Kovakka Fry | Kovakka Upperi | Kovakkai Fry | Coccinia Fry

Pan stir fried Tindora with Indian spices

Tindora or Kovakka or Coccinia is yet another vegetable that is not liked by many. In some parts of South India, they do not use this veggie in their cuisine. They eat it raw by directly plucking from the plant. I have some friends who are of the opinion that it is goat's food and not to be eaten by we humans ;) A great explanation to avoid veggies, right? But as usual, I am a fan of this veggie. I know, there are a very few veggies that I do not like :)

This recipe is a damn simple one. It is a simple stir fry that goes well as a dry sabzi or upperi for your rice. It also tastes great with chapathi ! No mood to cook elaborate lunch, then this tastes just perfect with curd rice as well. I learned this simple stir fry from my mom. I have been trying other tindora recipes by googling as well. Last week I made tindora avial that was very delicious. Check out my insta feed for the details. So let's see how to make this simple stir fry..

Recipe Source: Ma

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

I Used:

Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Curry leaves	-	1-2 sprigs
Kovakka/Tindora	-	250 gm
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Garam Masala	-	1 tsp (optional)
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the kovakka/tindora in water 3-4 times. Remove any dirt particles on the skin. Then cut them into 4. If you prefer, you can cut into round pieces as well.

2. Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and garam masala (optional) to the cut tindora pieces. You can omit asafoetida if you are using garam masala. Here I have used only asafoetida and no garam masala.

3. Mix well and marinate them for 15-20 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard and curry leaves.

5. Add the marinated kovakka/tindora and saute. Sprinkle water and give a stir. Close the pan with a lid and cook in a low flame. Stir occasionally and take care not to burn. 

6. Do not add more water, wherever it becomes dry and starts sticking to the pan just sprinkle water and cook with the lid closed. It may take around 15-20 minutes for the tindora to cook and become a dry fry as below.

Serve with rice and a gravy of your choice !

Cheers,
Chitz