Chayote Moong Dal Curry

Chayote/Chow Chow/Bangalore Vankaya/Seema Vankaya, is available through out the year, here in US. Chayote which has very mild flavor of its own works wonders when combined with ingredients such as cumin, chillies and garlic. Today, I made a chayote curry with coarsely ground moong dal/split bean and it came out very well.

Ingredients:
Chayote - 1, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
Moong Dal/Split Bean - 1/4 cup, soak in warm water for 2 hrs
Green Chillies - 5, roughly chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 large clove, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Drain the water from the moong dal. Add green chillies, cumin, garlic to a grinder and grind to a fine paste. Then add the moong dal and grind to a coarse mixture.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Add the diced chayote after mustard seeds splutter. Cook covered for few minutes or until chayote is half cooked.
3. Add the ground moong dal paste to the pan and mix well, removing lumps, if any.
4. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add salt, turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and mix well.
5. Sprinkle a little water and cook covered till the tomatoes become soft. Add more water to get the desired consistency.
6. Adjust the salt and enjoy the chayote moong dal curry with steamed rice or rotis.