Kundru with grated coconut

The main advantage of vegetarian cooking is that we have a variety of vegetables and in that again we have variety of spices to make it interesting. So here is another variety of making kundru.

Ingredients:

500g kundru and 1 small fresh coconut.

For seasoning:

1tsp of oil, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 1 twig curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and slice the vegetable either lengthwise or breadth wise but as finely as possible, without hurting your fingers. 
2. Break the coconut, grate it and keep it aside. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, jeera, chillis, curry leaves and once the mustard starts spluttering, add the vegetable and salt, place a lid and let it simmer till soft and done. 
4. Finally  fold in the grated coconut and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Stir fried Kundru

In English it is known as ivy gourd. In telugu we call it dondakaya. From inside it looks like cucumber. Always better to cook the tender ones and discard the ripe ones which may appear green from outside but red from inside when cut.

It is been tested that kundru is good for the diabetic patients. When eaten regularly at the onset of diabetes this vegetable controls the bold sugar levels. Many of us do not have any great liking to this vegetable. But it can be made interesting and tastes good when eaten hot.

Ingredients:

500g kundru, 1tbsp oil,3 red chillis, ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, twig curry leaves, ¼ tsp haldi powder and salt to taste.

For seasoning:

100g roasted chana dal, 1tbsp jeera, 5-6 red chiilis, 10 garlic cloves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Roast all the seasoning ingredients and make a coarse  powder in the mixie and keep aside. 
2. This can be made when we find time and store in air tight containers until further use. 
3. This in fact can be mixed into hot rice with a little bit of pure ghee, tastes very good on a rainy day.
4. Wash and make thin slices of the vegetable either vertically or horizontally. The pieces have to be evenly sliced for uniform cooking.
5. Heat oil in a pan, put  mustard seeds, jeera, red chillis, curry leaves and the vegetable. 
6. After frying a little add little salt and turmeric powder and fry till soft and done.
7. Finally add 2 tsp of prepared roasted chana powder and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.