Description
Any interesting recipe to idea I get to know or come across , my mind automatically goes towards a non – vegetarian protein version to give my twist to it and experiment. So for a change wanted to think out of the box yearning for a lighter alternative and went ahead with these ivy guards that I usually make a simple sautéed side dish with . Not wanting to spend much time in the kitchen as well , settled with a regular recipe of ennai katharikai ( brinjal ) which is an integral part of a ravuthar Muslim wedding , reception or any gathering served as a side for biriyani . Here I have substituted brinjals with ivy guards as the twist . The look made me instantly averse to its colour ,refusing to eat it . But when heated my nose decided otherwise . The marriage of hot ,tangy and sweetness sure did tickle my taste buds . Simplicity is key for this dish with old school rustic style of slow cooking . Chances of sampling this dish outside a ravuthar home or wedding are rare . So gear up to celebrate this rare ravuthar dish at your home kitchen that doesn’t take much skill or any special equipment to pull off .
Ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Kovakkai / tindora/ ivy guard | 1/2 kg , ( cut the into four with the other end intact ), |
| Small onions whole | 1 1/2 hand full |
| Garlic flakes | one hand full |
| Gingely oil | 1 cup , |
| Mustard seeds | 2 teaspoon |
| Curry leaves | few |
| Sambhar powder | 3 tablespoons full |
| Asafoetida | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Tomato | chopped |
| Tamarind pulp | 1/2 cup |
| Salt | to taste |
| White Sesame seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Roasted peanuts | 1 teaspoon crushed |
| Jaggery | 2 teaspoons |
Method
- Heat oil in a non stick kadai , add mustard seeds and curry leaves . Once they crackle , top with asafoetida ,
- whole onions and garlic . Sauté for a 2 minutes . Add the kovakkai / tindora/ ivy guards and sauté in medium heat for 15 minutes till the colour of the ivy guards change and looses its stiffness .
- Add tomato , salt and sambhar powder . Sauté till the tomatoes lets out its juices . Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil . When the ivy guards are 3/4 cooked , add the tamarind pulp .
- Toss well and cook until ivy guards are cooked through and gets to a thick gravy coated with the ivy guards . Add jaggery , sesame seeds and crushed peanuts . Toss well . Simmer till oil separates .
- Taste and adjust seasoning . Should taste tangy with the sweetness coming through . Serve hot .
Notes
I have used torn dry red chillies here while tempering . It’s optional .
