Kovakai is the Malayalam name for Ivy gourd or Tindi. It is one of those wonderful vegetables that can be cooked in so many different ways. Here's a recipe that uses coconut milk as the base to make a curry that goes well with rice as well as Rotis. The consistency of the gravy depends on the thickness of the milk. One can make this dish with a thick creamy gravy like so:
Or a thin runny gravy like so:
Here's what you need:
16-18 pcs Tindi (washed and dried, ends chopped off)
1 Cup Coconut Milk
2 tsp oil (used coconut oil)
1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
a few Curry Leaves
Here's what you do:
Chop the Tindi once lengthwise and once widthwise in the middle so you get 4 big pieces of (3/4th of an inch or longer) from each Tindi.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds when it is hot. While the seeds are crackling, add the ginger and curry leaves, mixing continuously. Reduce the flame and add the Ama Spice Mix. Mix and cook till the spices are fragrant.
Add the chopped Ivy Gourd (Tindi or Kovakka), mixing constantly to coat all pieces and ensure even cooking. Once the oil starts drying, add Salt and continue mixing. The tindi will release moisture, continue cooking till the Tindi is just a little tender but not too dry or crispy.
Add the Coconut Milk and allow it to boil over on open, checking the ivy gourd for tenderness. Cook covered with a water plate on top if you feel the coconut milk gravy seems to be thickening quickly. Do not add extra water.
Once ready, add coriander leaves, mix and serve hot.
And here's why you do what you do:
Tindoda or Kovakka is bitter and astringent when unripe and starts to get a little sweet and slimy when ripening (reddening) from the inside. It is also a bit drying and very light to digest yet it has a potency to heat up the digestive system so a sweet nourishing oil like coconut works best.
Also, coconut milk with its sweet, heavy, cooling and nourishing properties provides the perfect balance to this vegetable. Ivy gourd is great for balancing Pitta and Kapha disorders while Coconut oil and Milk is great for balancing Pitta and Vata disorders. And Mustard seeds are excellent for balancing vitiated Vata and Kapha.
Though it is not easy to overcook Tindi when cooked on open like this, care should be taken so it does not turn mushy. Tindi has a lovely and delicate flavor and though cooling topically, it has a heating effect post digestion, so it is best enjoyed well cooked while still bite-able and without many sour or pungent spices. Mustard seeds and Ginger added to the oil provide the required heat for this dish, while all other ingredients are cooling and balancing in other ways. The tastes Sweet Salty Bitter Astrigent are well covered here. Mustard seeds are pungent and hot and usually half a small teaspoon is enough to flavor any dish but here 1 teaspoon is used which is very heating and thus other pungent spices may be easily avoided. Mustard seeds can aggravate pitta when used in excess but they also have excellent preservation properties and many other health benefits. They contain several essential vitamins and minerals which are fat soluble.
Black Mustard seeds are best enjoyed when crackled in hot oil so the essential oils within the seeds can be release into the oil. Many seeds and spices contain a lot of organic compounds which are hydrophobic in nature (i.e., they repell water and are not soluble in water). Since oil heats up to higher temperatures, cooking spices and seeds in hot oil is the best way to make these compounds soluble and extract their flavors without overpowering the tastes of other ingredients, overcooking or drying out the dish.
Or a thin runny gravy like so:
Here's what you need:
16-18 pcs Tindi (washed and dried, ends chopped off)
1 Cup Coconut Milk
2 tsp oil (used coconut oil)
1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
a few Curry Leaves
Ama Spice Mix and Sendha Namak
Chopped Corriander
Chop the Tindi once lengthwise and once widthwise in the middle so you get 4 big pieces of (3/4th of an inch or longer) from each Tindi.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds when it is hot. While the seeds are crackling, add the ginger and curry leaves, mixing continuously. Reduce the flame and add the Ama Spice Mix. Mix and cook till the spices are fragrant.
Add the chopped Ivy Gourd (Tindi or Kovakka), mixing constantly to coat all pieces and ensure even cooking. Once the oil starts drying, add Salt and continue mixing. The tindi will release moisture, continue cooking till the Tindi is just a little tender but not too dry or crispy.
Add the Coconut Milk and allow it to boil over on open, checking the ivy gourd for tenderness. Cook covered with a water plate on top if you feel the coconut milk gravy seems to be thickening quickly. Do not add extra water.
Once ready, add coriander leaves, mix and serve hot.
And here's why you do what you do:
Tindoda or Kovakka is bitter and astringent when unripe and starts to get a little sweet and slimy when ripening (reddening) from the inside. It is also a bit drying and very light to digest yet it has a potency to heat up the digestive system so a sweet nourishing oil like coconut works best.
Also, coconut milk with its sweet, heavy, cooling and nourishing properties provides the perfect balance to this vegetable. Ivy gourd is great for balancing Pitta and Kapha disorders while Coconut oil and Milk is great for balancing Pitta and Vata disorders. And Mustard seeds are excellent for balancing vitiated Vata and Kapha.
Though it is not easy to overcook Tindi when cooked on open like this, care should be taken so it does not turn mushy. Tindi has a lovely and delicate flavor and though cooling topically, it has a heating effect post digestion, so it is best enjoyed well cooked while still bite-able and without many sour or pungent spices. Mustard seeds and Ginger added to the oil provide the required heat for this dish, while all other ingredients are cooling and balancing in other ways. The tastes Sweet Salty Bitter Astrigent are well covered here. Mustard seeds are pungent and hot and usually half a small teaspoon is enough to flavor any dish but here 1 teaspoon is used which is very heating and thus other pungent spices may be easily avoided. Mustard seeds can aggravate pitta when used in excess but they also have excellent preservation properties and many other health benefits. They contain several essential vitamins and minerals which are fat soluble.
Black Mustard seeds are best enjoyed when crackled in hot oil so the essential oils within the seeds can be release into the oil. Many seeds and spices contain a lot of organic compounds which are hydrophobic in nature (i.e., they repell water and are not soluble in water). Since oil heats up to higher temperatures, cooking spices and seeds in hot oil is the best way to make these compounds soluble and extract their flavors without overpowering the tastes of other ingredients, overcooking or drying out the dish.
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