Today in the kitchen - Tinda Masala

Some healthy and green vegetables are not quite popular with kids and many adults as well.. it's same with kaddu/pumpkin, Tori, lauki or Tinda. However, they are not just nutritional, if cooked in a certain way, everyone will not just like but ask you to repeat it. 

Today I picked Tinda to make a masala dish. Tinda is a summer vegetable and in summer when there are not many greens available, it's a good rather great choice to pick along with Kundru, lauki or kaddu all summer vegetables. Tinda has many names in English such as apple gourd, Indian squash, Round melon, baby pumpkin etc. 

So let's start:

I again picked a mix of recipes from YouTube but mostly I followed bharatzkitchen. I liked his step by step instructions in clear Hindi. So here are the ingredients, which are not many, to serve 3 or 4 people depending on what else is there on the table. Tinda could be had with roti, parantha, naan or rice, whatever you like.

a) Tinda - 500 gms (approx 8 in numbers)

b) Onion - 2 medium size approx 100 gms

c) Tomato - 2 medium size approx 100 gms

d) Curd (for marination) - 1/2 cup( 80 gms)

e) spices 1 tsp each - turmeric powder, red chili powder, roasted cumin seed powder, cumin seed, table salt, kasuri methi, chat masala, garam masala.

f) besan - 1tbsp

g) green chili small size - 2

h) garlic - 2 cloves medium

i) ginger - 1/2" piece (15 gms)

j) water - 1 cup (approx 150 ml)

Process:

Wash Tinda, cut ends and peel cut in two or four parts depending on the size. Wash again.

Slice and cut onions, tomatoes, green chillies, garlic and ginger into small pieces.

For marination : Take a tadka pan, heat it, add 1 tbsp of mustard oil.. wait till you see fumes from the pan switch off the flame add one tbsp of besan and mix it with oil to make a homogeneous mixture. Now add 1/2 cup curd to cut Tinda and add the besan oil mixture. Mix everything thoroughly let Tinda marinate.

Put a pressure cooker on the stove and when heated add 2 tbsp of mustard oil. When oil gets heated add a tsp of jeera/cumin seeds, when it started crackling add the cut onion and cook it at medium flame till you see it changing colour, this will take about 3-4 minutes, now add 1tsp turmeric powder, cut green chili, ginger and garlic and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now add cut tomatoes and 1/2 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp chat masala (I didn't have so I used pav bhaji masala), cook this mixture for another 3-4 minutes till you see tomatoes getting cooked and becoming a bit soft.

Now add the marinated mixtures and mix the whole thing thoroughly and cook for about 5 minutes. (when you cook these mixtures you should keep the cooker cover leaving a little opening). Now add 1 cup water ..use the same bowl that was used for marination so that the residual marinate also gets used. Now put the cover over the pressure cooker and steam it for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the cooker cool.. remove the lid and add coriander leaves, 1/2 tsp kasuri methi and 1tsp garam masala and you are ready to go.

Although  it was my first attempt at this, it tasted perfect.. you can have it as a main dish at lunch or dinner. Eat it with roti, parantha, naan or rice.. it goes well with every accompaniment. Very few people I know who fancy Tinda, so I specially remembered @varunbhatia and dedicate this dish to him... wish he was here.