Recipe - Bharwaan Tindora

Recipe - Bharwaan Tindora (Dondakaya kura/Kovakkai/ Kundru sabzi)


Ivy gourd or Little gourd stir fry

Summary

Tindora/little gourd has low glycemic index which is good for people who are diabetic, helps regulates blood glucose. It is high in beta-carotene. Thanks to Wikipedia, I leant, dondakaya is also known as gentleman's toes (compare lady's fingers/okra ). Source: Wikipedia.

Tindora/dondakaya is very popular vegetable in south India. Dondakaya can be eaten as a curry or chutney. I make stuffed tindora/dondakaya for small gatherings. I live in a multi cultural community. Dishes like stuffed tindora is like a delicacy, considering its look and presentation. If I am in a hurry I just chop tindora into vertical slices and add the spices on top of them and make it a stir-fry. Tastes almost the same but looks different :-)

Okra/Bhindi can be made the same way as Ivy gourd/Tindora

Ingredients:

  • Tindora - 45 - 50 pieces

Stuffing:

  • Coconut - 2 tablespoons (optional)
  • Chickpea flour/Besan - 3 tablespoons (roasted)
  • Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
  • Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
  • Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Oil - 2 tablespoons

Process:

Wash and clean tindora, slit tindora veritcally, making four slits. Make sure one edge of the tindora is entact. Mix all the spices together with with 2 teaspoons of oil. Stuff tindora with the stuffing mix.

Preheat an open skillet with oil on medium heat, add the stuffed tindora's slowly to the pan in a single layer.

Cook/roast them well on all the sides on medium temperature, make sure not to cover the dish.

Preparation time 30 - 45 minutes (takes longer to stuff :-))
# Servings: 4 - 6

Tips:

From one of my readers: Thank you Jen!!

  • To cook Kovaikkai/Tindora/Dondakaya faster with a little less use of oil, microwave the slit Kovaikkais about 20 of them (on a plate with a little bit of water) and then stuffed them and placed them in a single layer in little oil.
  • The rest of the Kovaikkai slit vertically (To hasten the cooking process, cooked them in the microwave first and then followed the rest of your recipe, turns out awesome.
  • To cut the stuffing process short, slice tindoras thin (10 minutes can be saved). Cutting tindoras is also a chore ;-)

Preheat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds. Let them splutter add chopped tindora, turmeric. Let them cook for 10- 15 minutes.

Add red chilli powder, salt and chick pea flour, sautee till the desired crispness is aquaired.

Serve it hot with roti or rice.



Comments

Anonymous said…
DeviPriya -

I tried both your recipes for Dondakaya and they both turned out to be awesome. I recommend you to post this in IF.
Anonymous said…
DeviPriya- Just back from cooking your Kovaikkai (Dondakaya/Tindora) recipe. I recommend you to post the recipe here, if you haven't done it already. It turned out to be very good, esp the stuffed Kovaikkai.

I did some things to cook Kovaikkai faster with a little less use of oil. I microwaved the slit Kovaikkais about 20 of them (on a plate with a little bit of water) and then stuffed them and placed them in a single layer in little oil. Yum it was!

The rest of the Kovaikkai slit vertically (the 2nd method. To hasten the cooking process, I cooked them in the microwave first and then followed the rest of your recipe. That also turned out to be awesome.

Oh.. I also added fresh coconut to the besan stuffing mix. It did enhance the dish with a nice coconutty flavor.
Anonymous said…
Priya,kovaikkai recipe came out very well dear.Thanx once again.i just added little bit dhaniya powder(bcoz i like it) & it was nice.My hubby used 2 like all the fried items & he luved it.it consumes less oil if we microwave it b4 roasting.

Priya.
Anonymous said…
thank you dp. the dinner menu is done...thanks to you..
Anonymous said…
Vow Priya,i've kovakkai at home,bored of same style.it luks yummy,thanx 4 sharing.Lots of information abt the vegetable,very useful informations yaar,thanx a lot.

Let me try it & let u know.
Devi Priya said…
Thank you all, I appreciate all of your inputs.

Priya
Anonymous said…
dp kovakkai a big success....i loved it. even tho i like to think of myself as a good cook...it would not have happened without your yummy recipe. thanks.

Jasunap