Dondakaya Velluli Kobbari Vepudu( Tindora / Tendli / Ivy Gourd Fry WIth Garlic And Coconut )

Dondi (its our nickname) or Dondakaya used to be my most favorite vegetable of all when i was a kid. I used to have this tindora curry at least twice a week for lunch, and that used to make my moms job easy early in the morning. This dondakaya fry doesn't need any fancy ingredients, just salt and chilli powder( with garlic and coconut ) would do the trick.


This one reminds me of my grandparents garden. They had all kinds of veggies and Tindora used to grow so much they used to distribute to neighbours and friends. They were so fresh, tender,very firm and round. They are the best tindora i ever had. And my thatha( grandpa) used to eat the raw ones( hey its not that bad, give it a try once ) and to my surprise it wasn't that bad. And my ammamma( grandma ) i remember her spending most of her time in the kitchen cooking for soninlaws, daughters and the grand children and its not just her cooking but the love and care she used to put into each and every dish. Actually that's how she used to shower her love towards us. Ammamma you are the best!!!


You need:
1 pound fresh tindoras / ivy gourd/ dondakaya/ tendli
Oil for frying

To make velluli karam( Garlicky red chilli powder):
1/2 cup red chilli powder
1/2 -2/3 cup salt( you can add in the curry later if you need more )
2-3 small garlic cloves
10 curry leaves
2 two inch dried coconut squares or 1/2 cup dried coconut powder

Run these in a blender and store it in an air tight jar.


How to:
Wash and dry the tindora / dondakaya
Cut them into 1/2 inch rounds
In a wide bottomed pan, heat 1/4 -1/3 cup oil
Fry these chopped pieces along with some salt until golden brown
When they are crisp and cooked, transfer them on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil( if any)
Wipe off the pan with paper napkins
Switch on the heat put the fried tindora back to pan and add the prepared garlic red chili powder
Fry for 1 min and adjust salt to taste


Serve this with hot rice or chapathi. I like mine with some hot rice with ghee( clarified butter) and simple tomato dal. Yum tastes so goooood!

Tags:Dondakaya Velluli Miram Vepudu, Dondkay Vegimpu, Spicy tindora garlic coconut fry, Tindora fry

15 comments:

  1. this is an all-time fave. i have it up on my blog too

    http://cookingandme.blogspot.com/2007/08/kovakka-mezhukkupurattigerkins-stir.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. dondakaya koora chala bagundhi...vellulli karamm lo veyyatam naku baga nachindhi..

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think inkerla we call it govakka.
    Dish is lovely.
    My sis make this veggie a lot of time

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think in kerala we call it kovakka, dish looks lovely. My sis make this a lot of time

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes ...Yes... I have had this before and had just fallen in love with it. Thanks a bunch for the recipe. I am gonna make it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love it too, crisp and delicious:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Its not fair Kalva, I had my lunch just couple of mins back.. and I am feeling hungry again.. me dondakaya vepudu adurs.. :))

    ReplyDelete
  8. lovely pics and recipe. i adore this veggie.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Nags, Shanthi Banu, happy Cook, Seema, Asha, Siri and Bee for stopping by and leaving wonderful comments!

    Nags- yes i checked yours and pics are awesome. I do that curry too, but i use pressure pan for it.

    Shanthi Banu- Chala thanks andi meku nachinanduku. Ee karam bendakaya and chaam dumpa tho kuda bavuntundhi.

    Happy Cook- Didnt know that its called Kovakak in Kerala. Thanks for letting me know

    Seema - Hope you could fall in love again thsi time with my recipe

    Asha - Yes this is my hubbys favorite, he likes it crisp i like it soft.

    Siri - Oh sorry Siri, wish i could have shared with you!

    Bee - yep it was my fav veggie when i was a kid.

    Again, thanks everyone for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Been a while since I've eaten dhondakai, am hitting the indian store tomorrow!

    Thanks for the inspiration :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks so good.. I do a microwave version of it.. will try to add the coconut -garlic powder to it next time. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. looks so yummy and crunchy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous8:38 AM

    Hey, instead of deep frying the gourd, mix them with salt, keep aside for 15 min. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, crushed garlic and curry leaves. fry and then add the gourd. dont add water. Fry in low flame until done. Add chilli powder or pepper powder(even better). Dont add coconut. Less calories and tastier. Try it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks! Anonymoue liked your version very much. yes i do it like that too, but without garlic. Hey never added salt before cooking for the gourd.. Definitely will try next time. thanks for your time!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely recipe, with the special karam powder for spice. dondakaya is not a very popular vegetable, but this will make it special. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by, reading my posts and leaving your wonderful comments and suggestions. Hope you would visit again for more of my culinary adventures. Happy cooking!!