Tindora Chutney or Dondakai Pachadi is an authentic Andhra Chutney made with the Ivy Gourd along with lentils. A simple roasted chutney that tastes delicious with steamed rice.
The botanical name is Coccinia Grandis, Ivy Gourd in English. Tindora grows in tropical regions and used as a vegetable. In many southern states, this vegetable grows widely and is cooked in different forms like chutney, stir fry, stuffed masala gravy, mixed rice, etc.
Glossary English: Ivy gourd, Scarlet Gourd, Kowai fruit; Tamil: Kovaikkai, Malayalam: Kovaykka Telugu: Dondakaya, Kannada: Dondekayi, Hindi: Tindora.
We make this vegetable as stir fry, in mixed rice, and as chutney as well, both as a side dish for dosas or steamed rice. This pachadi is part of the Ugadi Telugu New year.
When we had our Ugadi Festival, I had prepared the festival spread for the first part of the Indian Thalis. During the planning of the Indian Thalis, I told Amma that we will have to feature the Ugadi Festival Menu that is normally cooked every year. We have seven different vegetable stir fries. This year we included a new pachadi.
Amma remembered this Dondakaya Pachadi that she recently made and wanted me to make that. As always during the recipe transfer knowledge, I mistook one lentil for another and added fried gram instead of channa dal. Though both are the same since the process of the end product varied the taste might have changed. No doubt it ended up being very delicious with rice. Amma was amused that I could change or mistake an ingredient in such ways.
Without much fuss here is a wonderful way to make this vegetable into a chutney that stays good for a week when refrigerated.
Ingredients Used to make this chutney
Ivy Gourd is the main ingredient in this chutney or Indian Condiment. The fresh unripe vegetable is sticky on the outer skin. So you can scrub on the top without peeling the skin away. Hold the vegetable between your thumb and index finger and using a knife gently scrub on top.
Soak in water and wash it away. Then chop roughly before sauteeing.
Saute the lentils first in the oil, when the lentils turn colour, add the chopped vegetable and saute well.
Allow to cool and take it along with the rest of the ingredients before grinding to a semi smooth or little coarse paste. You can use a small piece of soaked tamarind and that should be enough. If the sourness is not enough, you can always add the tamarind again.
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Recipe
Dondakaya Pachadi
Ingredients
For the chutney
- 150 gms Dondakaya / Tindora
- 2 tbsp Peanuts / Ground nut
- 1 tbsp Fried Gram
- 3/4 tbsp Urad Dal
- 4 to 5 nos Green Chilies
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- Handful Coriander Leaves
- 1 inch Tamarind piece
- Salt to Taste
- 2 tsp Cooking Oil
For Tempering
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- Handful Curry Leaves
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Tindora has a sticky texture on top, so you can scrub on the top without peeling the skin away.
- Hold the vegetable between your thumb and index finger and using a knife gently scrub on top.
- Soak in water and wash it away. Then chop roughly before sauteeing.
- Saute the lentils first in the oil, when the lentils turn colour, add the chopped vegetable and saute well.
- Allow to cool and take it along with the rest of the ingredients before grinding to a semi smooth or little coarse paste.
- You can use a small piece of soaked tamarind and that should be enough. If the sourness is not enough, you can always add the tamarind again.
- Transfer to a bowl, temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves.
Shobha says
Yummy pachadi.. we don't get dondakaya in Brazil..maybe I will try this recipe with some other vegetable..
veena krishnakumar says
This look so good valli...never tried this.....looks very tempting too..am trying this out today
vaishali sabnani says
have to try this one!!...love the flavors in it and I m sure it will taste really yum!!book marked!
sushma says
Nice one....I too make chuteny with tindora. Looks great
Smitha says
delicious one! this is in my favorite list of pachadis!
Priya says
Simply love that incredible spread, chutney looks fingerlicking.
Chef Mireille says
delicious looking chutney and wonderful spread
Jayanthi says
WOW Valli ...I didn't know we can make pachadi with tindora. Looks fab....very nice variation.
Spice up the Curry says
finger licking pachadi recipe. yumm
vidhas says
Never made pachadi with tindora. Sounds yum.
Nalini's Kitchen says
Delicious looking pachadi,never tried pachadi with dondakaya,will try it for sure...
Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi says
I never got to make this chutney! sounds wonderful.
Usha says
Even my recipe is similar to yours.