Tuesday 8 June 2010

Dondakaya vepudu / kovakkai varuval / Tindora or Indian Ivy-gourd stir-fry

 
Rajender prepares this dish wonderfully. Only after marriage I got to taste kovakkai (raw tindora). When I am young I used to eat kovapazham (ripe tindora) which grew near our home. The colour of the fruit is so attractive children will immediately love them. The tindora fruit is also a favourite of parakeets. In tamil literature, tindora fruit colour is compared to the lip colour of women :D.

A dish with raw kovakkai is very new to me and I loved watching Rajender prepare it. He made it so well this veggie immediately became my favourite. When my mom and her sister came here, Rajender prepared this for them too. My amma and periyamma were all in praise for this dish.

The scientific name for Indian ivy gourd is  Coccinia grandis. Young leaves, long slender stem tops,  raw and ripe fruits of this plant are consumed in many parts of  Asia. The root and leaf extract of this plant are used in the treatment of diabetes due to their hypoglycemic properties When I write this I remember what Rajender tells me when I eat the raw ivy gourd '' do not eat it you will get 'mathi marapu' ''. 'Mathi marapu' means disturbances in your memory. Now  I understand the reason behind it. If you become hypoglycemic naturally your memory power goes off  :). The fruit is a very rich source of many micronutrients including vitamin A and C.  Like any other vegetable this tindora is also rich in fiber.


Ingredients :

Kovakkai / Timdora / Ivy gourd- 1/4 kg
Onion- 1 no
Green chillies- 4 nos
Curry leaves- handful
Channa dhal and urid dhal- 1/2 tspn
Mustard, jeera seeds- 1/2 tspn
Chilli powder- 1/2 tspn 
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Oil- 2tbspns
Salt to taste

Method :

Wash and make thin slices of kovakkai as shown in picture. Cut onions and green chillies into small pieces. Take oil in a pan. When the oil gets heated add channa dhal and urid dhal. When they become brown and emit a nice aroma add mustrd and jeera seeds. After they splutter add onions, green chillies, curry leaves, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Saute well until the onions turn translucent. Now add the thinly sliced kovakkai pieces. Simmer the flame and saute the entire mixture on a low flame. Constantly stir the mixture.  Add the red chilli powder prior to removing them from fire. Remove from fire when kovakkai browns a bit and turns crispy. A very delicious stir-fry will be ready to be savoured. This dish makes an excellent companion for chappathis or for hot rice.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : If you need a crispy fry make thin slices. Use only the raw ivy gourds. Discard them if they have a reddish tinge inside. When you slice them they must have a firm texture. Curry leaves add lots of flavour to this dish. If you like you can also add thinly sliced garlic when sauting onions. Happy cooking !!!

22 comments:

  1. love this tendali ka sabzi...one of my fav side dish with roti..I do prepare this but slightly different than yours...adding channa dal, urad dal sounds great..thanks for sharing this!

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  2. Ahh just today got this..I made before....will follow this..thanks :)

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  3. I love those Tendlis but don't get then here. Stir fry looks yummy.

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  4. Yummy fry..my favou veggie..

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  5. nice click.. mouth watering recipe..

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  6. Nice fry!appadiye eduthu saapidalaam pola irukku! :)

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  7. yummy yummy manju nice presentation too

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  8. looks very delicious. tindora fry is one of my fav..

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  9. Very informative and detailed post about tindora, sounds simple and healthy dish....

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  10. Ivy ground is simple to make and so delicious...

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  11. Wat a delicious varuval, simply superb..

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  12. One of my fav recipes .Love this veg.Looks crispy nad delicious.

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  13. Manju,
    Tindora fry looks really yummy. I make this dish more often due to hubby's diabetics.

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  14. Can it get any better than that? I mean this is hands down my favorite vempudu after may be potato... lol

    I remember as a kid us sisters use to fight over who eats more :)

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  15. Nice information you have collected about this Kovvakai.

    I started liking this when my Minlaw made it. My hubbys one of the favorite veggie.

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  16. nice and delicious looking curry

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  17. Great recipe! I had this stirfry today..Love it!!

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  18. Manju,,kovakkai varuval nalla seithurukeenga paa...enakku echil ooruthu rasam saadham kooda nalla irukkum.. enakku rasam saadham iruntha ella veg n non veg side dishes um romba pidikkum..

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  19. Thank u Manju for your comments. I am doing good yar. How r u? Actually relatives have come home for a month. So bit busy with them..Your Kovakai looks yummy..

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