THONDEKAYI (IVY GOURD) PALYA

THONDEKAYI (IVY GOURD) PALYA

One of the veggies that is often used in my house is Ivy Gourd. This is called Thondekayi in Kannada, 

Kovakkai in Tamil, Tindora in Hindi, and Tendle in my mother tongue, Konkani.

According to this article in Lybrate, Ivy Gourd has many properties that are good for our health.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other dishes made with Ivy Gourd, such as:-

• Tendle Talasani
• Thondekayi Yennegayi
• Kovakkai Kootu

Today's recipe is from my Home State of Karnataka. It is for a side dish called Thondekayi Palya. I have adapted this from the YouTube video for Thondekayi Palya from Sudha's Kitchen.

This dish is quite easy to make and goes great with rice or chapatis. 

Ingredients:-

• Thondekayi (Ivy Gourd), 500 gms
• Channa Dal, (Bengal Gram ), 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Green Chilli, chopped, 1 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind, small gooseberry-sized ball
• Jaggery, grated, 1/2 tsp, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp

Grind To A Coarse Powder:-

• Byadgi Red Chilles, 5
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup

Method:-

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the two ends and cut lengthwise into thin strips

Soak the tamarind in a little warm water  and extract the juice

In a small mixer jar, grind together Byadgi red chillies and the mustard seeds till they are crushed

To this add the coconut gratings and once again grind to a coarse powder without adding any water 

Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add them channa dal and the curry leaves

Saute till the dal changes colour 

Add the chopped green chilli and sauté 

Next add the ivy gourd slices and sauté on low flame for 1-2 minutes 

Add a little salt salt and turmeric powder and mix well

Cover and cook on medium/low flame stirring from time to time 

Once the ivy gourd is half cooked, mix in the tamarind extract and grated jaggery

Add salt to taste ( remember a little has been added before) 

Cook till the ivy gourd gets done but remains firm without getting overcooked 

Lastly, add the freshly ground powder of red chillies-mustard and coconut and mix well 

Transfer to a serving bowl

Thondekayi Palya is ready to be served as a side dish with rice or chapatis 

 

THONDEKAI PALYA

THONDEKAI PALYA

One of the veggies I use pretty often is Ivy Gourd, variously called Thondekai in Kannada, Dondakaya in Telugu, Tindora in Hindi, and Tendle in my mother tongue, Konkani. This vegetable is commonly used all over the country.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find other recipes made with Ivy Gourd such as:-

• Tendle Talasani from our Konkani cuisine
• Thondekayi Yennegayi from Karnataka
• Kovakkai Kootu from Tamilnadu 
• Dondakaya Pachadi from Andhra Pradesh 

Ivy Gourd is rich in beta-carotene and has numerous health benefits. 

Today's recipe is for a side dish which I have adapted from Thondekai Palya from the well-known Kannada cookery channel, Swayam Paaka.

 In Karnataka cuisine, a "Palya " is a side dish usually made with a single sauteed vegetable and green chillies.

You can skip the jaggery in this recipe if you wish but I like to add some to enhance the taste. 

We had this for lunch recently and it tasted great! 

Ingredients:-

• Thondekai ( Ivy Gourd), 250 gms
• Jaggery, grated, 1 tsp 
• Lemon Juice. 1/2 to 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste 
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp, for garnish 

Grind To A Coarse Powder:-

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup 
• Green Chillies, 3- 4
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning;-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Bengal Gram ( Channa Dal) , 1/2 tsp
• Black Gram ( Urad) Dal, 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, 8-10
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the ivy gourd,  snip off the two ends, and cut the ivy gourds into small pieces

In a small mixer jar, grind together coconut gratings, green chillies, and mustard seeds to a coarse powder, without adding any water. Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and on medium heat  add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the Channa Dal and Urad Dal and saute till the days change colour.
Next add the curry leaves and turmeric powder and sauté for a few seconds

To this add the ivy gourd pieces and sauté for 1 minute
Add 1/2 cup of water, (or more if required), cover and cook on medium heat, stirring from time to time till the ivy gourd gets cooked
When the ivy gourd is cooked ( take care that it doesn't get overcooked) and the water evaporates, add the ground powder prepared earlier, salt, jaggery and mix well
Cook for another 2-3  minutes on medium/low heat
Lastly, add the lemon juice and mix well
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve hot as a side dish with chapatis or rice