Dondakaya Pachadi (Ivy Gourd / Tindora / Tendli Chutney - Andhra style)

 

           Dondakaya Pachadi is an Andhra style spicy and tangy chutney made of Ivy Gourd or Tendli. It is best enjoyed with steamed rice and a dollop of ghee. However, you may also enjoy with paratha or chapatti. In fact, Ivy Gourd tastes better if prepared in a chutney form than any curry form. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this classic and lip smacking regional delicacy.

           Chutney typically holds an important place in a South Indian platter. So this Tindora chutney is very popular in many regions of Andhra and Telangana, where it is enjoyed by the local folk.

           It simply tastes awesome with just rice and ghee and you don't need anything else to satiate your hunger. A simple meal like this brings a deep satisfaction beyond compare. 

           Among the varieties of chutneys found in this region, this Ivy Gourd chutney holds a prominent place in an Andhra / Telangana menu platter. It tastes both spicy and tangy with a simple tempering of mustard seeds, asafoetda, red chilies, curry leaves and urad dal.         

        

• 300 gms. Ivy Gourd, sliced
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 3-4 garlic, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted coriander powder
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime

Tempering - 

• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 4-5 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. urad dal 
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida

          Heat oil in a wok / pan and sauté the cumin seeds for a few seconds. Add the chopped garlic and green chilies. Sauté till light brown.

          Now add the Ivy Gourd, salt to taste, turmeric powder and roasted coriander powder. Mix everything well and cook, covered till it is almost done.

          Add the chopped coriander leaves and continue to sauté for a minute. Switch off the flame and keep aside to cool down. Then blend coarsely in a mixer grinder. 

          Tempering - Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, dry red chilies, curry leaves, urad dal and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Then add the coarsely ground paste and stir fry for 4-5 minutes. When done, switch off the flame and add lime juice. 

          Serve with hot steamed rice, paratha or chapatti. 

                                  Sliced Ivy Gourd.

                                  Heat oil in a pan & sauté the cumin seeds for a few seconds. 

                               Add the chopped garlic & green chilies. Sauté till light brown.

                    Add the Ivy Gourd, salt to taste, turmeric powder & roasted coriander 

                    powder. Mix everything well and cook, covered till it is almost done.

                           Add the chopped coriander leaves & continue to sauté for a minute. 

                                  Keep aside to cool down. 

                                  Then blend coarsely in a mixer grinder. 

                     Tempering - Heat oil in a pan & temper with mustard seeds, dry red 

                      chilies, curry leaves, urad dal & asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds.

                                 Add the coarsely ground paste & stir fry for 4-5 minutes. 

                                  Serve with steamed rice, paratha or chapatti. 

Tindora Bharta (Mashed Ivy Gourd Curry)

 

           You must have had baingan bharta (mashed eggplant), a very popular Punjabi dish, numerous times. So how about trying out Tindora Bharta or Mashed Ivy Gourd Curry? It tastes equally yummy and is something quite unique. It goes very well with chapatti or any flat Indian bread. However, it can also be served as a side dish with dal-chawal, sambar/rasam rice or curd rice. So go ahead and give a new look to the Bharta by checking out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 300 gms. Tindora, sliced
• 1 tomato
• 2-3 green chilies
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. kasuri methi, crushed
• 1 tsp. amchur powder
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Pressure cook the tindora, tomato, green chilies and garlic for 2-3 whistles or till they are soft. Peel the skin off the tomato and mash everything well. Keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with cumin seeds and asafoetida. Then add the chopped onion and ginger. Sauté till light brown. 

          Now add the mashed tindora and all the dry spices. Mix  everything well and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 

         When done, switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with rice or chapatti. 

                      Pressure cook the tindora, tomato, green chilies & garlic for 2-3 whistles 

                      or till they are soft. 

                             Peel the skin off the tomato & mash everything well. Keep aside.

                                    Heat oil & temper with cumin seeds & asafoetida. 

                                Then add the chopped onion & ginger. Sauté till light brown. 

                      Add mashed tindora & all the dry spices. Mix well & sauté for 2-3 min. 

                            When done, switch off the flame & garnish with coriander leaves. 

                                  Serve as a side dish with rice or chapatti. 

Dondakaya Ulli Karam (Ivy Gourd / Tindora Stir Fry - Andhra Cuisine)

          This hot and spicy Andhra style Ivy Gourd curry goes extremely well with hot steamed rice or chapati. Those who are not a fan of this humble veggie like me, will definitely fall for this yummy stir fry side dish. This is a very easy and a quick recipe with appetizing flavors. So do give it a try by following the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it

• 300-400 gms. Ivy Gourd / Tindora, sliced into half & steamed
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds 
• 1-2 onion, sliced
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 7-8 red chilies
• 3 tbsp. oil
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1 sprig curry leaves 
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1-2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and sauté the onion, red chilies, garlic, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and a pinch of salt till they turn slightly brown. Keep aside to cool and grind to a coarse paste. 

          Heat remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the steamed Ivy Gourd and salt to taste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground paste and combine everything well. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

          When done, switch off the flame and add lime juice and coriander leaves. Give it a toss and serve as a side dish with hot steamed rice or chapatis. 






Note - 
You may grind a small marble size tamarind along with onion instead of lime juice. 

                      Heat 1 tbsp. oil & sauté onion, red chilies, garlic, coriander seeds, cumin 
                      seeds & a pinch of salt till slightly brown. Cool & grind to a coarse paste. 

                      Heat remaining oil & temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and 
                      asafoetida. Sauté few seconds. Add steamed Ivy Gourd & salt to taste.
                      Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 

                        Add ground paste & combine everything well. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

                        When done, switch off flame. Add lime juice & coriander leaves.

                       Serve as a side dish with hot steamed rice or chapatis. 

Ivy Gourd Paturi (Tindora / Tendli cooked in Banana Leaf - Bengali Fusion Style)

          Paturi is a traditional style of steam cooking in banana leaf. In fact it is an old recipe which is not much heard of. But such dishes are still prepared in few Bengali homes. Besides steaming, it can also be pan fried. Generally fish is cooked in a paturi style. But today let me share Ivy Gourd Paturi that is steam cooked.

          It is an extremely easy, simple and an unique recipe that is so yummy and goes well with hot steamed rice and chapati. A drizzle of some extra mustard oil to the end product enhances the flavor of the dish. So do give this fusion Bengali delicacy a try and enjoy as a side dish.

• 10-12 Ivy Gourd, slit into half, lengthwise
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut 
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 8-10 cashew nuts / 2 tbsp. poppy seeds 
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tbsp. yoghurt
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• few extra fresh green / red chilies
• 1-2 banana leaves, cut into desired size

          Grind the cashew nuts, mustard seeds, green chilies and coconut into a smooth paste. Mix along with yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder, mustard oil, coriander leaves and Ivy Gourd.

           Heat a tawa / pan and place the banana leaves on them for a few seconds on both sides. This will help it to become more pliable so that it can be easily folded without breaking. 

          Place little of the Ivy Gourd mix in the center of a banana leaf along with a chili and fold into a parcel. Tie with a string and keep aside. Do the same with rest of the mix.

          Steam for 15-20 minutes. Midway, turn them over gently to cook the other side too. When done, discard the string and open the parcel and serve them with hot steamed rice. 






Note - 

          I had to substitute poppy seeds with cashew nuts as the former is unavailable here. But believe me there was no change in the taste and flavor. It turned out just yummy. 

Chatpata Tindora Ka Salan - Hyderabadi Style

          This recipe is almost similar to Mirchi Ka Salan and Bagara Baingan, two other Hyderabadi delicacies which has almost the same spices. The dominant ones are coconut, sesame seeds and peanuts. The gravy is extremely delicious and has a spicy and tangy flavour. 

          It is very much relished with plain biryani, pulao and jeera rice. In fact they go extremely well with any form of rice and Indian bread. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare my version of this recipe.

          I came across this recipe from one of the TV cookery shows and thought of giving it a try. I had no idea that you can dish out so many varieties of recipes with it. 

         After the stuffed version and stir fry, here is the Hyderabadi style salan gravy which surprisingly turned out very chatpata and delectable. 

         I enjoyed it very much with hot steamed rice. So do go ahead and prepare this dish for your family and friends.

• 250-300 gms. 
• Tindora (Ivy Gourd)

Dry roast & grind -

• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp. urad dal (split black gram lentil)
• 2 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
• 1 tbsp. roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp. roasted chana dal (Bengal Gram lentil)
• 5-6 dry red chilies, broken
• 1 tsp. lime juice

Gravy -

• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 sugar cube / 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup water
• coriander leaves to garnish

          Make 2 slits lengthwise to all the Ivy gourds but it should remain intact at the bottom. Keep them aside.

          Dry roast all the ingredients under 'dry roast & grind', except lime juice. Set aside to cool down. Then grind into a paste by adding some water. Add lime juice and mix well. Keep aside.

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the slit tindora till light brown. Drain and keep them aside. Heat remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds. 

          After it stops spluttering, add the onion and curry leaves. Fry till light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and turmeric powder mixed with a little water. Fry on a medium flame till the oil separates.

         Now add the ground paste and fry for a minute. Then add the tamarind water and salt. (Add more water according to the consistency required).

         Bring it to a boil and add the fried tindora and sugar. Cover and simmer on a medium flame till the veggies are soft and the oil separates. 

          Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with plain rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha or any Indian bread.

                  Make 2 slits lengthwise to the Ivy gourds, but it should remain intact at 
                  the bottom. Keep them aside.

                    Heat 1 tbsp. oil & fry slit tindora till light brown. Drain & keep them aside. 

                   Heat remaining oil & temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering,
                   add onion & curry leaves. Fry till light brown. 

                  Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste & turmeric powder mixed with some
                  water. Fry on a medium flame till oil separates.

                               Now add ground paste & fry for a minute.

                               Add tamarind water & salt.

                               Bring to a boil & add fried tindoras & sugar. 

                    Cover & simmer on med. flame till the veggies are soft and oil separates. 

 Switch off the flame & garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with plai

rice, pulao, jeera rice, roti, paratha or any Indian bread.