Dondakaya Semi-fry Kura (Ivy Gourd, Coccinia)

This is a bit of a slow vegetable to cook. Mostly I make this by boiling the vegetable, and then adding the masala to the cooked vegetable and calling it done.

Dondakaya Fry

However, when my mother-in-law was here recently, she showed me this way of making it. This method apparently is a favourite of Hubby’s as well!

Ingredients:

• 250gms of Dondakaya (ivy gourd), chopped in rounds
• Oil for deep frying
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1/3 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/3 cup grated coconut

Method:

• Put in oil and chopped dondakaya as if to deep fry.
• Set the lid over the wok so that it (kind of ) can braize (in Telugu: magga pettu)
• Once the dondakaya starts to soften, take off the lid and deep fry normally. This method used up a little less oil that the regular method, and fries the vegetable evenly.
• Drain the excess oil into a container. This oil can be used for tadka and other frying purposes.
• Add the besan and mix well to ensure no clumps are formed, and the dondakaya pieces are properly covered with besan.
• When cooked, the besan will give off a nice aroma. Add the grated coconut and mix well.
• The coconut helps the pieces of dondakaya to separate and not clump together.

Serve hot with rice.