Tindora Sabzi - Dondakaya fry - kovakkai stir fry - thondekai palya

Dondakaya Vepudu(IvyGourd curry) is a popular Andra recipe made with Dondakaya(tindora) and some spices and peanuts.Peanuts gives extra nutty taste to Curry. It goes well with hot rice, chapathi and roti. Tindora or even Ivy gourd is additionally known as by various titles such as the parwal, kundru, tondli in Marathi, Toroda, kunduri (Oriya), kovai, kundri or even kovakkai in Malayalam and kovakka in Tamil, Dondakaya in Telugu.

    It is abundant with Vitamin C, which will help in conditioning the bones.It also has plenty of Vitamin B1 and B2, as also trace quantities of Vitamin A. All these vitamins are vital for the human body, and help in strengthening your immune system, and thus keep away diseases.Ivy gourd is said to be a brilliant bloody purifier and detoxifier, which thus helps in cleansing your body. It also simulates the liver, and clears harmful germs from your body.Now we learn to make healthy stir fry.

Ingredients

Tindora/Dondakaya - 1/4 kg.

oil - to fry

salt - to taste.

onion -1. 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
urad dal - 1 tsp.

onion - 1.

To Dry Roast & Grind

Red chillies -  5.
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp.
fenugreek seeds - 10.
curry leaves - 1 sprig.
coriander seeds - 1 tsp.

Dry roast everything and grind it into a coarse powder with salt  and keep it aside.

Preparation

• cut the edges of tindora and cut it lengthwise (for easy cooking). you can also cut into roundels, depends upon your wish.
• Cut the  onions lengthwise.

Method

• Heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal. Saute till dal's turns golden brown.Then add onions saute till onions turns golden brown colour.

• Then add tindora(dondakaya) and turmeric mix well, cook in a medium flame and cook it covered for faster cooking.

• When tindora's are almost soft, add dry powder mix well. (Not necessary to cover the tindora's now, else it becomes soggy)cook for another 8 - 10 minutes till the powder, blends well with Tindora's and comes in the form of curry.

• It goes well with rice, roti and chapathi's. 

Dondakaya Vepudu

 Notes

• Instead of cooking Tindora/Dondakaya directly on kadai, you can cut the tindora into roundels & pressure cook the tindora in a cooker without adding water for 4 to 5 whistles. (Take a pressure cooker, add some water at the bottom of cooker, then place the vessel with chopped tindora, then cover the vessel, then close the cooker lid & pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles).pressure cooked tindora,oozes little water. drain the water from it, then use it.After onions browned, add this  pressure cooked tindora, & saute for few seconds till the moisture in it is completely drained  and follow the above procedure.