Myindiarecipes.com has a recipe for "Thondekai palya", a stir fry made from Ivy gourd.

I've come a long way in my relationship with Thondekai.Being very much in love now is the result of progressing in stages from being perfect strangers to distant acquaintances for years on end and out of the blue.I was not expecting a love story, but I am glad it happened.

I didn't have a lot of time to get to know this vegetable.My grandfather's kitchen was strictly vegetarian and I have talked about it many times.There was a time when onions and garlic were not allowed in everyone's homes.Anything that was part of the rajasic and tamasic categories were off limits.

During my engineering days, when I was living on my own for the first time, I saw a glimpse of them up close in the hostel mess.It was not possible to taste anything, so I decided not to eat anything from the barred list.Life went on without Tindora for a long time, and I had no regrets about it.

After marriage, my mom-in-law made a re-entry into my life through a variety of traditional and modern Indian cuisines.Tindora was not just one of my Mr.K's favorite vegetables but also a nostalgic one that transported him to his childhood days of growing up in Mangalore.After having tasted Thondekai in different dishes, it never entered my kitchen.

A couple of years back, I found a plastic bag filled with miniature cucumber replicas in the refrigerator, while I was digging up vegetables for the day's menu.If a particular vegetable appeared in the refrigerator without my involvement, it was Mr. K's way of non-verbally indicating a favorite dish he had been craving to eat.

I feel like I don't have much to complain about.The opposite is true with Mr.K.I didn't want to use my lack of experience in cooking with it as an excuse.I started thinking about delicious plans.

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for a long time.Thondekai and whole cashews were the main characters in this recipe.It was like a bollywood small budget super hit movie cast with a debutante hero and a damsel in distress, as if it was beginner's luck!

The whole golden cashews are a beautiful contrast to the Tindora quarters which are smothered in a paste of fiery red chillies and raw mustard seeds.

I believe in the way of cooking and eating for one's body type and care about well being of the mind-body-spirit, as well as the ill effects of tamasic and rajasic foods on these aspects.

In this day and age, however hard we try, our lifestyles are woven in such a way that we eat a lot more food than we realize.Tindora might be less tamasic when cooked fresh and eaten at home.

I might move away completely from Tindora one day.This is a punch of a recipe.

tender tindora are smaller in size and have a nice shine, avoiding the big ones even though they look tempting, as they are mature and tough.When they hit the cutting board, you will know which ones to discard.

Kannada Adige, No Onion-Garlic, One Pot Meal, Rice, Signature Recipes are vegan.

My favourite vegetable is Thondekaye.As I have made my love for India well known, my visits to India usually include my various Thondekaye dishes made by aunts.In Australia, we don't have access to fresh vegetables, so we prefer the frozen version.Even if it means opening a packet from a freezer, I will try it out.The post is gorgeous!

It's a story all of us outside of our home country can relate to.

Thank you for visiting my website, you made my day, I am a big fan of your photography, and you had a workshop with Helen?She is my favorite photographer.Lots of veggies were banned from our kitchen as well.My grandmother used to tell me to get some English vegetables.She wouldn't eat them.

You are very welcome.It was four years ago that she published her book.It reminds me of Taatha's house.

I am a home chef, food photographer, writer, and all other roles behind the scenes of Just Homemade.I'm a mom of two active kids, a former techie and a container gardener.

There is a virtual space dedicated to the love and joy of good homemade food.Hope you find something that motivates you.

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