The X Factor: Most house cooks and cooks all the time have a secret twist to a recipe that they hardly ever reveal. It’s the very first thing that crossed my thoughts once I tried the Dondakaya Vepudu (Stir-fried ivy gourd) from Andhra Deli, one in every of Chennai’s most interesting locations for Andhra delicacies. Hyma Sakhamuri who helms this cloud kitchen revealed her secret ace – the Pappu podi (aka Andhra-style gunpowder) that provides an awesome flavour and texture profile to this easy dish. 

Dondakaya in Telugu, kovakkai in Tamil, kundru or Tindora in Hindi, ivy gourd is an usually beneath used and underestimated vegetable. The stems and leaves of this climber are believed to be efficient towards diabetes. Ivy gourd is wealthy in important vitamins, minerals and nutritional vitamins like B1 and B2. While a stir-fry (see recipe) is a good choice and accompaniment for rice and sambar or rasam, it’s also possible to mess around with this vegetable with completely different cooking kinds. We’ve rounded up three easy recipes you may strive at house: 

(Also Read: 5 Ways To Make A Delicious Lunch With The Nutritious Lauki)

Recipe – Dondakaya Vepudu

Recipe courtesy – Hyma Sakhamuri, Andhra Deli, Chennai

Vepudu brings out the core flavours of ivy gourd.
Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

Ingredients 

Ivy Gourd – 1 kg 
Pappu podi – 4 spoons 
Turmeric – 1 spoon 
Salt to style 
Groundnut oil – 3 desk spoons 

Tempering 

Crushed garlic – 6 cloves 
Jeera 
Mustard 
Urad dhal 
Curry leaves 

The prep

• Wash and dry the ivy gourd
• Cut into vertical strips 
• Transfer the minimize ivy gourd into a large bowl add salt (add as little as a pinch as ivy gourd requires very much less salt and the Pappu podi has salt in it ) and a spoon of turmeric
• Start mixing them along with plain fingers. This will end in a frothy texture 
• Remove the ivy gourd from the bowl by squeezing the fluids and switch to a different bowl. Discard the water. 
• The ivy gourd is now prepared for cooking. 

Method: 

• Heat floor nut oil in a kadai
• Add the tempering  and the add the squeezed out ivy gourd. 
• Stir effectively and prepare dinner with the lid closed for 10 minutes – often stir . Cook longer in case you prefer it extra cooked . 
• Add a beneficiant portion of the Pappu podi. Adjust Salt and chilli. 
• Now fry on a excessive flame for five minutes . The brown burnt texture provides a singular style to this dish . 

 
Tips 

• The items may be minimize diagonally or vertically, does not matter 
• The Pappu podi may be changed with chilli garlic flakes , or plan chilli powder with a few spoons of plain fried gram dhal powder ( simply blitz a cup of fried gram within the mixer )
• The last 5 minutes , as soon as the podi is added, must be cooked with out the lid and on excessive flame, else the dish will end up soggy 

(Also Read: 5 South Indian Chicken Soup Recipes That You Must Try This Winter Season)

Recipe – Kovakkai Avial

Avial with ivy gourd is straightforward to make.
Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

This dish tastes finest with rice. 

Ingredients: 

Kovakkai (Ivy Gourd) – 10 to fifteen Nos
1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
3 to 4 tsp grated coconut 
1 tsp cumin seeds
 2 inexperienced chillies 
4-5 Shallots 
1/2 cup -curd
 2 tsp coconut oil / cooking oil
1 sprig curry leaves & 1 tsp mustard seeds    
 Salt: to style 

Method: 

• Cut the kovakkai lengthwise into 4 to five items. Add turmeric powder and salt, combine effectively and maintain apart.
• Grind coconut, cumin, shallots and inexperienced chillies collectively into a rough paste with 1 or 2 tsp of curd.
• Heat teaspoon of oil in a pan, add the Kovakkai items marinated with turmeric & salt. Stir fry for two to three minutes or until it’s half cooked.
• Sprinkle a handful of water and blend effectively. Close with a lid and prepare dinner on low flame until it’s 3/4th cooked. 
• Now add the coarsely grinded paste to the kovakkai and shut with a lid. Do not stir now. After 1 or 2 minutes, open the lid and stir effectively. 
• Add the tempered curry leaves & mustard. Mix effectively and prepare dinner for just a few extra seconds.
• Whisk the curd effectively and add it to the kovakkai combination; stir effectively.

(Also Read: 11 Best South Indian Snacks Recipes)

Recipe – Kovakkai Thogayal/Chutney

This chutney goes effectively with every kind of meals
Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

This dish tastes equally good with dosa and with steaming sizzling rice (combined with ghee). You may serve it as a breakfast chutney with idli
 

Ingredients: 

3 teaspoon Indian sesame oil
1 cup sliced Kovakkai 
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoon toor dal
2 tablespoon urad dal
4 dried pink chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 amla sized tamarind
1/3 cup shallots
5-7 pods garlic
1/2 tomato chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon jaggery(elective)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 cup recent shredded coconut

Method: 

• Roast the sliced kovakkai (on a low flame) with a teaspoon of oil till the pores and skin is barely brown.
• Transfer the roasted kovakkai to a plate. Set apart to chill.
• In the identical pan, add in a teaspoon of oil. Add within the cumin seeds, toor dal, urad dal, pink chillies, curry leaves and tamarind. Saute on a low flame. 
• Add within the sliced shallots and garlic. Roast the shallots and garlic until the garlic turns golden.
• Add tomato and saute for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes are mushy. Add within the salt, jaggery and asafoetida. Saute for a minute. Finally add within the recent shredded coconut and saute for a minute extra. Remove the combination and put aside to chill.
• Grind every part to a paste. Grind to a rough texture. Do not add any water whereas grinding the thogayal.
• Heat oil in a pan and add within the garlic cloves. Roast the garlic cloves until golden. Add within the mustard seeds, curry leaves and pink chillies. Saute for just a few seconds. Add the tempering to the thogayal. 
   

About Ashwin RajagopalanI’m the proverbial slashie – a content material architect, author, speaker and cultural intelligence coach. School lunch containers are normally the start of our culinary discoveries.That curiosity hasn’t waned. It’s solely received stronger as I’ve explored culinary cultures, avenue meals and fantastic eating eating places the world over. I’ve found cultures and locations by means of culinary motifs. I’m equally captivated with writing on shopper tech and journey.