Stir Fried Tindora | Tondli Chi Bhaji

Tindora Sabzi is a delicious stir-fried ivy-gourd recipe made with cashews in a delicious tadka of mustard seeds, turmeric and green chilies. Garnished with fresh coconut, lemon juice and sugar this nutty tindora sabzi has spicy- tangy flavors that pair well with homemade parathas or rotis.

What is Tindora?

Tindora (Hindi) translates to Ivy gourds in English. In India, they are known with different names across states. For example Tendli or Tondli in Marathi, Dondakaya in Telgu, Kovakkai in Tamil, and Giloda in Gujrati. This small cucumber-like tropical vegetable grows on vines and had a mild taste with a crunchy texture.

In Maharashtra, it is frequently used to make a spicy one-pot meal called "Tondle bhath" that is served with a cool buttermilk drink with cilantro and fresh ginger. To make Tondle bhath, follow my Masale Bhath Recipe and substitute eggplant and potatoes with tindora cut into wedges similar to this recipe.

Benefits

• A mix of complex carbohydrates and fiber
• A good source of several micronutrients, including vitamins A and C
• Helps reduce blood sugar levels

Tindora is readily available in most Indian and asian grocery stores.

In 2010, when my mom was visiting me, she taught me this unique stir-fried Tindora recipe that we enjoyed with Parathas. It is a simple recipe that starts with a tempering of mustard seeds and cooking the tindora with turmeric, cashews, and green chilies. The dish is then garnished with fresh coconut, lemon juice, and sugar. The outcome is a unique combination of flavors and textures, soft and juicy tindora, creamy cashews, and the crispiness of the coconut in a mildly spiced sweet and sour tindora stir fry.

Prep

Wash and pat dry Tindora, cut them into half lengthwise and in half again, cutting into wedges like french fries.

Pro Tip: Older tindora, start to ripen up and turn red inside with larger seeds. Discard any that are ripe as we will only be using the tender green ones.

Crush the green chilies and roughly chop cashews.

Process

Here is how to make Stir Fried Tindora:

• Heat a medium pan on medium-high heat and add oil. Once the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds and turmeric. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the cut tindora, salt and gently stir them. Cook covered for 2-3 minutes.

• Add crushed green chilies and cashews. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the tindora are cooked soft but not mushy.

• Add grated fresh coconut, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook for another 2 minutes.

• Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with hot parathas or roti.

Instant Pot Recipe

• Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat oil. Once the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. This may take 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add turmeric, tindora, salt, green chilies, and cashews. Press Cancel and mix well deglazing the bottom of the pot to make sure that nothing is sticking to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of water, give a quick stir and close the Instant Pot with pressure release valve to sealing.  Pressure Cook for 2 minutes. Press Cancel once the pressure cooking cycle completes and quick release by turning the pressure release valve from sealing to venting. Note: remember to quick release here to avoid overcooked tindora.
• Open the Instant Pot. Add grated fresh coconut, lemon juice, and sugar. Mix well and serve hot.

More Recipes:

Did you enjoy this simple, healthy Indian stir-fried curry? Try some of my other favorites that are on repeat at my home. We serve these curries with whole wheat parathas or rotis. For gluten-free Indian meal, you can also serve these with rice or gluten-free bread.

• Stuffed Okra
• Stuffed Eggplant Curry
• Roasted Garlicky Eggplant
• Spicy potatoes - Batata Bhaji
• Mixed Vegetable Curry with Sesame Sauce

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Recipe

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5 from 6 votes

Stir fried Tindora

Mildy spiced stir fried tindora curry with creamy cashews, fresh coconut and hint of sweetness.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

• ▢ 3  cups tindora
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1  jalapeno minced more or less depending on how spicy you like
• ▢ 1 cup cashews
• ▢ 3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut I buy frozen
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar optional but recommended
• ▢ ¼ cup cilantro chopped for garnish

Instructions

• Wash and pat dry Tindora, cut them into quarters vertically. When they get too old they start to ripen up and turn red inside with bigger seeds. Discard any ripe ones.
• Heat a pan on medium-high heat. Add oil, once the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds and turmeric. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the cut tindora, salt and gently stir them. Cook covered for 2-3 mins.
• Add crushed green chilies and cashews. Mix well and cook covered on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes until the tindora are cooked soft but not mushy.
• Add grated fresh coconut, lemon juice and sugar. Cook for another 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with hot paratha or roti!

Notes

Instant Pot Tindora Curry recipe:

• Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat oil. Once the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. This may take 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add turmeric, tindora, salt, green chilies, and cashews. Press Cancel and mix well deglazing the bottom of the pot to make sure that nothing is sticking to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of water, give a quick stir and close the Instant Pot with pressure release valve to sealing.  Pressure Cook for 2 minutes. Press Cancel once the pressure cooking cycle completes and quick release by turning the pressure release valve from sealing to venting. Note: remember to quick release here to avoid overcooked tindora. 
• Open the Instant Pot. Add grated fresh coconut, lemon juice, and sugar. Mix well and serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 57.1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 5.3mg

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2016, but was updated in Sep 2019 with new photos and Instant Pot recipe.