Peerkangai (ridge gourd) kootu is a common dish in Tamil Nadu. This dish combines moong dal with ridge gourd. It's a great accompaniment with rice and rasam. It can also be eaten along with rotis.

Its why Chayote is referred to as Chayote Squash. In South India, it's a regular ingredient in sambar and accompaniments like a kootu (see recipe). One of my favourite dishes with Chow-Chow is the ...