Manoli Kadle Ajadina /Thondekai Kadle palya /Ivy gourd and chick pea Dry curry

This is one of our family favourite curries, which is loved by all. We make two types of curries by using ivy gourd and chickpea.

One is with onion and garlic, other one without it.

This name is derived from Tulu language, which is a local language of Mangalore. Manoli is ivy gourd or Tindora, Kadle is black chick pea and Ajadina is dry curry.

This particular masala is used in Bunt community of Mangalore and it is an integral part of their festive cooking.

How I make this-

Ingredients:

Ivy gourd – ¼ to ½ kg

Black Chick pea – 1 cup

Salt

Jaggery – 1 tsp

For Masala:

Fresh grated coconut- 1 cup

Tamarind- ½ tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Garlic – 4 cloves

Dry red chillies- 3 to 4

Cumin – ½ tsp

For Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 to 2 tbl sp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Cumin- ½ tsp

Garlic – 3 to 4 cloves

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Shallots – 5 or onion – ½

Method:

-Soak black chick peas in water overnight. Next day discard soaked water and add fresh water, salt and cook this in a cooker for 3 to 4 whistles.

-Wash ivy gourd, cut this lengthwise into 4 pieces. Cook this by putting very little water and salt and keep aside.

-When pressure releases from the cooker, open the lid, drain the water and keep chick pea aside. Don’t discard the drained water. You can make really yummy Rasam or soup out of this.

Next is the masala preparation-

-Roast red chillies and cumin.

-Here we are not roasting coriander. This is used without roasting.

-Take one mixer jar, put coriander, garlic, coconut, turmeric, tamarind roasted red chillies and cumin. Grind this into a coarse paste with very little water.

Now we can proceed to make curry-

-Take one kadai, put coconut oil, when it is hot add mustard seed, cumin, sliced shallots and crushed garlic. Fry this for a while and add curry leaves.

-Now add ground masala and fry for a while. If it is too thick add ¼ cup of water and boil until it is cooked and changes its colour.

-Now add cooked chick pea and ivy gourd mix well, check for the salt and adjust.

-Cook this until it becomes like a mass and veggies are coated well with the masala.

-Serve this as a side dish with hot rice.

NOTE:

-Usage of coconut oil will give authentic taste.

-Don’t discard drained water from cooked chick pea. It is very nutritious and you can prepare really tasty Rasam, whose recipe I will update soon.