Three World Vegetables You Can Easily Add To Your Diet Now!


Deciding what to cook for dinner is a dilemma as old as time, often leading to frustrating conversations such as ‘I don't know what I want!', ‘we’ve eaten that loads recently’, or ‘let's try something new!’. Sound familiar? We thought so. Red Rickshaw champions hard-to-find ingredients that are perfect for meals when you are lost for inspiration. 


It's a common annoyance to find yourself eating the same few vegetables week after week. After all, cooking is all about routines and there is comfort in familiarity, but what do you do when you are growing tired of using the same ingredients night after night? Finding inspiration doesn't need to hard.


We want you to be brave with your cooking and that starts with what you buy. Have you ever seen a vegetable you didn’t recognise and felt reluctant to pick it up because you didn't know what it was, let alone how to cook it? Allow us to broaden your horizons and show you three wonderful and easy to cook vegetables that will be sure to liven up any meal with no effort whatsoever.   


Chayote

Crammed with nutrients that benefit both your body and mind, chayote is a mild-tasting squash that you can use as a replacement for courgette or potato. Cut into chunks and roast, or thinly slice and fry, chayote is a versatile fruit with a mild flavour that pairs well with much stronger flavours. 


Thought to have first been discovered and cultivated in Central America, chayote has an abnormally long shelf life while retaining its positive nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. This can help aid prevent premature ageing and acne, while also helping reduce cholesterol. Be sure to leave the peel on while cooking, as a high proportion of nutrients can be found in the skin. 


Importantly, chayote is an excellent source of dietary fibre, containing just 0.3g of fat per 100g. Due to this, chayote is commonly used as a replacement for starchy foods which are far higher in calories.


GARDEN EGGS

Also known as bitter balls, garden eggs are a type of aubergine indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. Smaller than your typical supermarket-bought aubergines, garden eggs are mostly white but can develop yellow, or even red, skin.  


With the same texture as aubergine but packing a stronger and more distinctive taste, these are sure to impress fellow aubergine lovers. Their spongy centre and ‘meaty’ flesh are fantastic at absorbing flavour and makes them a brilliant meat alternative.


Popular in Ghana and Nigeria, garden eggs are commonly eaten in traditional African stews, however, can also be fried or cooked in curries.  With their pleasantly bitter flavour, Garden eggs act as a versatile source of potassium, remaining low in calories while also remaining high in dietary fibre.


Long Dudhi

Also known as a bottle gourd, long dudhi is rich in fibre and touted for its diuretic properties. Low in calories but high in fibre, long dudhi keeps you fuller for longer, all while aiding your digestive system. 


With up to 96% water content, long dudhi is great for your skin, aiding the efficient removal of toxins from your body. Dudhi can come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, such as the round dudhi, but it is best not to be intimidated and to treat it as you would a courgette.


When cooking dudhi, you can leave the skin on or remove the skin before cooking to allow for a more tender texture. Able to be fried, roasted, baked or, also, commonly cooked into curries, long dudhi is perfect for bulking up vegan dishes or for those nights you want to go meat-free.


Red Rickshaw celebrates ingredients you struggle to find anywhere else, alongside all the essentials you need to keep cooking. For more ingredients sourced from around the world, check out our fresh fruit and vegetable range. Fancy something meatier? We source fresh meat and fish too!