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    Home » Delicious-Sides » Dry Curry » Kovakkai Fry | Tindora Fry | South Indian Lunch #1

    Kovakkai Fry | Tindora Fry | South Indian Lunch #1

    Apr 17, 2021 by Priya_Srinivasan ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Kovakkai fry, commonly known as tindli, tindora or tendli, a simple to make dry curry with coconut. A delicious curry that can be served with rice.

    Jump to Recipe
    Kovakkai fry

    South Indian Lunch Thali

    Lunch thali series, a long time wish to share my daily lunch ideas in the blog. I regularly share my lunch plate in Instagram , under the #icampinmykitchenlunch. Its been a long time wish to record those simple everyday lunch thali’s in the blog as a series. Thanks to Blogging Marathon theme Lunch Thali, this week I will be sharing few simple everyday lunch ideas.

    instagram lunch photo

    Indian Thali Meals

    An Indian thali can be very elaborate with n number of dishes and also simple with a dal, subzi and rice. This brilliant Rajasthani thali and Himachal Thali are a glimpse of an elaborate Indian Thali. Srivalli made Thali’s with Indian Street food her Delhi Street food thali and Mumbai Street food thali’s are totally tempting.

    Today I m featuring a simple south-indian lunch thali. Something that I cook day in and day out. At home lunch is comprised of rice, kootu, dry curry, either sambar or rasam and curd. Some days it is just dal and rice and there are days i cook a storm like this Tamil New Year Special

    The Menu

    Today’s lunch thali contains

    • Kovakkai fry/Tindora fry/Ivy gourd fry
    • Bhindi/Okra & Capsicum Sambar
    • Black eyed bean salad
    • Mango Pickle
    • Steaming hot White Basmati Rice.
    South-Indian lunch thali

    If looking for a weekend thali of rasam and vathakuzhambu, check this delicious yennaikathrikai kuzhambu and lemon rasam thali.

    The Ingredients

    • Tindora/Ivy Gourd/Tendli is the main hero of the recipe
    • Tomatoes, I have used 1 medium sized tomato in this recipe. It is optional, but adds a nice tang to the sauté.
    • Spice, I normally use either Sambar podi or Curry podi for my dry curries. You can also grind equal amounts of red chilli and coriander seeds and use that spice for the dry subzi.
    • Coconut, I love adding coconut to dry subzi’s, adds lots of flavor to it. Again if you have any dietary restrictions to avoid then you can omit coconut.
    • Tempering, for a south-indian curry, it goes without saying mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.
    Tindora fry

    Step by Step Instructions to make Tindora Fry

    Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions

    • Wash and chop the tendli/tindora in to thin roundels. Some prefer to cut it vertically, some prefer to cut into roundels. I do both ways.
    • Heat a pan with oil, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and curry leaves. Add chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder to this and sauté until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
    • Now add the chopped tindora to this and saute. Add sambar powder and salt. Mix well.
    TINDORA FRY MAKING
    • Sprinkle water 2-3 times, cover and cook until the tindora is soft. Takes around 10-12 minutes in medium flame. Open and stir once or twice while it is cooking.
    • Once the vegetable is soft, remove cover and add grated coconut to this and mix well.
    tendli fry making
    • Let this cook without cover for another 8-10 minutes, until the bottom turns a bit golden and brown. Keep stirring once or twice in the process.
    • Take it off the stove and serve it with rice.

    If you have tried this recipe and like it, give it a star rating or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #icampinmmykitchen and tagging me @priyasrinivasan.
    You could follow me and my recipes on  Facebook |  Instagram  | Pinterest  | twitter

    More Dry Subzi

    • Imli Aloo – Tangy Tamarind Potatoes Stir-fry
    • Bokchoy Poriyal | Bokchoi Stir-fry | Indian Style
    • Kadamba Poriyal | Mixed Vegetable Subzi
    • Broccoli Poriyal | Broccoli Stir-fry | Indian Style

    Some more

    Recipe

    Kovakkai Fry | Tindora Fry | South Indian Lunch 1

    Kovakkai fry, commonly known as tindli, tindora or tendli, a simple to make dry curry with coconut. A delicious curry that can be served with rice.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish, Sides
    Cuisine: Asian, Indian, South-Indian, Tambrahm
    Keyword: Dry curry recipe, Dry subzi recipe, How to make tindora fry, Quick and easy tendli fry, Rice accompaniment recipe, Tendli curry, Tendli subzi, Tindora curry
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories:

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups Chopped tindora/tendli/ivy gourd approximately 4-5 cups
    • 1 no medium sized tomato, chopped
    • 1½ teaspoon sambar podi/red chili & coriander powder see notes
    • ⅓ cup shredded coconut fresh coconut
    • 1 tsp salt or to taste

    Tempering

    • 1½ tablespoon oil i used coconut oil
    • ¾ teaspoon mustard seeds
    • ¼ teaspoon hing/asafoetida
    • few curry leaves

    Instructions

    • Wash the tindora well in a bowl of water. I usually soak them in water for 10 minutes. Wash and drain them completely. You can either cut into thin roundels or vertically into thin strips.
    • I personally prefer roundels and have observed they cook faster when cut into roundels. Again it is a personal preference and observation, might not be the same for all.
    • Heat a wide bottom pan with oil, when hot splutter mustard seeds, add hing and curry leaves. To this now add chopped tomatoes, and turmeric powder. Let the tomatoes cook until soft and mushy.
    • To the mushy tomatoes, add chopped tindora, add sambar powder or red chili and coriander powder, salt and mix well.
    • Sprinkle water 2-3 times, cover and cook in a medium flame for 10-12 minutes. Open and stir in between twice. Check if the bottom is burning, if so then sprinkle little water and continue to cook with cover.
    • After 10-12 minutes, the tindora must have turned soft. Check doneness by pressing one in between your fingers, if still hard, let it cook covered for 2-3 more minutes.
    • To the cooked tindora add coconut. Mix well. Let this continue to cook without cover for another 8-10 minutes, for the bottom to turn a bit brown and golden.
    • Keep the flame medium or even low. Stir once or twice in between. If you feel it is burning in the bottom, sprinkle very little water and mix well.
    • After the said time, the tindora would have nicely crisped up in the bottom. Mix it well. I personally prefer few crispy tindora and few soft. Creates wonderful texture when you eat the vegetable.
    • Take it off the stove, serve it warm with rice. This delicious tindora fry can be packed for lunch too.

    Notes

    • I usually add either sambar powder or curry powder to my dry curries.
    • Sometimes, I grind equal amount of round red chilies (gundu milagai) and coriander seeds and use this powder to flavor my dry subzi. 
    • I have used 1.5 teaspoon of spice powder in the recipe. Since i have used a tomato and coconut, that amount of spice was needed. In case you feel it will be too spicy for you, then reduce it to 1 tsp. 

    Disclaimer

    I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @Icampinmykitchen or #icampinmykitchen
    For Recipe VideosSubscribe & Follow @Icampinmykitchen on Youtube

    Serve this delicious tindora curry with rice. This crispy tendli fry can also be packed in lunch boxes for schools and offices.

    I personally like to make a roti roll with this ivy gourd subzi, they taste absolutely delicious and easy to pack for kids lunch box.

    Do you like the Recipe? PIN IT

    Kovakkai fry pin

    More Dry Curry

    • Keerai Poriyal | Keerai Curry | Spinach Stir-fry
    • Cauliflower Poriyal | Cauliflower Stir-fry |South-Indian Lunch #3
    • Avaraikkai Poriyal | Broad beans Stir-fry
    • Paruppu Usili | Karamani Paruppu Usili

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Champa

      April 28, 2012 at 5:36 pm

      If someone chopped it for me, I wouldn't mind cooking this veggie at all. Nice.

      Reply
    2. Satya

      April 28, 2012 at 5:41 pm

      i love to have it with hot ghee rice..yummy
      Super Yummy Recipes

      Reply
    3. Priya Suresh

      April 28, 2012 at 8:54 pm

      Super delicious stir fry,love it.

      Reply
    4. KrithisKitchen

      April 29, 2012 at 12:05 am

      Simple and delish.. I too make like this..

      Reply
    5. Nalini's Kitchen

      April 29, 2012 at 12:25 am

      Delicious curry…

      Reply
    6. Akila

      April 29, 2012 at 6:09 am

      Wow so yummy… just love it..

      Reply
    7. Harini R

      April 29, 2012 at 1:52 am

      I painfully cut the veggi and make it as often as it appears at home 🙂 We love it in any form.

      Reply
    8. Cool Lassi(e)

      April 29, 2012 at 3:17 am

      Crispy and yummy looking veggie fry!

      Reply
    9. The Pumpkin Farm

      April 29, 2012 at 3:21 am

      I am not big fan of gherkins but if well done it does taste well….like the way it has turned out for u, nice spread

      Reply
    10. Jayanthi

      April 29, 2012 at 4:45 am

      Good one Priya…another of my favorite vegetable. Looks super yum…

      Reply
    11. preeti garg

      April 29, 2012 at 4:49 am

      look so tempting

      Reply
    12. Aarthi

      April 29, 2012 at 6:04 am

      what a yummy looking curry

      Reply
    13. Chef Mireille

      April 29, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      been seeing so many recipes with this veggie..really must try it!

      Reply
    14. Srivalli

      April 29, 2012 at 5:24 pm

      I love this with sambar!

      Reply
    15. Vardhini

      April 30, 2012 at 3:49 am

      Tindoora fry looks inviting.

      Vardhini
      CooksJoy

      Reply
    16. Padmajha

      April 30, 2012 at 12:25 pm

      Nice curry and yummy platter…

      Reply
    17. Srivalli Jetti

      April 19, 2021 at 7:17 am

      5 stars
      Wonderful looking thali, Priya. So balanced and very healthy as well. We love kovakkai and make it at least once. Love your recipe as it makes it the perfect side dish for rice and sambar. thanks for the mention. Your insta page with all that thalis make it so sinful. Glad you are able to share this with us.

      Reply
    18. Vaishali

      April 20, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      That’s a lovely Thali with a wonderful comfort meal. Tindora is a great side dish and we too make it quite often, the recipe differs – let me try with this recipe next time. Sounds delicious .

      Reply
    19. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

      April 20, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      What a beautiful spread of thali. Give this kovakkai curry to my boys and they will eat this all day. I don’t add coconut to mine. I have to give this recipe a try 🙂

      Reply
    20. Radha

      April 23, 2021 at 4:07 am

      This is an amazing meal. Love this curry, it is our favorite. I never added tomatoes and it should give a subtle flavor. I am going to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
    21. Harini Rupanagudi

      April 23, 2021 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      What a lovely spread you have there. Love this vegetable and I have never added tomato to this fry. Shall try it out next time.

      Reply
    22. NARMADHA

      April 30, 2021 at 11:03 pm

      5 stars
      That is one amazing thali with simple everyday dishes. I am tempted with your photos on insta. Usually, I don’t add coconut while making tindora curry, this time tried your version and it tasted awesome. Everyone enjoyed it.

      Reply
    23. Suma Gandlur

      May 17, 2021 at 2:50 am

      That is a well balanced meal with delicious side dishes. I haven’t eaten tendli curry with coconut in ages. You reminded me my mother’s curry. 🙂

      Reply

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