IVY GOURD STIR FRY

IVY GOURD STIR FRY

Today's recipe is for a dish that goes well with rice and dal as a side dish. It is an easy to make yet tasty stir fry made with ivy gourd which is a commonly available vegetable in India. It is called Tendle in my mother tongue, Konkani; Tondli in Marathi, Tindora in Hindi, Thondekayi in Kannada, Dondakaya in Telegu and Kovaikkai in Tamil.

Elsewhere in this blog you will find other dishes made with ivy gourd such as Tindora Coconut Stir Fry from Andhra Pradesh; Tendle Talasani, from our Konkani cuisine  and Thondekayi Yennegayi from North Karnataka.

For best results, choose tender ivy gourd. I have used store bought MTR Sambar Powder. You could adjust the spice level to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

• Ivy Gourd, 500 gms
• Onion, large-sized, 1
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• MTR Sambar Powder, 1 tbsp or taste
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp, for garnish

Method:

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off both the ends and cut them into roundels
Chop the onion

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and when it gets hot on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and fry till the dal changes colour
Next add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Add the chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent
Now add the ivy gourd roundels and salt to taste
Mix well and cook covered on medium heat stirring from time to time till the ivy gourd gets done
Add the sambar powder, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes more till it gets well blended with the ivy gourd
Finally,  garnish with fresh coconut gratings and serve hot as a side dish