The only laborious part of this sayote at hipon guisado recipe is in the manual preparation of the vegetables. Once you get past that, everything’s a breeze.

The proportion between shrimps and vegetables is flexible. Some people want less shrimps and more vegetables while others prefer the opposite. So, follow your heart’s desire. Whatever works best for you, really.

Sayote at Hipon Guisado (Sautéed Chayote and Shrimps)

Spicy, sweet and deeply nuanced, my version of sayote at hipon guisado is definitely not how your grandmother or your yaya cooked this very traditional Filipino dish.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Keyword: Chayote, Shrimps, spicy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 500 to 700 grams chayote about two to three pieces; peeled, cored and julienned
• 1 large carrot peeled and julienned
• patis (fish sauce)
• 1 cup semi-sweet white wine
• 400 grams shrimps shelled and deveined (see notes after the recipe)
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger peeled and grated
• 2 bird’s eye chilies finely chopped
• 4 stalks scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

• Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan or wok.
• Add the carrot, chayote, garlic, ginger and chilies. Drizzle in about a teaspoon of fish sauce. Saute for about a minute.
• Pour in the wine. Boil uncovered until the wine is reduced to almost nothing and the vegetables are cooked through but not mushy. Depending on the age of the vegetables (younger ones are more tender and cook faster), this stage takes anywhere from five to 10 minutes (see notes after the recipe).
• When the vegetables are done, add the shrimps.
• Continue sauteeing just until the shrimps change color. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• Turn off the heat. Taste and season with more fish sauce, if needed.
• Transfer the cooked dish to a serving plate.
• Garnish with fine slivers of scallions.
• Serve your sayote at hipon guisado at once.

Cook’s Notes

This is easy sautéed shrimp and chayote dish was made with 400 grams of frozen, vacuum-sealed shrimps that came peeled and deveined. If using fresh shrimps that need to be peeled and deveined, you will need around 600 grams.

If the wine dries up before the vegetables are done, add a quarter a cup of water and continue boiling until quite dry. Don’t worry about the “dry” state — the shrimps will render their natural juices so you still get a nice amount of sauce.

Updated from a recipe originally published in 05/14/2010

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