Tondalichi Bhaji / Ivy Gourd Stir Fry

Tondalichi bhaji is a simple stir fry of ivy gourd with basic Indian spices that can be served as a side dish with chapati or steamed rice. This Maharashtrian style dry vegetable dish is vegan and gluten free, easy to make and tastes great. Ivy gourd is called tondali in Marathi and bhaji means curry or stir fry, hence the name of this dish. Diced ivy gourd is sauteed with onions, tomatoes and spice powders and steamed cooked until tender to make this subji. Tondalichi bhaji is mildly spicy and serves as a flavorful lunch box option too with chapati.

Ivy gourd (Coccinia Grandis) also referred as scarlet gourd, tindora, tendli, kowai fruit, tondali, tonde kai etc. is a tropical vine that is used for food and medicinal purposes. Ivy gourd is rich in fibre, vitamin B, beta-carotene, iron and calcium and may help relieve occasional constipation and normalise blood sugar. In traditional medicine, fruits have been used to treat leprosy, fever, asthma, bronchitis and jaundice. Lets have a look at some health benefits of eating ivy gourd. Source

Health Benefits of Ivy Gourd:

• Helps to lower Blood Sugar Level: Since ancient times, ivy gourd has been used as an Ayurvedic medicine for diabetes in India and Sri Lanka. Green fruits are either used as salad or in cooked form in curries and soups.
• Protects Nervous System: Ivy gourd with its nutrients, vitamins and anti-oxidants helps in strengthening the Nervous System. 
• Fibre keeps the Digestive tract healthy: Main benefits of fibre rich diet are improving the health of the digestive system. Dietary fibre plays an important role in increasing the weight and size of your stool and softens it.
• Prevents Obesity: Research indicates that ivy gourd has anti-obesity properties.It increases the metabolic rate and prevents the pre-adipocytes from converting to fat cells.

Do yo know that tender green ivy gourd fruits are consumed raw as salad ? Raw fruits are also chewed as a remedy to tongue and mouth ulcers. Many people do not like this vegetable but if cooked well many delicious dishes can be made using this healthy vegetable. We Maharashtrians use tondali in an aromatic and flavorful rice dish, Masale Bhaat, in vegetable stir fries and as stuffed vegetable preparation. In South India, Ivy gourd is used in curries, sambar and pickles.
                                       

Every alternate month i post in a Gourmet group on Facebook, A to Z Recipe Challenge Group. The group is an initiative by my friends and fellow bloggers, Vidya Narayan and Jolly Makkar. Members of this group post different food recipes depending on a key ingredient with a particular Alphabet every alternate month. As per alphabetical order, for this month we had to cook any dish with star ingredient starting with letter I. With very few options with this letter, i chose to make this simple yet delectable ivy gourd stir fry which is a regular affair at my place. This post is my 8th contribution towards this group. The other recipes, i have shared here so far are,

• Horse Gram Idli  for Alphabet "H"
• Punjabi Kadhi Pakora / Gram Flour Fritters in Yogurt gravy for Alphabet "G"
• Ankurit Methichi Usal / Sprouted Fenugreek seeds Stir Fry for alphabet "F"
• Achari Baingan / Eggplant in Pickling Spices for Alphabet "E" 
• Dates and Walnut Muffins for Alphabet "D"
• Coconut Curry Leaves Chutney for Alphabet "C"
• Broccoli Paneer Paratha for Alphabet "B"

                                                      

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 250 grams Ivy gourd/ Tondali
• 2 large onion, finely sliced
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1-2 teaspoon red chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse the ivy gourd thoroughly under running water. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Chop off both the tips of  the ivy gourd and then slice each piece into 4-6 pieces. 

2. Heat oil in a pan. add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds. Once the seeds crackle tip in the sliced onions and saute for 1-2 minutes.

3. Next, add the sliced ivy gourd and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Next add salt and turmeric powder, give a quick mix and cover cook on low to medium flame for 7-8 minutes or until the ivy gourd are 80 % cooked.  In between open the lid twice or thrice and stir the curry to make sure it does not catch the bottom. Also if you feel the stir fry is dry, sprinkle little water to ensure the curry is moist and does not burn. I added only about 1 tablespoon water. Do not add more water or the stir fry will become mushy.

4. At this stage add the tomatoes and stir fry for 1 minute or so. Next, add the spice powders, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and stir well.

5. Cover cook for another 1-2 minutes and garnish with coriander leaves before turning off the flame. Serve the healthy and delicious tondalichi bhaji with chapati or rice .

Recipe Notes:

• Addition of tomatoes is optional. You may add 1/2-1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder) instead for the tartness or simply skip it altogether.
• This stir fry can be made without onions too.
• Adjust the amount of red chili powder as per your spice tolerance.
• This is a dry vegetable stir fry, so do not add more water while cooking it.
• This stir fry taste great when served hot with chapati or steamed rice.I hope some of you would definitely love to give this recipe a try. 

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