Tindora fry is a very simple vegetarian curry. Tindora is commonly called as dondakaya (in Telugu), Ivy Gourd (Coccinia grandis), Vargoli (hindi), Tendli (marathi), Kovakkai (malayalam), Kovaikai (tamil), Goli (Rajasthani), Kundru (Uttar Pradesh).Ivy gourd is tropical vine and its native includes the Africa, Asia, India, Phillipines, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and North Territories (Australia). Ivy gourd can grow up to four inches per day.
It grows in dense blankets that shade other plants from sunlight and high-jacking nutrients. Native to tropical Africa and Asia, it was introduced to Hawaii’s as a back yard food crop. Indian Ivy Gourd or Tindora is popular and widely consumed vegetablethroughout India. Tindoraare cute small looking, stubby, green colored vegetables which grow aggressively on vines are used to prepare delicious stuffed curries, stews, pickles, salads and stir fries. They are minute version of cucumber.
Tindoracan be eaten raw and are a lot crunchier than cucumbers, or they may be cooked as a side dish or may be pickled. Tindorais available in abundance, fresh, cheap, healthy and tasty. But there are few in extremes that either hate this vegetableor just love it. But for me this was one my top dish which was very popular and prepared daily for the buffet.
There are many variations to the Dondakaya frydepending on its region and taste. Dondakaya Vepudu or Tindora fry is a very popular Andhra style preparation where they are finely sliced deep fried and tempered with seasoning.
To prepare the Tindoora fry, Wash clean and slice them finely. Deep fry the Tindoora at the right temperature to cook. This help in retaining the nice green color of the vegetable. Remove and keep aside. For tempering, add oil to the pan, add red chillies, mustardand cumin seeds, once they crackle, add channa daland sauté till the channa dalis cooked and add urad dal.
These two dals are mainly added to give a nice crunchy texture with a mild spice-sweet nutty flavor. Add cashewnuts, turmeric powder, salt, curry leaves, chilli powder, coconut powder and mix all well. Lastly add the fried Tindoras and mix well.Add some more curry leaves and mix. This would give a nice flavor and taste to the fry. Serve it hot and fresh.
You can also add peanuts or groundnuts instead or cashewnuts. This goes well with steamed white rice or chapattis. Tindora has various medicinal qualities: The juiceof the roots and leaves is used in the treatment of diabetes. The leaves are used as a poultice in treating skin eruptions. The plant is used as a laxative. It is used internally in the treatment of gonorrhea. This humble vegetable will find its place at every dining table with a new respect even among the picky palates because a new research shows that consuming 50 gms of Tindora daily can help keep your blood sugar under check.
A team of doctors have found that sugar levels in new diabetics, with fasting blood sugar counts below 200, can drop by 16% by simply slurping the curried vegetable, known to botanists as Coccinia indica. It also reduced post-prandial blood glucose (sugar count after a meal) by 18%. The findings have been reported in the latest issue of the international journal Diabetes Care.
A variety of recipes from all over the world can be prepared with Tindora as the main ingredient. Tindoora can be prepared as a curry, deep fried, stuffed with masalaor sautéed. The fruit is commonly eaten in Indian cuisine, Thailand, Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries.
Tindora is a good source of several micronutrients including vitaminA & C and is rich in beta-carotene. Well, so for all you diabetic or sugar conscious readers, this simple vegetablemust be a great feast for them as it helps in reducing the blood sugar.