Seemebadanekayi or chayote squash is a succulent vegetable and it works well in a gravy or curry. They are a great alternative to potatoes as they absorb a lot of flavour. They also cook fairly quickly making this dish fast, easy and simple. Saagu like curries taste great with chapathis/rotis. This also makes an excellent dish for lunch box or for festivals. I have also lined up mixed veg saagu which is coming up soon on FOI. Do try other gravy/curry recipes or chapathi/roti side dishes.
Seemebadanekayi Saagu | Chayote Squash Curry
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Tasty side dish for chapathis/rotis, seemebadanekayi curry
Author: Vindhya Desai
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1½ Cup diced seemebadane kayi/chayote squash
- ¼ Cup grated coconut
- 2 Tbsp roasted chana/puthani/fried gram/hurigadale
- 1-2 dry red chilli
- ¼ tsp jeera
- 1 pinch hing/asafoetida
- ½ Tbsp gur/jaggery
- 1 Tsp tamarind paste or ½ Tbsp tamarind pulp
- ½ Tsp turmeric/haldi
- Salt to taste
- Water to grind and make gravy
- ½ lime
- Chopped coriander
For Tadka:
- ½ Tbsp oil
- ½ Tsp mustard
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 pinch of hing/asafoetida
Method
- Boil diced seemebadanekayi in water till soft
- In a mixer jar, add roasted chana/puthani, jeera and broken dry red chilli
- Add hing, jaggery, tamarind paste
- Add grated coconut, about 2 Tbsp water and grind into a paste
- Add this paste in a pan and bring it to a light boil
- Add salt and turmeric
- Add boiled and cooked seemebadanekayi. Mix well
- Make tadka with oil, mustard, curry leaves and hing. Pour over curry. Adjust consistency
- Add chopped coriander on top
- Serve hot with chapathis/rotis with a lime wedge on the side
Notes
Add classic saagu spices like cinnamon, pepper while grinding the paste for extra flavour punch
Adjust chillies and spices as you want
Squeeze in lime juice while making paste for extra flavour
Add boiled green peas if you want
Roasted gram/chana/puthani makes the gravy/curry thick and consistent and also balances the flavour
Adjust chillies and spices as you want
Squeeze in lime juice while making paste for extra flavour
Add boiled green peas if you want
Roasted gram/chana/puthani makes the gravy/curry thick and consistent and also balances the flavour
Stepwise:
Boil diced seemebadanekayi in water till soft
In a mixer jar, add roasted chana/puthani, jeera and broken dry red chilli
Add hing, jaggery, tamarind paste
Add grated coconut, about 2 Tbsp water and grind into a paste
Add this paste in a pan and bring it to a light boil
Add salt and turmeric
Add boiled and cooked seemebadanekayi. Mix well
Make tadka with oil, mustard, curry leaves and hing. Pour over curry. Adjust consistency
Add chopped coriander on top
Serve hot with chapathis/rotis with a lime wedge on the side
