An Indian stir-fry made with ivy gourd and potatoes, this Tindora Batata Sabji is perfect to serve with rotis, parathas or rice.
It comes together in minutes and needs only a handful of ingredients.
Indian meals almost always have a dry vegetable served with dal or kadhi, rice and rotis. The vegetable can vary from potatoes and tendli to cauliflower and cabbage; but is always present.
These stir-fry sabjis come together quickly, need only a handful of ingredients and are always delicious. Paired with various dals, it makes the meal full of texture and taste.
My mother and grand mother always made these as part of lunch and I continue to make the same. Whether having it at home as part of lunch or packed in the lunch box, these work beautifully with rotis.
This post is about a popular Gujarati style ivy gourd recipe. While it is popular in our households, this recipe is not easy to find in restaurants or buffets. It is a cozy recipe that is passed from one generation to the next but not popular commercially.
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What is Tindora Batata Sabji
Tindora, Kundru, Tendli, Kovakkai or Ivy Gourd as the vegetable is called is a tropically grown plant. It yields small long green fruits that may or may not have white stripes on them.
Africa and Asia cultivates this in large proportions and is used in numerous recipes. The raw fruit is green and that is the one that is popular in Indian cooking.
This when paired with potatoes makes a quick stir fry with minimal spices. It is delicious, easy to make and great as a side.
A Gujarati version that works for a meal or lunch box and even for meal prep, tindora is worth trying for sure!
How to pick and cut Tindora
For the recipe we use the raw fruit of tindora plant. The ones we use have to be green, firm and not with yellow or orange ends. The ones with colored ends tend to be ripe and full of hard seeds.
Pick the ones that are slender, long and not squishy. They will make the best sabji.
In order to prep the tindora, first wash and pat dry. Then chop off the ends on both sides and discard.
Cut the tindora in to half and slice each half. This 'chips' style cutting is popular in many households.
Another way to cut the tindora is to slice them into rounds like cucumber or tomatoes. This style works well too. Generally these slices are cooked with chickpea flour to make a delicious sabji with just tindora.
Why this recipe works
- This is a super easy and quick recipe. The only time consuming part is the chopping part. Once the tindora is chopped, the sabji comes together in under 30 minutes.
- Tindora or ivy gourd is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B and beta-carotene. It makes a healthy sabji recipe with or without potatoes.
- This tindora batata sabji can be made as part for meal prep or prepared the day before for lunchbox. It stays well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- It is a great side with rotis, parathas or steamed rice. In fact, it is a favorite side in many households.
- This is a recipe popular in Gujarati households but not in commercial setups. This is still one of the lesser popular recipe outside the Gujarati community. It makes an appearance on our weekly menu and we enjoy it with steamed rice and Gujarati style Rotlis.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tindora/Ivy Gourd: Tindora is the first ingredient in the recipe. To make this sabji we wash, dry and cut the vegetable. To cut, remove the edges and cut the tindora into half. Cut each half into thin slices. Make sure they are even size so they cook evenly. I like to buy this vegetable from the store rather than online as I can pick slim tendlis that are not over ripe.
- Potato: Potato adds a lot of texture and volume to the vegetable. I like to cut them slightly bigger so they do not disappear or disintegrate in the vegetable. This can be skipped but I strongly recommend adding them as they tend to make the sabji interesting and amazing.
- Spices: The spices we use in the recipe includes mustard seeds, asafetida and cumin seeds in the tempering. Plus, we use the dry spices i.e. red chili powder, turmeric powder and dhania jeera powder. Plus, we add some salt and garam masala to season the sabji. Thus, we do not add any other seasoning to this stir-fry sabji.
- Aromatics: I use curry leaves and green chili in the recipe. These are great for flavor. Skip them if you do not have them at hand.
- Oil: Any neutral oil can be used in the recipe. I like to use olive oil or sunflower oil for this recipe.
- I have not used ghee but a lot of folks do use it. Adding ghee will keep the recipe vegetarian but not vegan.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- In a pan heat oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and asafetida. Let the mustard seeds pop.
2- Next add cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chili. Let the seeds pop.
3- Add the sliced ivy gourd (tendli) and mix well. Cover and let it cook.
4- Open the cover and add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
5- Cook for another 8-10 minutes. Then, add potatoes and garam masala. Mix well.
6- Cook covered for 6-8 minutes till the potatoes soften. Add dhania jeera powder and mix well.
7- Add lemon juice and turn down the flame. Season with cilantro leaves.
8- Enjoy with rotis or parathas and rice.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Cut the tendli of even size to ensure they cook at the same time. The potatoes can be slightly bigger as they cook faster and will not disappear in the tendli.
- Adding some shredded coconut at the end of the cooking process is a great idea too. Add or skip based on preferences.
- To make the sabji spicy, increase the amount of green chili. Increasing garam masala will not yield a spicy one. It will simply overload the masalas.
- The same sabji can be made in ghee too. Use what works best for you.
- Adding ginger, garlic or other masalas does work too. I like to use just garam masala and basic spices for this recipe.
- To make the sabji with some gravy, add some water while cooking and do not burn it completely. The masalas and water will yield a semi-thick gravy.
- The sabji can be enjoyed off the stove or later. Heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave or on the stove before serving. This tindora batata sabji works really well for meal prep. It is great for lunchbox too.
Recipe FAQs
Tindora also called Kundru, Tendli, Kovakkai or Ivy Gourd as the vegetable is called is a tropically grown plant. It yields small long green fruits that may or may not have white stripes on them. The raw fruit is green and that is the one that is popular in Indian cooking.
Definitely. Replace potatoes with equal amount of tindora to make this recipe. It will work just fine.
The recipe is naturally Vegan. However, it can be made gluten-free by picking a pure asafetida with no flour. All the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
This sabji is great with roti, parathas and steamed rice. It can be enjoyed as a warm salad too.
More Gujarati recipes to try
If you are a fan of Gujarati recipes or exploring the cuisine, I have some authentic and delicious recipes for you to try.
Tindora Batata Sabji | Ivy Gourd Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound tindora (washed and cut into slices)
- 1 medium potato (peeled and sliced)
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 1 medium green chili (split into half)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch asafetida
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon dhania jeera powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a pan heat oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and asafetida. Let the mustard seeds pop.
- Next add cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chili. Let the seeds pop.
- Add the sliced ivy gourd (tendli) and mix well. Cover and let it cook.
- Open the cover and add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
- Cook for another 8-10 minutes. Then, add potatoes and garam masala. Mix well.
- Cook covered for 6-8 minutes till the potatoes soften. Add dhania jeera powder and mix well.
- Add lemon juice and turn down the flame. Season with cilantro leaves.
- Enjoy with rotis or parathas and rice.
Video
Notes
- Cut the tendli of even size to ensure they cook at the same time. The potatoes can be slightly bigger as they cook faster and will not disappear in the tendli.
- Adding some shredded coconut at the end of the cooking process is a great idea too. Add or skip based on preferences.
- To make the sabji spicy, increase the amount of green chili. Increasing garam masala will not yield a spicy one. It will simply overload the masalas.
- The same sabji can be made in ghee too. Use what works best for you.
- Adding ginger, garlic or other masalas does work too. I like to use just garam masala and basic spices for this recipe.
- To make the sabji with some gravy, add some water while cooking and do not burn it completely. The masalas and water will yield a semi-thick gravy.
- The sabji can be enjoyed off the stove or later. Heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave or on the stove before serving. This tindora batata sabji works really well for meal prep. It is great for lunchbox too.
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