Pickling Chayotes

The chayote slices soaking in the brine

In the last few weeks we have received a lot of chayotes that people have harvested from their gardens. Luckily these vegetables keep for a while, but you have to eat them eventually.

These gourds are native to South American countries, but are also found in many other parts of the world like the Caribbean, the United States, Philippines, Jamaica, India, Australia, Indonesia, and southern China.

Using a cloth makes it easier to peel the chayote

We have stir-fried them many times, and they can be cooked in soups.

The other day I decided to pickle them in the same kind of brine for daikon, which involves vinegar, salt, sugar and water.

After peeling off the tough and prickly skin of two chayotes, I sliced them in half and then into quarters and slices about 1cm wide.

Then I took the chunks and put them in a bowl and took a liberal tablespoon of salt and mixed it with the vegetable to get the moisture out of the slices for about 20 minutes to half an hour. That way they will be more crunchy later.

In the meantime I made the brine:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (can use white vinegar)

1/4 rice vinegar

Slices of chayote ready to be salted and pickled

After about half an hour, I rinsed the chayote pieces with water to wash off the salt and the arranged them in a clean jar before pouring in the brine.

I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and about 24 hours later I tried the pickled chayote. It tasted great! Tangy sour flavour with a crunch. 

Previously I have pickled them with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, but this clear brine works better. 'll be making another batch soon to use up these chayotes before they turn bad!

Stir-fried Chayotes for Dinner

Stir-fried chayotes with red peppers for dinner

We were recently gifted some chayotes from a doctor whose patient had grown them. These palm-shaped vegetables were dark green and had lots of prickles on the outside; usually the outer skin is a bit tough and has to be peeled, but not with prickles that could be painful to handle!

Chayotes originated from South America, between southern Mexico and Honduras. This vegetable belongs to the gourd family, which includes cucumbers and squash.

Ours were dark green like these ones and prickly

A chef from Venezuela who has a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong serving South American cuisine was thrilled to find chayotes in the wet markets, as home-cooked soups and stews typically include this green gourd.

It can also be chopped thinly and eaten raw in salads, and stir-fried or steamed too. I have pickled them before, adapting a recipe for smashed cucumbers.

In Cantonese cooking it's usually added to soups or stir-fried, and I had a left over red pepper so I decided to cook them together for a vegetable dish for dinner.

To prepare these prickly chayotes, I donned a pair of dishwashing gloves and used a cloth to pick them up and peel them with a peeler which wasn't too difficult to do. Any areas I could not reach I used a knife to carve out the tough skin.

Then I sliced the chayotes in half and then quarters before chopping them into diagonal slices, including the seed in the middle which is edible.

Chayotes can be eaten in many ways

Once the oil in the wok was hot, I added shallots, garlic and ginger, then the sliced chayote and red pepper. After a quick stir, I added a bit of water and some chicken stock I had in the fridge before turning down the heat and put the lid on the wok so that the vegetables could steam and cook.

After around 10 minutes when the chayote was tender, I added a bit of salt to taste and then the vegetables were done.

The chayotes hold their shape and taste sweet, the red pepper even sweeter! They also made for a colourful dish too.

Picture of the Day: Pickled Chayote

Marinating sliced chayote with chilli flakes

Seaport City Seafood Restaurant has a delicious appetiser called pickled chayote, also known as Buddha's palm (合掌瓜). The vegetable is from the gourd family and was originally grown in Mexico and Honduras.

In Korea it is usually pickled or in a salad, whereas in Chinese cooking it is added to soups, stir-fried, or pickled too.

We were inspired by Seaport City's pickled chayote to attempt to make our own marinade. We adapted a recipe for smashed cucumbers in a vinegar sauce. It includes soy sauce, dark vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. I used agave syrup and balsamic vinegar.

On my first try, I made the mistake of adding too much sesame oil and tried to balance it out by adding more balsamic vinegar. After some adjustments to the marinade I added the sliced raw chayote and let it sit for a few hours. It tasted pretty good! The next day was even better, having had time to soak up the vinegar marinade and was still crunchy.

This evening I made another batch, this time using much less sesame oil and added a few chilli flakes. 

Chayotes are a good source of vitamin C, cooked or raw. 

While I like this vegetable stir-fried or in a soup, pickled are the best.