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First published in: https://mybaykitchen.wordpress.com/2018/05/06/chilled-fresh-sayote-fruit-salad/

Chilled, fresh sayote fruit salad (Photo by Rene Astudillo)

I practically grew up with sayote (chayote).  Our family home had a huge backyard where sayote plants grew unattended.  Our meals would frequently include cooked sayote fruit and leaves, usually mixed in chicken or pork dishes and soups.

I always knew that sayote leaves can be eaten almost raw, slightly blanched, and mixed with a dressing of vinegar or shrimp paste, and onions and tomatoes.

But it was only recently that I discovered that the sayote fruit can also be eaten raw and made into a refreshing chilled salad. It’s great for the hot summer months to complement your meat or fish dishes.

Ingredients

2 medium sayote (chayote) fruits, peeled, cored, washed then julienned

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into rings

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup Apple Cider vinegar

1/3 cup muscovado or brown sugar

Ground pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine Apple Cider vinegar and muscovado. Mix well. In a large bowl, mix sayote, cilantro, tomato. Pour in dressing and toss well. Add pepper to taste. Top with onion rings. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Rene Astudillo is a writer, book author and blogger and has recently retired from more than two decades of nonprofit community work in the Bay Area. He spends his time between California and the Philippines.

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The Happy Home Cook: Chilled, Fresh Sayote Fruit Salad

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