Seasoned, shallow fried, roasted ivy gourds (Tendle Talasani)

This is a dish that can be made with any number of vegetables, but it’s traditionally made with an assortment of gourds, including squash and cucumbers. The vegetables are first boiled in salted water for about 20 minutes to remove some bitterness before being fried in oil until they’re browned on all sides.

The tindora is a seasoned, shallow fried, roasted ivy gourd that is native to India. It has a crunchy texture and can be eaten as an appetizer or side dish.

Konkani cuisine is known for its ivy gourd dishes. Crushed ivy gourds are seasoned and lightly fried over low heat until beautifully roasted. These roasted, spicy ivy gourds are very tasty and enjoyable to eat.

They’re often served as a side dish with lunch or supper. This meal is a beginning for me. I can’t stop myself from devouring these roasted ivy gourds. I gobble them up one by one, and there’s a good chance there won’t be any left for the rest of the family at home. They’re that good, believe me. I summon a great deal of inner courage to preserve some of these delectable roasted ivy gourds for my beautiful family. 🙂 😉

In Konkani, this ivy gourd dish is known as tendle talasani/talasan. In Konkani, talasani/talasan refers to a meal made by shallow frying vegetables in oil. Tendle is the Konkani word for ivy gourd.

Here is the tendon talasani/talasan recipe for you. Try these out and let me know how much you like them. 😉 🙂

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Ingredients:

• Ivy gourds (about 15-20)
• a couple of green chilies
• 1-2 red dried chili peppers
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
• urad dal, 1/2 teaspoon
• 2 curry leaf leaflets
• season with salt to taste

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2 – 3 people

15-minute prep time

Time to cook: 25-30 minutes

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Choosing the appropriate ivy gourds for this dish:

When you prepare talasan using delicate most ivy gourds, it tastes the finest. Ivy gourds that are tender and thin cook quicker and roast nicely. As a result, they turn out to be delicious.

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Method of Preparation:

1. Ivy gourds should be well cleaned. Just in case they’re filthy, chip off both ends.
2. Then, one by one, crush the ivy gourds. Crush them using a mortar and pestle or a meat tenderizer.
3. Crush them well till they are flattened yet still intact as an ivy gourd. Make sure the ivy gourds stay whole even after crushing them thoroughly. Allow them to remain intact.
4. It’s OK to eat a few slices of ivy gourd. They’re cooked to perfection and come out to be delicious. They’ll be the greatest to eat (with a lot of flavor and crispiness), but they won’t look appetizing when you’re serving them. 
5. The more you crush the ivy gourds, the more salt, spice, and flavor from the seasoning they absorb and turn out to be delicious.
6. The quicker the ivy gourds cook and become thoroughly roasted, the more smashed they are. Ivy gourds that have been thoroughly smashed and roasted are excellent to eat.
7. Place all of the crushed ivy gourds in a mixing basin, season with salt, stir thoroughly, and set aside for at least 30 minutes. Ivy gourds absorb salt at this period. You may season and cook them after 30 minutes. 
8. Seasoning: In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add the urad dal and cook for a few minutes. Sauté slit green chillies, dried red chilies coarsely chopped into bits, and curry leaves as they begin to brown. Allow for a minute of cooking time. 
9. Then add the crushed ivy gourds and 1/2 cup of water, and simmer covered over a medium heat until all of the liquid has evaporated. 
10. Remove the cover after all of the water has evaporated. The color of the ivy gourds would have changed and they would be half cooked.
11. Then, without adding any more water, sauté them on a low heat until they are cooked through and roasted. Allow both sides to brown slightly. That’s when they start to crisp up and taste great. 
12. Roasting just delicate ivy gourds makes them crunchy. Cooking and roasting mature ivy gourds that are thick in size will take a long time.  
13. If your ivy gourds are grown, you’ll need to boil them in additional water. If necessary, add water little by little at regular intervals until the ivy gourds are cooked completely. Stop adding water and let the ivy gourds fry over a low heat until they’re nearly done (you can tell by their color). Fry until the ivy gourds are slightly browned. Even after roasting for a long period, your thick, mature ivy gourds are likely to stay tender.
14. The more water you use to boil ivy gourds at first, the less likely they are to roast properly, even if you simmer them for a long period. So, the key to preparing wonderful, roasted ivy gourds (tendle talasani/talasan) is to cook them with as little water as possible, then fry them over a modest heat, using plenty of oil if necessary, until they are roasted.                
15. Serve them hot as a lunch or supper side dish.

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Observation: 

1. Many Konkanis prepare this talasani using garlic spice instead of mustard seasoning. The only change is that instead of mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves, crushed garlic is used. The rest of the preparation procedures and components are the same.
2. This meal must be made without the addition of any water. If the ivy gourds are extremely delicate, they may be cooked in oil without any water. If the ivy gourds are ripe and thick, you’ll need to add water to finish cooking them. Ivy gourds that have reached maturity, such as the ones seen below.                 

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More Konkani cuisine side dishes may be found here. 

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Tags: ivy gourd, tendle, talasani, stir fry, side dish, Konkani food, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore cuisine, talasani, stir fry

 

Related Tag

• tindora in english