Dondakaya/Ivy gourd/Tindora/Tendli/Kunduru whatever it is called is one of my favorite vegetable once i had the taste of it. Until I finished my masters, Dondakaya was forbidden vegetable at home for the food fad just like “Ladyfinger- the miracle mathematics teacher”. The old wives’ tale is that dondakaya is said to make a person thickheaded. The story goes on like this “Once upon a time the famous poet Kalidasa was sitting in a garden and wanted to write a poem but he could not get even a thought. He tried for hours but no idea had stricken his mind and after hours of trying he mentioned to his mother about his experience and his mother had told him that he was sitting under the Dondakaya creeper which gave this genius poet a writer’s block. All the stories and nostalgia aside dondakaya is said to be a good cure to type 2 diabetes .
This recipe takes very little oil as the dondakaya slices are steamed and so this curry does not feel heavy. The Menthi podi/Menthi karam is also said to soothe an upset stomach. Menthi karam/Menthi Podi can be made and stored in a container as it is used in many of our family dishes.
Recipe to make dondakaya Menthi karam:
Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
For Dondakaya Menthi karam :
- Dondakaya
- Menthi Podi/ Menthi karam
- Oil
- Salt
- Dry red chillies
- Mustard seeds
- Cumin seeds/Jeera
Process :
- Wash the dondakaya/Tindora thoroughly in salt water .
- Chop the into 4 slices vertically and steam the sliced dondakaya until they are soft but not too soft .
- Now heat 1 and half tbsp of oil in a pan and once the oil is heated add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and dry red chillies and wait till they splutter.
- Now add the steamed Dondakaya slices and mix all the slices with the tempering .
- Add a salt as per your taste to the curry and cover it with a lid for 2 mins for further cooking .
- Remove the lid and add Menthi karam/Menthi podi to the cooked slices and cover them with a lid for another 4 minutes.
- Transfer the contents of the pan into a bowl and the curry is ready for serving!
The Menthi karam/ Menthi podi recipe will be posted shortly as i forgot to click pictures the last time i made this powder.
MaIntiVindhu 