Tendli-Moi | Tendli- Bibbe Upkari
A glance through the history books reveals the intertwined history of the Catholics and the Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) hailing from the coastal region between Mangalore and Goa. So it is not surprising to find a lot of similarities in the cooking styles when it comes to vegetarian food. Tendli-Moi is one such dish which is common to both communities and features prominently during the festivities. This was an absolute must-have dish on the Mangalorean Catholic wedding menu, alongside the Sweet-Pulao. This dish is a stir-fry of Ivy-gourd and Cashewnuts, made using minimal ingredients and in minimal time.
How to make Tendli-Moi
Traditionally Tendli-Moi was made using freshly plucked raw cashewnuts, better known in Konkani language as “Bibbe” (in the GSB dialect) and “Phokaan” (in the Catholic dialect). But nowadays dried cashewnuts “Moi” are used to make this dish, as they are widely available in any grocery store across the globe.
Begin by prepping the hero ingredients viz. the Tendli (Ivy-gourd) and the cashewnuts. Trim the ends of the Tendli and halve them lengthwise and set aside. If you are using dried cashewnuts to make this recipe, soak them in some salted water for about 10 minutes, drain them and split them in half and set aside. If you are using raw cashewnuts (phokaan) in this recipe, blanch them in hot water for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain them and peel off their outer shell and transfer them to a bowl of cold water and set aside.
In a frying pan, heat some coconut oil to medium heat and splutter some mustard seeds. Follow this by adding some split urad dal and frying till it begins to turn golden brown. Add some broken-dried red chillies to the pan and fry for a few seconds. Add the cashewnuts and ivy-gourd to the pan, toss well and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add some water, salt to taste and some jaggery to add some mild sweetness to the dish. Give a good mix and cover and cook till the Ivy-gourd is cooked just enough to still have a bit of crunch and not have turned too soft or mushy (takes about 15-20 minutes). Once most of the moisture has dried up, add some grated coconut and continue to cook on open flame until all the moisture has evaporated. check and adjust the salt if needed. Take it off the flame. The Tendli-Moi is ready!
Tendli-Moi
Equipment
- 1 Frying Pan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad Dal (split)
- 2 pieces Dried Red Chillies (broken)
- ½ Cup Dried Cashewnuts (see notes) (soaked in salted water for 10mins and then drained and halved)
- 300 gms Ivy-gourd/ Tendlin (ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
- ½ Cup Water
- Salt, as per taste
- 1 tsp Jaggery/ Sugar
- ¼ Cup Grated Coconut
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil on medium heat on in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds
- When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the urad dal and fry till it begins to turn golden brown
- Add the broken red chillies and fry for a few seconds
- Add the cashew nuts to the pan, followed by the Ivy-gourd
- Toss well and saute for a couple of minutes
- Add the water, salt and jaggery. Give a good mix and cover and cook for about 20 mins
- The Ivy-gourd should be cooked just enough to still have a bit of crunch and not have turned too soft or mushy
- Once most of the moisture has dried up, add the grated coconut and continue to cook on open flame until all the moisture has evaporated.
- Check the salt and adjust if needed.
- Take it off the flame and prepare to serve.
Notes
- Traditionally freshly plucked raw cashewnuts were used in this dish. If you are using raw cashewnuts for this recipe, they need to be blanched in hot water for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, peel the outer shell of the cashewnuts, halve them and keep them soaked in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes before adding them to the frying pan.
- Optionally we can use a little turmeric while cooking to add a bit of colour to the dish. But I personally prefer to make this dish without turmeric.
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If you love Tendli (Ivy-Gourd), here are some more recipes for you to try:
