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.