First it was called in Thai Fak Maew which means a type of gourd associated with the Maew hill tribe.  Then, the people told me from the research center on Doi Wawi in Chiangrai that the Farang name is Chayote and the new Thai name is Mara Wan, which means sweet bitter melon.  To add to the confusion is the fact that I first came across this fruit and vine in New Orleans cuisine and they call this fruit in America Merlton!  What ever its name is, both the tips of the vine and the fruit are beginning to be used extensively in Thai cooking.  The vine was introduced and cultivated by one of the many Royal projects of His Majesty the King.  Thai agricultural expert have seen these vines and thought it would grow very well in the highlands.  It was about five or six years ago that this vegetable was available in Thai markets and now the most common dish using this vine is the stir-fry tips of the Chayote or Fak Maew in very hot wok seasoned with either soy sauce or oyster sauce.  Just go to most Thai restaurants these days and you can ask for Yod Mara Pad and you will get a delicious crispy and crunchy plate of healthy stir-fry vegetables.

          Chayote is now grown extensively in the highlands of Thailand. It likes the cool climate and does not have too many insects to destroy it. Emphasis is made to ensure that no insecticides are used and fertilizer that are used are natural not chemical. Chayote sells very well and are very popular especially the tips of the vine which fetch quite a high price at the supermarket but if you bought it from the source it costs 10-12 Bahts per kilogram. The cultivation of this vine has provided the farmers in the highland with a steady income as well as improving their living conditions. Now that the tip of the vines are very popular we still need to give the Thai housewives some ideas and recipes of what they can do with the fruit of the Chayote vine. During my trip up to the Wawi Research Station, which by the way has lodgings for those who have four wheel drive cars to stay and visit and breath the clear and fresh mountain air, I created a dish for demonstration. This cooking demonstration was done on the concrete open-air area where they dried the coffee beans. I would like to share this recipe with you. The name of this recipe is Stir-fry glass noodles with sour pork, salted eggs and sliced Chayote.

Directions:
1. Put a wok on the stove with some vegetable oil and heat up till quite hot.
2. Add chopped garlic to the oil and fry until fragrant but not browned, then add the Naem and blanched Chayote slices. Stir-fry until hot.
3. Add the glass noodles and stir. The noodle will be a little stiff when you first add it to the pan but the moisture and the heat in the pan will soften it. If there is not enough moisture just add a little chicken stock remembering that there will other wet stuff we are going to add to the pan! (Eggs and soy sauce!)
4. Once the noodle starts getting soft add the beaten eggs and allow it to seeps to the bottom of the pan and cook for a bit before stir-frying it.
5. Add the pickled garlic pieces. Toss all ingredients together to mix and season with salt, pepper and soy sauce. The noodle should be soft but not clumped together. Do not add too much salt or soy; taste the dish first because you already have the saltiness from the salted eggs. Once done and seasoned to your liking which in one mouthful you should be able to taste the sweet and sour crunchiness of the pickled garlic. The sourness from the sour pork, the sweet and crunchy Chayote and the soft noodle which should be salty and creamy with the scent of the slightly burnt eggs.

        This is a very common recipe in Thai Chinese cuisine. I just added extra ingredients to make the dish more interesting. Shredded Chayote can also be made into Som Tum or Thai papaya salad but instead of using papaya you just substitute shredded Chayote. This fruit also goes well in Gang Som or sour curry. There are so many uses to this fruit (Vegetable) depending on your imagination. It is healthy full of vitamin C and lots of iron. I hope that you will look for the tips or the fruit of the Chayote next time you are at the super market and try cooking with it.