Kovakkai (Tindora) with Black Channa

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Now to the recipe :)

I love tindora and it was one of my three favorite vegetables, when i was a kid..Did i say three? :-) I was one of the pickiest eaters when i was a kid :-O A mom's nightmare. My mom used to try various things to make me eat veggies and she was so happy to see me taking almost all the vegetables after i moved to U.S.

I just love the way my mom makes Tindora and my friend Jo introduced me this version few years back and i love this too. The earthy flavor of Black channa makes the roasted kovakkai taste yum!! I could decide which of the two to send to the WYF event and i usually prefer sending healthy recipes to events, so i picked this as it is protein rich.

When i goto the grocery store i don't really pay much attention to how much the vegetables weigh when i buy them. I just know that it will be sufficient or more than sufficient when i buy..that is why i usually give the measurements in cups :)

Ingredients :

Kovakkai / Tindora / Ivygourd - 4 cups (chopped)
Cooked Kala channa (Black chickpeas) - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 spoon or as required
Salt to taste
Dhaniya (Coriander seeds) powder- 1.5 spoons
Cilantro - for garnishing
Mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, urad daal for seasoning






Method :

Soak the kala channa overnight and pressure cook it in salted water.
Drain and keep aside. Steam the chopped tindora till they are well cooked.
Otherwise it will take a long time and lot more oil to cook it.
After steaming the tindora, heat some oil in a non-stick pan and pop mustard seeds.
Add urad daal, hing and curry leaves and fry till urad daal is golden brown.
Add the cooked tindora and cooked kala channa. Add salt, chilli powder and dhaniya powder and
mix well. Cook till the raw smell is gone and till the tindora gets slightly roasted. I cut tindora into thin slices so it gets roasted fast. Add minced cilantro and grated coconut (optional). I didn't add coconut, but it tastes even better with coconut.



Sending this to EC's WYF Sidedish.

Click here for the recipe of my mom's yummiest Tindora Curry.