-tender (5-8 minutes).
3. Add shrimps.  Simmer until chayote is tender.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauteed Chayote

2) Pork Soup with Chayote, Corn and Carrot

Ingredients:

• 1 chayote / faht-sáu-guâ
• 1 corn (on the cob)
• 1 large carrot
• 1 tbsp sweet-bitter apricot kernels / nàahm-bâk-hahng (see photo in previous blog)
• 500 g pork bones  or lean pork
• 3 dried brown/honey dates / maht-jóu  (see photo in next blog)
• Salt

Steps:

1. Wash pork bones clean and scald in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Rinse and drain.
2. Peel carrot and chayote and cut into large pieces.  Wash corn, carrot and chayote.
3. Bring water to a boil in pan; put pork bones (or lean pork), carrot, dates, corn, and chayote in pan and when it boils again lower temperature; simmer for 1 hour.
4. Add kernels. Lower heat and simmer for another hour.
5. Add salt before serving. 

Soup with Chayote 

I usually use lean pork (shank) instead of pork bones as it is less fatty.