IVY GOURD MASALA

IVY GOURD MASALA

A commonly available vegetable in India is ivy gourd which is called Tindora in Hindi, Thondekayi in Kannada, and Tendle in my mother tongue Konkani. This vegetable has several health benefits. 

I make dishes using ivy gourd quite often so elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for dishes such as

• Tendle Talasani, 
• Tindora Coconut Stir Fry,
• Stuffed Tindora Masala.
• Garlicky Ivy Gourd Stir Fry

Recently I made one more dish using ivy gourd. This was Ivy Gourd Masala adapted from Thondekai Masala Curry  from Veg Recipes of Karnataka. 

We enjoyed this as a side dish with rice and rotis. 

Ingredients:-

• Ivy Gourd,  500 gms
• Large sized Onion, 1
• Tamarind, size of a gooseberry
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp

To Be Roasted and Ground To A Paste:-

• Peanuts, 1/4 cup
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Sesame Seeds, 2 tsp
• Large Sized Tomato, 1
• Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup

Method:-  

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the two ends and slice them length-wise

Finely chop the onion, tomato and coriander leaves

Soak the tamarind in warm water for about 10 minutes and extract the juice

Cook the sliced ivy gourd in a pressure cooker with a little salt and very little water for 1 whistle

Once the cooker cools, removed the cooked ivy gourd and keep aside

In a pan, dry roast the peanuts, coriander seeds and red chillies on medium heat stirring continuously till the peanuts change colour 

To this add the sesame seeds and sauté till they splutter 

Now add the chopped tomato and coconut gratings, and sauté for a few seconds and switch off the gas

Allow this to cool, then transfer to a mixer jar

Grind to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside 

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and curry leaves and sauté till the onions turn slightly golden 

To this add the cooked ivy gourd, salt to taste, turmeric powder, tamarind extract and the ground masala and mix well. Add a little water if required. 

Cook on medium heat till the ivy gourds get well blended with the masala 

Lastly, switch off the gas and garnish the dish with finely chopped coriander leaves 

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve the Ivy Lord Masala as a side dish with rice or rotis