Kundru ki Sabji | Tendli Recipe | Tendli Bhaji

There are few vegetables used in Indian cuisine, which are not really popular and are not given their due credit by many people. Ivy gourd or tendli/tindora/kundru is one of them. Most of the people have an aversion towards this veggie, hence, it is not even that common in households. However, I guarantee that with this Tendli Bhaji, that notion will change. This Tendli Recipe is a Gujarati style Kundru ki Sabji made with ivy gourd, potatoes and is easy, vegan and gluten free too.

About Kundru ki Sabji

I got this simple Tendli Recipe from a Gujarati friend of my husband. Thanks to him and his mother, I now know a couple of Gujarati recipes too.

There’s something about this particular food culture that may not woo a lot of people at the first go. But once you keep trying dishes from the Gujarati food culture, you’ll know the versatility and the real flavors, which are much more than just sweet.

This Gujarati style Kundru ki Sabji is one of those recipes, which are not just super simple and quite basic at the very first look, but also packs super flavors in it and is very well textured too.

The veggies ivy gourd (tendli) and potatoes (aloo) add to the texture bit as well as make the dish comforting too.

Ivy gourd has many regional names in India. For instance, it is ‘tendli or kundru’ in Hindi and Konkani, ‘tondli’ in Marathi, ‘tindora’ in Gujarati, ‘dondakaya’ in Telugu, ‘kovakkai’ in Tamil, ‘tonde kayi’ in Kannada, ‘kundri or toruni’ in Bengali, etc. It is small in size, but is considered as a wonder ingredient because of its medicinal and health benefits.

You really don’t have to do much to prepare this Kundru ki Sabji. Just fry your whole spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, green chilies along with the chopped ivy gourds and potatoes in a pressure cooker.

Then, spice it up with turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chili powder (if using), pour in some water and season it well.

Next, just cover and pressure cook till well done. You can keep the Tendli Bhaji gravyish or simmer it further for a semi-dry version.

More On This Recipe

Tendli or tindora has been a regular vegetable at my mother’s place. She would make a Goan style Tendli Recipe, which we would relish with chapatis and dal. It was so regular at my place that after some time I quite got bored of it.

When I was away from home, I did miss this vegetable. Such are our minds. When we have it, we get bored of it or take it for granted, and when we do not have it, we miss it or long for it.

Because of this Kundru ki Sabji, I’ve again got a hang of it and have now made it a part of my meals, whenever I get ivy gourds.

My mother would make various Goan-style coconut based stir-fries with almost all the vegetables including ivy gourds and I would simply love all of them.

In addition to chapatis and dal, this Tendli Recipe tastes really amazing with Gujarati rotli, plain paratha or even dal-rice combination.

How to make Kundru ki Sabji

Preparation

1. Clean 250 grams of tendli or tindora or kundru (ivy gourd) in water. Then, wipe them with a kitchen towel and chop lengthwise into 4 pieces. Wash, peel and dice 1 large potato too.

Make Tendli Recipe

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.

I have made Tendli Bhaji in my small pressure cooker. It saves time, fuel and is easy for me. However, you can cook this recipe in a heavy bottomed pan or kadai/wok too. 

3. When the mustard seeds crackle, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.

4. Now, add 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 inch finely chopped ginger, 1 slit green chili and fry for a minute.

5. Add the chopped tendli and potatoes.

6. Add the following ground spices:

• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, if using – the addition of red chili powder is optional.

7. Stir to combine the spices evenly with the veggies. Add ½ cup water and salt as required.

8. Pressure cook on medium heat for 1 to 2 whistles or till both the ivy gourds and potatoes are tender and cooked well. Check if there is any water still remaining.

If yes, then keep the cooker on the stovetop, so that the water dries up. Also, the potatoes and ivy gourds should be completely cooked.

9. If you want a little gravy, then you can keep the water and no need to simmer the gravy. Since we like this Tendli Recipe as a side dish with roti, I prefer it with no water.

10. You can serve Kundru ki Sabji or Tendli Bhaji with Gujarati rotli or chapatis. This sabzi also goes well with plain paratha. You can also have it as a side dish with dal and rice.

Expert Tips

1. To save on time, fuel and make it an easy task, I usually cook this recipe in a small pressure cooker. However, you can also make it in a heavy bottomed kadai or pan/wok. Just that it will take some more time for the veggies to cook.
2. You can opt to make the recipe with either oil or ghee (clarified butter).
3. Adding red chili powder in this recipe is optional. You can skip it.
4. If you like coconut, add some coconut to the veggies, once the cooking is complete.
5. To increase the spice level, you can also increase the quantity of green chilies and/or red chili powder, if using. For a slightly tangy taste, add ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur) once the veggies are cooked.
6. If you want to make this dish with a little gravy or curry, then keep the water and don’t simmer the dish further. For a dry version, keep the cooker on heat till the water dries.
7. You could also skip adding the potato and replace it with some more ivy gourds.

This Tendli recipe post from the archives, first published on May 2010 has been republished and updated on November 2022.