Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (2024)

By Kelli and Holli 11 Comments

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This is my Nana’s Chow Chow Recipe. How long has it been since you have had Chow Chow? Do you know what it is? For those of you who do not, chow chow is a preparation added to food in order to enhance its flavor, like whatever you may put on your fries although I wouldn’t put chow chow on fries. Last week, as I was unpacking another box from the move I found some cookbooks and in one of those cookbooks I found an index card in my Nana’s handwriting with her beloved and until-now-lost chow chow recipe. Yay! It is sweet and spicy and perfect for the top of pinto beans or the bottom of a hot dog. Since Nana made it last, many things have changed and I use as many shortcuts as I can.

If you have a full garden, you go ahead and chop up all those garden-fresh items – you’ll need to chop and chop. You may do the same if you have access to a farmer’s market. But, if you are like me, only green bell peppers, onions and tomatoes are ripe in the farmer’s market right now. So, I took what I could get and bought the rest at the store. I purchased 2 bags of angel hair cabbage as well as all my red, orange and yellow bell peppers already cut up. It will save you tons of time! Check around your produce area – they are generally on a top shelf.

Nana’s Chow Chow

Here’s what you are going to need to get:

1 small cabbage, chopped
6 to 8 green or red tomatoes, chopped
6 medium bell peppers, chopped
6 large onions, chopped
2 hot peppers, chopped
3 cups sugar
5 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt or pickling salt.

1 teaspoon mustard seeds.

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Ladle into pint jars and screw lids tightly on top. Place in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a towel that is in a place in your home that is draft free. Makes 8 to 9 pints.

Now you can give some to your friends and keep some to add to dishes where you want that little extra kick! Before you know it – people will be begging you for more!

Nana's Chow Chow

Ingredients

  • 1small cabbagechopped
  • 6 to 8green or red tomatoeschopped
  • 6medium bell pepperschopped
  • 6large onionschopped
  • 2hot pepperschopped
  • 3cupssugar
  • 5cupswhite vinegar
  • 1/4cupsalt or pickling salt.
  • 1teaspoonmustard seeds.

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

  2. Ladle into pint jars and screw lids tightly on top. Place in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a towel that is in a place in your home that is draft free. Makes 8 to 9 pints.

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Comments

  1. Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (4)Terri C

    I’ve made my grandma’s chow chow too. Thanks for the great memories! Yours looks delicious!

    Reply

    • Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (5)Kelli

      Thank you Terri!!

      Reply

    • Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (6)Karen

      I love chow chow on a pulled pork sandwich! Can’t wait to make my own!!!

      Reply

  2. Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (7)Sarah

    Looks and smells good. I’ve never been brave enough to try chow chow. I added extra jalapeños to give it more kick. I just have one thing “bad” to say about your recipe. You don’t tell how much headspace.

    Reply

    • Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (8)Kelli and Holli

      Sorry about that! 1/4 inch headspace is the correct amount. Too much or too little headspace can cause problems with the seal. Thanks for asking — Kelli

      Reply

  3. Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (9)Patsy

    I’d like to make childcare for my son but he’s allergic to the green tomatoes so can I just do cabbage instead of the green tomatoes

    Reply

    • Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (10)Kelli and Holli

      That’s a great idea! Yes!

      Reply

    • Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (11)Granny Jean

      Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (12)
      I have made chow chow with ripe tomatoes. Just cut off the top of the tomato and then squeeze out as much liquid and seeds you can. Will keep the chow chow from being too runny.

      Reply

  4. Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (13)Derick

    Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (14)
    My Aunt made Chow Chow often I remember loving it so much. I was a foodie before that was even a thing. She always had a stockpile of ingredients for any eventuality. I and my Cousin often made cheese dips and the like.

    Reply

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  1. […] Add Nana’s Chow Chow for a real zing! […]

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  2. […] are you doing this fine Sunday? I am making more of the Chow Chow I made a few weeks ago and my daughter asked me to make a salsa recipe for canning. Something I […]

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Nanas Chow Chow Recipe - Kelli's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the food item chow chow? ›

Chowchow is a pickled relish dish that was used to preserve summer vegetables for later in the year. Recipes for the relish are highly regional, and tend to be generational recipes, passed down through families. While no one batch is the same, a lot of Southern chowchows use tomatoes, cabbage, bell peppers, and onions.

What is chow chow and how is it used? ›

You can use chow chow as you would any other kind of pickled relish. Use it as a topping for hot dogs, hamburgers, or barbeque. It's also commonly used to give a little spunk to a bowl of beans or a side of cornbread. You can even make a delicious appetizer by adding a little atop a cracker with cream cheese spread.

What is Chow Chow in Southern cooking? ›

Simply put, chow chow is a relish made using late summer produce. Green tomatoes were the inspiration for this chow chow, so they are the centerpiece of the recipe. The flavor definitely skews on the side of tangy versus sweet in order to keep that fresh garden taste.

What's the best food for Chow Chow? ›

The ideal dog food for your Chow Chow will include lean protein such as poultry and fish, low-moderate fat content, wholesome ingredients and plenty of vitamins and nutrients. To reduce the risk of allergies, Chow Chows do better on a low-grain diet.

How long does chow chow last in the fridge? ›

Unopened jars will stay good for up to a year when stored in a cool, dry area. After the jars of Chow Chow relish have been opened, store them in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4 months.

What vegetable is chow chow? ›

Chayote, chow chow, squash or Bangalore brinjal is a common inexpensive vegetable that belongs to the gourd family, along with melons and cucumbers. It is known by different names in different places. In some countries it is called cho-cho, pipinola, pear squash, vegetable pear or choko.

Why is chow chow expensive? ›

Around 10,000 Chows are registered in the U.S. every year. Although this breed is not very rare, the cost can be higher if your Chow Chow has a champion bloodline. Their blue tongues are another reason for this breed's high price. The price also depends if you are planning to buy a black, red, fawn, or white Chow.

What is chow chow made from? ›

Preparation. An early 20th-century American recipe for chow chow was made with cucumbers, onions, cauliflower and green peppers left overnight in brine, boiled in (cider) vinegar with whole mustard seed and celery seeds, then mashed into a paste with mustard, flour and turmeric.

What is the English name for chow chow? ›

Chayote Squash, popularly known as Chow-Chow in India is a vegetable belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. The thin skinned, big pear-shaped vegetable that goes with the botanical name Sechium edule, also referred as mirliton, pipinola, choko, originates from both Mexico and Guatemala.

What is chow chow in English? ›

chow chow in American English

(ˈtʃau ˌtʃau) noun. (often caps) one of a Chinese breed of medium-sized dogs having a thick black, blue, red, or cream coat and a blue-black tongue.

Which part of Chow Chow is edible? ›

It is a perennial rooted vine that bears edible fruits. In addition to fruit, stem, tender leaves and tuberous roots are also eaten. The root, stem and seed contain high calorific value and carbohydrate content. It is mainly propagated by means of seed (whole fruit with seed)/ sprouted fruits.

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