Bottle Gourd Tindora Crunchy chutney
My wedding was also a story of two states.
Two different states, two different languages, two different practises, two different cuisines :)
Initially I was astonished to find how minute differences in the process of preparing the same dish can r
ender a distinct flavor or taste.
Idli batters are ground till creamy in TamilNadu where Andhra, they prefer to leave it coarser. Rice has to be cooked super soft in TN , whereas in Andhra, they prefer to eat every grain apart. Even the chutneys are made until soft in TN and in Andhra, they choose to keep it little crunchy and coarse.
I got the recipe for this chutney from my friend who is an amazing cook, especially its authentic andhra cuisine.The crunchiness that the half-cooked Tindora imparts to this chutney is the speciality of this dish.
Recipe :
Ingredients :
Bottle Gourd / sorakkaya / lauki - 1 (medium)
Tomatoes - 2 (big)
Tamarind paste - 1 Tbsp.
Tindora / dondakkaya / kovakkai - 15 (roughly chopped)
Salt - as per taste
Green Chilli - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves(optional)
jeera - 1 tsp.
Oil - 2 Tbsp.
Preparation :Time taken - 5 to 7 min.
1.Peel the skin of Bottle gourd and cut them roughly in to one inch cubes, if its not tender, take out the seeds.
2.Peel the garlic if required.
3.Chop the Tindora and tomatoes roughly.
Method :
1. Heat oil in a pan, once it turns hot, add the bottle gourd.
2. Cook until it is done.
3. Transfer it to the mixer bowl and let it cool.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook it well untill it turns mushy transfer it to the mixer bowl, add salt , green chilli , tamarind paste
jeera and garlic and grind it in pulse mode. Grind it till all ingredients are mixed well and its coarse.
5. Add the tindora to the pan , and cook it till it is half done. We wont cook it until done since we want the chutney to be crunchy.
6. Add the tindora to the mixer and grind it again in pulse mode till all the ingredients blend well.
This serves as a good side dish for tiffin varieties and can also be eaten with rice.
**Notes:
1. Fry garlic before adding it to the chutney, if you dont like it raw.
