Kovakkai Poriyal | கோவக்காய் பொரியல் | Tindora Stirfry | Ivy Gourd Stir fry

Kovakkai Poriyal / Tindora Stir fry has a very unique taste and flavour. This goes well with plain dal rice, sambar and curd rice. It is known as Kovakkai in Tamil, Tindora/Tondli in Hindi and Dondakaya in telugu.
Kovakkai is an unusual vegetable for me because I have never seen my mom cooking this veggie. Even I haven't heard about Kovakkai until I tasted my friend Arthi's lunch at Chennai. It was so crunchy and tasty. Later after coming to US, I saw fresh Tindora's in Indian stores and decided to give it a try. It came so well,  I decided to share this recipe with you all.

Kovakkai/Tindora has a ton of nutritional benefits used widely in traditional Thai and Ayurvedic Medicine. It also helps to regulate the blood sugar levels. Hence this is a good addition to a diabetic meal plan. It is rich in vitamin C and is used to control fever, asthma, bronchitis and jaundice.

Ingredients :- 
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Kovakkai | Ivygourd	250 grams
Onions (finely chopped )	½ cup
Sambar powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Chilli powder	¾ tsp
Mustard	¼ tsp
Urad dal	½ tsp
Channa dal	½ tsp
Salt	to taste

 Method :-
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1). Wash the kovakkai, chop off the tip and tail ends. Slice the veggie into thin discs. Marinate the veggie with sambar powder and salt for 15 minutes.

2). Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard, add urad dal and channa dal saute till turns light brown. Then add onions and fry till turns translucent.

3).  Then add turmeric powder,  chilli powder and fry for a few seconds stirring continuously. Then add the sliced kovakkai and combine. Keep sauteing for 3-4 minutes so that it doesn't burn.

4). Reduce the flame to low and sprinkle little water, let it cook covered for  7-8 minutes. Cook till soft and changes color. Make sure you give a stir every 2 minutes to avoid burning.

Serve as a side for rice dishes. It goes well with sambar, rasam and simple curd rice. I personally liked it with curd rice. Enjoy !!

Notes :-
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# Use only the tender green color ivy gourds where the seeds are tender and not very mature. The very mature ivy gourds, though appear green on the outside, have a bright red color on the inside. They are very sour, so better discard it.
# Adjust spice levels to suit your taste. 
# Don't overcook the veggie, they should retain the slight crunchy texture.
# Alternatively, you can cut the veggie lengthy.

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Related Posts :-
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Click here for more :- Poriyal (Stir-fry) Recipes  
Click here for more :- Rice Accompaniments
Click here for more :- Tindora (Kovakkai) Recipes  

  Cheers,