Bharwa tinda or stuffed tinda recipe with step by step pics. This is a Punjabi recipe of tinda or apple gourds in an onion-tomato based gravy. A family recipe and one that is quick enough to prepare. This bharwa tinda gravy has a home style taste. Also, the dish might look intricate but is quite quick enough to prepare. It is vegan too.
We usually make this bharwa tinda recipe in two ways. The one I am sharing in this post is the quicker version and a pressure cooked one. I will also share the other version soon.
Stuffed veggie recipes are usually liked by many people as you get a good taste and flavor of spices in the veggie. The only tricky part is to preparing the masala and stuffing it properly.
I have posted a few stuffed veggie recipes on blog which you can try:
When making bharwan tinda, its better to buy tender tinda as they have less seeds. The mature ones will have more seeds. The recipe tastes best with tender tindas.
The ingredients for the stuffing masala in this recipe are also just the regular basic stuff, which are easily available at all given times in an Indian home kitchen. You just have to get the tindas from the market and get going with this recipe.
The recipe is easy and does not take much time. It is also a ‘jhatpat’ recipe, meaning quick and not taking much time to get ready.
Bharwa tinda goes very well with chapatis or phulkas or plain paratha or ajwain paratha.
How to make Bharwa Tinda Recipe
Preparation and making stuffing masala:
1. Firstly rinse 500 grams tinda (apple gourds) very well in water. Also rinse the other veggies like tomatoes. Keep aside.
2. Now in a blender or grinder jar or food processor/chopper, take ½ cup roughly chopped onions, 1 to 1.25 cups chopped tomatoes, 4 medium garlic cloves (roughly chopped) and ½ inch ginger (roughly chopped).
3. Without adding any water grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.
4. Peel or scrape the outer green skin of the tinda (apple gourds).
5. Now make a cross section slice on each tinda without cutting it entirely. Slice all the apple gourds this way. Keep aside.
6. Now take all of the ground onion-tomato paste in a bowl. Add the following ground spices:
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
You can vary the amount of spices as per your taste prefences.
7. Add salt as per taste.
8. Mix the spice powders very well with the onion-tomato paste.
Stuffing tinda with masala
9. Take each tinda and first stuff the ground paste on one side of the cut.
10. Then stuff the ground paste on the second side.
11. This way stuff the ground masala paste in all the apple gourds.
12. There will be remaining masala paste in the bowl. Keep this aside as we will be using this.
Making bharwa tinda
13. Now heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a stovetop pressure cooker. Add the remaining masala paste. Be careful as the paste splutters.
14. Saute for 2 minutes on a low to medium heat.
15. Now gently place the stuffed tinda in the cooker. No need to add water. Only add little water in the pressure cooker when the onions and tomatoes are not juicy.
16. Pressure cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 whistles or 6 to 8 minutes. Tender tinda will take 2 whistles. Slightly more mature ones will take 3 to 4 whistles.
It took me 4 whistles to make them as the tinda were slightly bigger in size. If the tinda are smaller then it will take less time or whistles to cook.
17. Once the pressure settles down, then only open the lid of the cooker. Check if the tinda have cooked by sliding a knife through it. If the knife slides easily, the tinda are cooked. If not then pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles more.
18. There will be some water in the cooker. So cook the gravy without the lid on medium heat till most of the water evaporates. This bharwa tinda gravy has a medium consistency.
19. Serve bharwa tinda hot garnished with coriander leaves with chapati, parathas or phulkas.
If you are looking for more Veggie recipes then do check:
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Tinda Recipe | Bharwa Tinda Recipe
Ingredients
stuffing masala ingredients for tinda recipe
- 1 large sized onion or 100 grams onion or ½ cup chopped onions
- 3 medium sized tomatoes or 1 to 1.25 cups chopped tomatoes
- 4 medium garlic cloves (lahsun) – roughly chopped
- ½ inch ginger (adrak) – roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder (jeera powder)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- salt as required
other ingredients for bharwan tinda
- 500 grams tinda (apple gourds)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
Instructions
preparation and making stuffing masala
- Firstly rinse 500 grams tinda (apple gourds) very well in water. Also rinse the other veggies like tomatoes. Keep aside.
- Now in a blender or grinder jar or food processor/chopper, take ½ cup roughly chopped onions, 1 to 1.25 cups chopped tomatoes, 4 medium garlic cloves (roughly chopped) and ½ inch ginger (roughly chopped).
- Without adding any water grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.
- Peel or scrape the outer green skin of the apple gourds.
- Now make a cross section slice on each tinda without cutting it entirely. Slice all the apple gourds this way. Keep aside.
- Now take all of the ground onion-tomato paste in a bowl. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon dry mango powder, 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing) and salt as required.
- Mix the spice powders very well with the onion-tomato paste.
stuffing tinda with masala
- Take each tinda and first stuff the ground paste on one side of the cut.
- Then stuff the ground paste on the second side.
- This way stuff the ground masala paste in all the tinda (apple gourds).
- There will be remaining masala paste in the bowl. Keep this aside as we will be using this.
making bharwan tinda
- Now heat 4 tablespoons oil in a pressure cooker. Add the remaining masala paste. Be careful as the paste splutters.
- Saute for 2 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- Now gently place the stuffed tinda in the cooker. No need to add water.
- Pressure cook bharwan tinda on medium flame for 2 to 3 whistles or 6 to 8 minutes. Tender tinda will take 2 whistles. Slightly more mature ones will take 3 to 4 whistles.
- Once the pressure settles down, then open the lid. Check if the tinda have cooked by sliding a knife through it. If the knife slides easily, then the tinda are cooked. If not then pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistle more.
- There will be some water in the cooker. So cook the bharwan tinda gravy without the lid on medium flame till most of the water evaporates. This bharwan tinda gravy has medium consistency.
- Serve bharwan tinda garnished with coriander leaves with chapati, parathas or phulkas.
Notes
- You can add spice powders more or less as per your taste.
- Instead of oil you can use ghee or half-half of both.
- Add little water in the pressure cooker, if required. This might be needed if the onions and tomatoes are not juicy.
- Take care while chopping tinda so that you don’t cut it entirely.
- It took me 4 whistles to make them. As the tinda were slightly bigger in size. If the tinda are smaller then it will take less time or whistles to cook.
- Tender, fresh and small tindas will cook faster and will take about 2 whistles.
- The recipe taste best with tender tindas.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Tinda Recipe from the archives, originally published in August 2017 has been updated and republished on February 2023.
Hello Dassana,
Would it be ok if we first make the paste like till it oil is leaving from the sides and then stuff this roasted masala or bhuna masala in tinda ?
And thanks for posting the first recipe of Tinda. As these days its season of tinda ..
Thanks
megha, yes you can do this way. what i have shared is a shortcut and quick method eliminating the sautéing step. but at times i also saute the masala and then stuff the tindas with it.