Indian Tindora Coconut Stir Fry

I was roaming the produce aisles at my local Indian supermarket and came across an interesting looking vegetable I hadn't ever seen that looked like a miniature (~2 inches) cucumber/zucchini. It turns out its known as tindora (also known as an ivy gourd), and it's used commonly in Indian cuisine, specifically in the Andhra region. Here is what it looks like.

This recipe is from this site, and it's a simple yet elegant vegetarian side dish that uses a unique vegetable.

Ingredients

• 250 grams (1/2 pound) tindora, tips and tails cut, cut into ~1/2" rounds.
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• pinch of coriander powder
• pinch of garam masala powder
• 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 – 2 Tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pot, add the tindora pieces and saute on medium heat for 3 minutes. Now reduce to low flame, place lid, let it cook, approx 15 minutes. Keep checking in between, sauteing them so that they don’t burn. The sauteed tindora will lose moisture and begin to have a wrinkled appearance. Remove lid at this stage and saute on low for 4-5 minutes.
2. While the tindora are frying, take a medium pot, add 1/2 tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds and let them splatter. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds till the aroma emanates.
3. Immediately add the sliced onions and combine. Add salt and turmeric and mix well. Saute on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, keep sauteing so that it doesn’t burn. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder and combine. Add this entire onion masala mixture to the almost cooked tindora. Add the grated coconut and combine. Cook on low-medium flame for another 18-20 minutes, uncovered. Turn off heat.
5. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Serves 2-4.