Seemebadanekayi Upkari/Chow Chow Bhaji/Chayote Squash Stir Fry.

“Seemebadanekayi Upkari/Chow Chow Bhaji/Chayote Squash Stir Fry” … A simple and healthy upkari with an equally lovable vegetable that goes very well as a side dish when served with other dishes in thali … Enjoy … 

** Upkari as we say in konkani is  known as bhaji in hindi and stir fry in English. We Konkani Saraswats always prepare one upkari with any veggie available in the house almost everyday. This is very healthy and our ancestors always insisted we include them in our daily diet and have them compulsarily to balance the the other dishes that are sometimes filled with spicy masalas.  That habit instilled by them has been continued to date almost in every home. Seemebadanekayi or chow chow ie Chayote Squash is a veggie that is somewhat bland in taste yet adapts very well with other veggies when added to curries. Most of the time in southern parts of India it is added on to Kurma and sambar as they are available in plenty there. In Mumbai, though it is available it is not so in every vicinity and as for me I crave to eat it at times and never find them when I go to the market and they are not available where I stay. Cropping up of Malls at every corner has made life much easier now. The seasonal veggies are always found in abundance and my happiness knew no bounds when I found huge sized ones this time in my trip to the Mall supermarket. 

** Upkari is something I rarely prepare out of this veggie as Kurma is the most sought after dish with this one in my home. But as I had found beautiful large sized ones I purchase a few more this time so that I could also prepare some more dishes using them after preparing of my favorite kurma. This is a simple stir fry, upkari close to I would say boiled veggies except for the seasoning added on to it. But interestingly it tastes superb when served along with other dishes and as I said before it blends well with other veggies while standing out on its own with pride. You will love the pale pista color (light green) that the veggie holds something unique amongst veggies. I love that color when the vegetable is fresh and it must be used immediately if you want to retain the color. On delay, it turns slightly whitish yellow and looses that beautiful radium gleam of green color. You can notice the color on the picture posted, that is the color when the veggie is fresh. For those who are knew to this veggie I have also included a picture of the same so that the next time you go to the market, if you find them you can easily purchase the same. 

** Here is the simple method of preparing “Seemebadanekayi Upkari/Chow Chow Bhaji/ Chayote Squash Stir Fry” … in true Konkani Saraswat Style … 

** Wash and wipe the veggie dry with a clean towel. With the help of a sharp knife, slice off the outer thick skin as finely as possible. Be patient in doing so and do not remove thick skin slices and waste off the veggie. Then cut the veggie into half lengthwise and remove the inner seed and the thick white skin attached nearby the seed. Now slice the veggie lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices and then slice them again in same thickness width wise. You will get thick matchstick like pieces. Rinse them under water in a colander and keep it ready aside. I have used one large sized seemebadanekayi that weight about 350 gms in weight. 

** Now, in a thick bottomed kadai / pan, add in 1 tsp of any edible oil and bring to heat, when hot lower the heat to medium and add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (sasam/rai). When they begin to splutter, lower the heat to minimum and add in 4-5 red chillies cut into pieces, pinch of hing (asafoetida) powder (optional) and a few curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and then add in the rinsed cut seemedbadanekayi pieces and mix well. Sprinkle 1-2 tblsp of water and stir on high heat for 1 minute, then lower the heat to minimum, cover and cook keeping the heat level low. 

** Keep checking the upkari / bhaji once or twice in between and sprinkle more water if necessary if you find that the veggie is getting stuck to the bottom. When it’s cooked to 75% add in salt to taste and mix well. Check water if needed, cover and cook on low heat till done. Low heat helps the veggie to cook with its own water and with the steam held within the kadai. Again raising the heat first when adding the vegetable in the kadai and stirring it for a minute on high heat, helps retain the water in the veggie to remain within itself and then cook on its own. Always use this procedure with veggies that have high water content in them.

** “Seemebadanekayi Upkari/Chow Chow Bhaji/Chayote Squash Stir Fry” is done and ready to be served. Serve this simple delicious upkari as an side dish with any other dishes of your choice. I served it with simple dishes in Thali at weekend and my guests loved it. The lunch was a simple one with Masoor Saar upkari, salad and fish fry along with this bhaji. Though a simple meal, the combo was a hit one and the lunch was a very satisfied meal on the whole. I love such typical Amchi meals, so do my friends, that keep our tummy both filled and healthy after the meal and all you need later on to serve as a dessert is an ice cream or fruit salad and it is total yumz. 

** Note : If you have guests or function or a small party where in you have to arrange for the lunch,  and your guests love amchi dishes, You can prepare this simple upkari / stir fry ahead and store in airtight container cooked at 95% only. Just before serving put it in a glassware microwave dish and cook on high for 2 minutes and you will have perfectly cooked and fresh looking seemebadanekayi upkari ready to serve to your guest. I always do so as I do not like to hustle or have last minute preparations of any sort that disturbs my schedule. Also, many a times I have to go out on office work and return after say 6 hours and the cold bhaji is definitely not appealing at that time, so I follow this method and enjoy it as good and fresh one. 

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