Recipe video above: This is an easy vegetable dish made of stir-fried chayote, pork, and shrimp. It’s light, nutritious and filling. Serve with rice or eat on its own!
Peel the chayote using a peeler or small knife. Wear food-grade gloves or oil your hands beforehand to prevent the white substance from irritating your skin. Slice in half lengthwise, then slice lengthwise again. Slice into small strips or to your preferred size. Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant and translucent. Add ground pork. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Season with fish sauce. Stir a bit then add tomatoes, cook until softened.
Add shrimps, oyster sauce and carrots. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes then add sliced chayote. Stir everything together and let the vegetables absorb all the flavor.
Pour water. The amount depends on how “soupy” you want the dish to be. Cover with lid and then remove as soon as it starts to boil to avoid overcooking the vegetables.
Continue cooking and start checking the doneness of the chayote after 2 minutes. I like mine a little bit crunchy so I turned off the heat at 3 minutes and let the residual heat continue the cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe variations: substitute pork with ground beef, or sliced chicken.
For additional color and flavor, saute red bell pepper along with the chayote.
Fish sauce can be substituted with salt or light soy sauce.
For a less "soupy" dish, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Reduce the amount of fish sauce/ salt.
Wear food-grade gloves or oil your hands before peeling the chayote to prevent the white substance from irritating your skin.
Adjust cooking time if using thicker cuts of meat and vegetables.
For a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp water + 2 tsp cornstarch) just before you finish cooking.