Wednesday, June 25, 2014

everyday subzi: kundru pyaz nariyal ki subzi | ivy gourd stir fry with shallots, coconut and curry patta in sambar masala




Kundru is the Ivy gourd, Tendli or Tindora in different parts of India. It is one of those convenient vegetables that don't need peeling so the preparation time is really suitable for most urban cooks. Just rinse the kundru and slice them, it cooks faster than many vegetables unless you want to change the texture. I like it with a bite so almost half cooked is good for me. Kundru has great nutritional value too, read it all here.

Everyday subzis cannot be simpler than this. Kundru ki subzi is not a very welcome dish in most families but I have always loved this slightly sour little gourd. The most frequently made stir fry with ivy gourds was this kundru ki lasuni bhujia that we always love with our daal chawal meals. This recipe with coconut was introduced to me by a senior in my research days. She used to bring it in her lunch box and we used to share our food, not to mention that I always loved whatever she brought just because it smelled of sesame oil and had loads of coconut in it always.

After so many years when I started making this kundru with coconut and southern spices, I had very little memory of what I tasted back then so I resorted to this quick stir fry with ready made sambar masala. It didn't disappoint me at all.

ingredients
(2 servings)
sliced kundru 1.5 cup (250 gm)
sliced shallots (or baby onions) 100 gm or 3/4 cup
curry patta about 12 strings or a generous handful
grated fresh coconut 2 tbsp (I used frozen)
sambar powder 1 tbsp
salt to taste
sesame oil 1 tbsp

procedure

Heat the sesame oil in a kadhai. Preferably cast iron kadhai or a thick base pan would be good. Tip in the curry patta as soon as the oil gets hot, followed immediately by onions and sliced kundru.

Add salt and keep tossing the vegetables, lower the heat after a couple of minutes and keep cooking for about 5-8 minutes or till the kundru gets cooked and the onions get nicely caramelized.

Now add the sambar powder and the grated coconut, stir and cook for a couple of minutes and take the pan off the stove. Serve hot or at room temperature, this stir fry tasted great any way.

This is a good subzi for lunch box and keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

7 comments:

  1. Brilliant and simple recipe Sangeeta . I loved the idea of introducing a dash of sambhar masala. have to do it next time.

    BTW : just on an impulse I bought marrows ( kind of green gourd) , Can you tell me a simple tomatoey recipe for it? Here in Gulf they mostly stir fry it for fillings in wraps.

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    1. Marrow would be more watery than this Kirti. I think I would love it with some nut paste (I think you don;t get poppy seeds there, else poppy paste is best with marrows) like bongs make the jhinge posto. Here it is on this blog..http://www.banaraskakhana.com/2011/12/jhingey-postoridge-guard-with-poppy.html

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  2. Sangeetaji, Your blog has been a great source of healthy recipes, many thanks. My query is about Kundru - my grandma used to say it makes the brain dull. Is this so? I like the taste and it is easily available but am reluctant to eat... Many thanks
    Sheila

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    1. Sheila ji, kundru is a nourishing vegetable and it doesn't make the brain dull. May be your grandmother did not like it and made excuses ;-)

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  3. Lovely recipe. It would go great even with chapati.

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  4. I made kundru bhaji with posto.it goes very well with chapati.yours recipe is a nice alternative.

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    1. Thank you. Yes kundru tastes great with poppy seeds paste as well.

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