You don’t encounter a lot of recipes using chayote (sayote) fruit.  In the Philippines, it is most commonly used to prepare chicken tinola.  But chayote fruit can be quite versatile.  Sliced into tiny pieces, you can mix it with ground beef and other greens to make a hearty and filling soup dish.  In fact, if you’ve tried upo or bottle gourd, you will find that chayote fruit can have the same taste and texture.

For this recipe, I added some bok choy to the ground beef and chayote fruit mixture. With the right seasoning, it can make a delicious soup or even a main course.

Beef Chayote Soup (Photo by Rene Astudillo)

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large chayote fruit, peeled, seeded and sliced into tiny cubes
• 1 bunch of bok choy
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 small white onion, sliced
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• 3 cups water
• 1 beef bouillon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Olive oil

Directions

Heat Olive oil in a soup pot. Add garlic and sauté till golden brown. Add onions and tomatoes and cook till fragrant. Add in ground beef and stir-fry till nicely browned. Add water and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and add beef bouillon to melt. Add chayote fruit slices and cook until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and immediately add the bok choy leaves to let sit for a minute or two.  Serve warm.

First published in https://mybaykitchen.com/2016/10/23/beef-chayote-soup/