Recipe for a hearty, spicy Sonoran style vegetarian Mexican rice with chayote and black beans. Chayote are pale green, pear-shaped, and wrinkled at one end. It tastes somewhere between a zucchini and a potato.
pale green chayote squash, a Sonoran borderlands vegetable
What Is a Chayote and How Do I Use It?
Chayote (pronounced chy-OH-tay) is a member of the gourd family. It grows throughout Mexico, Central America, and the American Southwest. You can usually find it markets year-round. Chayote holds its shape during cooking. Peel it, remove the single flat seed in the center, and dice it like you would any firm squash. It takes on the flavor of whatever it cooks with.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Recipe for a hearty, spicy Mexican rice with chayote and black beans. The Chayote is a somewhat strange looking vegetable that tastes somewhere in between a squash and a potato. This recipe serves 4-6 as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 Serrano pepper diced small
- 1 cup frozen yellow corn defrosted
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ yellow onion diced, about 1/2 cup
- ½ yellow bell pepper seeded, ribs removed and diced
- 1 chayote squash peeled, seed removed and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cups brown basmati rice
- 2.5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup roughly chopped Spanish olives
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper and chayote. Saute until just starting to caramelize. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in the garlic and rice and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken or vegetable stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in prepared peppers and corn, the olives, black beans and tomatoes. Cook until the rice is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.- Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chayote taste like? Chayote has a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a firm, crisp texture similar to a cross between zucchini and a water chestnut. It's much less watery than zucchini and holds its shape well during cooking. Raw chayote has a subtle cucumber-like freshness; cooked chayote becomes tender and absorbs surrounding flavors readily, making it an excellent addition to rice dishes, soups, and stews.
Where can I buy chayote? Chayote is widely available at Latino grocery stores, international markets, and well-stocked supermarkets in the Southwest. In Tucson and the broader Sonoran region it's a year-round staple. Look for firm, unblemished chayotes with smooth pale green skin. Avoid any that feel soft or have dark spots. If you can't find chayote locally, zucchini or yellow squash makes a reasonable substitute in this recipe, though the texture will be softer.
How do you prepare chayote for cooking? Peel chayote with a vegetable peeler — the skin is thin but slightly waxy. Cut it in half lengthwise and remove the single flat seed in the center with a spoon or knife. Dice or slice the flesh as needed. Some people find the raw flesh slightly sticky on their hands; rinsing under cold water solves this. The seed is edible and can be roasted or sautéed separately if you want to use it.
Is chayote the same as chayote squash? Yes! Chayote and chayote squash refer to the same vegetable. It also goes by mirliton in Louisiana Creole cooking, christophene in the Caribbean, and güisquil in parts of Central America. In Sonoran Mexican cooking it sometimes appears in soups and stews, though it's less commonly used there than in other regional Mexican cuisines.
Can I make this chayote recipe vegan? Yes! Simply use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. All other ingredients are already plant-based. This makes it a hearty, protein-rich vegan side dish thanks to the black beans. It pairs well with coctel de camaron for a non-vegan spread, or alongside Sonoran flat enchiladas for a fully plant-based Sonoran meal.
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