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Friday, May 13, 2016

Kovakka pickle

Pickles, especially of the instant kind, are a must have in my home. Whether to spice up a breakfast or to pair with curd rice while winding down for the day, nothing beats the comfort of a good home made pickle. This kovakka/tendli/ivy gourd pickle is quick and easy to make and scores high on the taste factor too.




















What you need :

Kovakka/tendli/ivy gourd - 25-30 (use firm green ones. Do not use ripe ones)
Juice of half a lemon

Dry masala :
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp, heaped
Pickle masala powder - 1 tsp heaped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

For tempering:
Gingely oil - 5 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken red chilli - 1
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida

Wash and dry kovakka using a paper towel. Cut each gourd into half vertically and then cut each half into three thin strips, making six strips out of each gourd.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and on a low flame, fry the kovakka for about five minutes until it is just slightly done. Do not cover the kadai while frying, as we don't want the kovakka to be cooked through. It should still retain its crunch. Switch off the flame and let it cool to room temperature.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the dry masala in a separate vessel. Add this to the cooled kovakka and mix well.

Heat oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, red chilli, and cumin. When the mustard seeds pop, sprinkle some asafoetida in the oil, switch off the heat and add the masala coated kovakka. Mix well. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into this and mix well.
Let it cool completely. Store in an air tight bottle.

This is my second post for Blogging Marathon #64 under the theme Pickles & Preserves. The recipe is from here.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#64




11 comments:

www.annapurnaz.in said...

That is a lovely dish. I am certainly going to try it :)

Pavani said...

Yummy, yumm!! Pickle looks so tangy, spicy and delicious.

Priya Suresh said...

Interesting pickle, cant wait to give a try soon.

Srivalli said...

Sounds very interesting Jay, never made with Kovakka..must try!..I also like the instant versions as they are so much less laborious...

Gayathri Kumar said...

Oh, this pickle sounds so yum. I have never tried pickling kovakka. Nice recipe..

vaishali sabnani said...

Strange but till recently i could not have ever thought of a pickle with ivy gourd. This is a lovely pickle...we too make one with these gourds.

Sandhya Ramakrishnan said...

Never knew we could pickle with kovakkai. Love the recipe.

Harini R said...

That is a new one for me. I never made this. Good one.

Archana said...

Sounds delicious. Will love to try it.

cookingwithsapana said...

Tempting looking pickle.

Chef Mireille said...

looks like such a flavorful pickle