How to make Kovakka Mezhukkupuratti
kovakka mezhukkupuratti / spicy Ivy gourd fry is a staple dish of Kerala. Mezhukkupuratti is a style of preparation of these dishes in Kerala. Kovakka is also known as tindora, tendly and tindly in other states of India.
Today’s menu in Dabba (tiffin carrier) is kovakka mezhukkupuratti/ kovakka stirfry/ Tindora fry spiced ivy gourd fry, dhal, cinnamon-scented rice, salad, chutneys, poppadoms and buttermilk.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of contents
Dabba meaning:
The word “Dabba” means “lunch box”; “walla” means carrier or delivery man. But them together and you get “Lunch box carrier”. In this case, it refers to a stackable tin box used for hot meals called the tiffin.
The dabbawala was set up in 1890 to carry lunches from home to office for British administrators who would not carry their own lunches in public. Above all, it serves a similar function from the commuters of Mumbai – home to 17 million people.
Dabba delivery:
Every day, the dabbawalas collect freshly cooked meals from their customers’ homes all over Mumbai. Travelling by train, bus and bicycle, they then sort and deliver each of them to offices and workplaces throughout the city by lunchtime. Likewise, even return the used tiffins back to the customer’s home for reuse.
Probably dabbawala delivers an astonishing 200,000 meals across the city, every day… still with incredible efficiency, and almost perfect accuracy in order fulfilment.
For example, Western companies like Amazon and FedEx strive to achieve that kind of accuracy through advanced technology. Not so in the case of the dabbawala.
To clarify, satisfy their customers, they use a complex system of collection teams, sorting point and delivery zones. And a completely manual system for routing the right meal to the right destination. Most importantly, the labelling system must rely purely on numbers and colours, painted on the tiffin.
Case study:
Despite challenges like this, the organization has been recognized and celebrated for its amazing order accuracy…estimated at roughly 1 error in every 16 million transactions. (yes, you read that right.).
Probably this is why Harvard Business School made the dabbawala the subject of a case study in 2010. Above all business leaders from around the world have visited them, and why their leader was invited to address a TEDx conference in 2011.
kovakka mezhukkupuratti (spicy Ivy gourd Fry) – Kovakka stirfry recipe
Above all, I remember my Mom, back home used to have Kovakka directly pluck from the back garden. Moreover, I used to love eating tender ones. Almost all the households in Kerala have a backyard vegetable garden, where Kovakka/ ivy gourd is an evergreen item. As an illustration, let’s learn how to make the ivy gourd recipe Kerala style.
- Serves -3
- Preparation time – 10 minutes
- Cooking time -15 minutes
Ingredients to prepare crispy tindora fry recipe/ ivy gourd fry recipe/ tendli recipe:-
- Kovakka/ Ivy gourd – 250 gms
- Onion chopped – 1
- Chopped garlic – 2 cloves
- Chili powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
- Curry Leaves
- Mustard seeds- ½ tablespoon
- Salt to taste
- Oil
Method to prepare Kovakka Mezhukkupuratty /spicy tindora fry:-
Time needed: 25 minutes
- Clean and Slice Kovakka lengthwise.
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
- When they pop up add chopped onion and curry leaves. Saute till they are soft 4-5 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and fry it again for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chilli powder and turmeric powder and combine them well.
- Slide in the kovakka pieces and toss it well so that it gets mixed with the masala.
- Sprinkle 3-4 tsp of water and cook it covered till they are soft.
- Uncover it, and let it stand on a medium flame till it gets cooked.
- Take care not to burn it by stirring occasionally. Spicy ivy gourd fry is ready. Serve hot!!
In conclusion, writing a blog is not as easy as I thought. Moreover, now I feel like I ride that Dabba bike all the way from Virar to Churchgate. Enjoy your Kovakka Mezhukkupuratty /spicy Ivy gourd Fry.
More similar recipes:
Kovakka Mezhukkupuratty / spicy Ivy gourd Fry
Ingredients
Ingredients to make Kovakka Mezhukkupuratty / spicy Ivy gourd Fry
- 250 gms Kovakka ivy gourd
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloved garlic chopped
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
Instructions to make Kovakka Mezhukkupuratty / spicy Ivy gourd Fry
- Clean and Slice Kovakka lengthwise.
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds .When they pop up add chopped onion and curry leaves and saute till they are soft 4-5 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and fry it again for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chili powder and turmeric powder and combine it well.
- Slide in the kovakka pieces and toss it well so that it get mixed with the masala.
- Sprinkle 3-4 tspns of water and cook it covered till they are soft .
- Uncover it, and let it stand on a medium flame till it get cooked; take care not to burn it by stirring occasionally. Serve it hot!!
Nutrition
FAQ:
Mezhukupuratt is a style of cooking in Kerala cuisine, where vegetables are stir fried with spices along with either onions or shallots.
In English kovakka is ivy gourd. It is also known as baby watermelon, little gourd or tindora.
Kovakka has a slightly bitter after taste. They are juicy and crunchy.
Kovakka can be used in stir frys and in currys. They are widely used in indian cookery.
Kovakka is very good for diabetics. The mucilaginous seeds in kovakka are considered to control blood sugar. It also considered great for haling any inflammations in the kidney.
Yum, sounds wonderful!
Thanks you Vanessa:))
I just love all of your recipes!?
Thank you Payel?
We eat its fried preparation, usually ( in Hyd). The table decoration and its photography is amazing.
Thank you Sayanti. Glad you like it. How do you fry it. Is it batter fried? Never tried a fried one, would like to try:))
My pleasure. Yes, Batter fried. That is very tasty. But, due to the shortage of time, most of the time, I, simply fry it with salt and turmeric. It’s also a tasty preparation.
Sayanti, thanks for that. I Will try that:))
I loved the recipe… for the set up table is top
Thank you dishdessert:))
A mouth watering dish, perfect for a vegetarian like me. Thank you for sharing your recipe and great photography. BTW have you seen the movie “Lunchbox” ?
Hi cornelia, good to know you are a vegetarian. Will post more vegetarian recipes. This is easy to cook aswell. Yes seen Lunch box. That movie is the inspiration behind this blog. But there, the concept is totally different. In Lunch box the story is behind a missing dabba, which happens very rarely!!
Reblogged this on koolkosherkitchen and commented:
Dear Beautiful People! A while ago, when I discovered an amazing Indian produce store full of fascinating mysterious vegetables, I asked two fellow bloggers to do guest posts in order to share some ideas and techniques of turning those wonderful mysteries into no less wonderful dishes. Please welcome an Indian chef and amazing food artist Sumith Babu with his guest post. While you are at it, take an opportunity to visit his blog keralas.live and be astonished! Thank you, Sumith, for your kindness and your expertise!
Thank you Dolly for this beautiful comment. Sorry for a very late reply as this was in my spam folder.
Hey Sumith – we did it, and it worked! Your recipe is amazing, and I thank you for taking up the challenge of finding those thingies and for writing up such an interesting historical fact.
Hi Dolly, thanks for the compliment and glad you like it?
I didn’t like it – I love it, and apparently, so do many other people, so thank you again. I am off to the Indian store to get stuff like curry leaves and mustard seeds, etc.
Thank you for the feed back Dolly:))
Wow, lovely recipe and great pictures ? I think if dabbawala’s go on strike, half of cooperation population in Mumbai would go without fresh homemade food, they have really great Organization skill.
Hi Rhythm thank you. That’s true! Starting their organisation since 1890 it’s only one time they been on strike, that was with Anna Hazare.
Thank you very much!!
Very welcome 🙂
Both my mother’s older sisters lived in India in the 1940s (during the last days of the Raj) and I used to adore their stories. Wallah was a word that became part of the family vernacular as a result along with several other Indian words. This looks so delicious … I wonder what I would substitue for the gourd? When I am in New England squash are plentiful (in fact I live in the home of the butternut squash when there), here in France pumpkin are prized but I think this looks more solid than either, am I right?
Hi Osyth, happy to know you have an ancestral back ground from India. Yes it’s delicious. Usually this goes as a side dish with rice or any Indian bread.? If you are interested in Indian recipes on butternut squash I will post some:))
I think they were pretty decent British but as with my Irish ancestry, we are sensitive to the fact that there was a lot of not so good in the mix! I am loving your blog just as it is … yes certainly Squash dishes would be most welcome but in reality I am an omnivore who is eager to hoover up everything a good food blog throws at me 🙂 You are most kind!
Hi Osyth, your kind response is greatly appreciated!!
OMG! your dabba looks so tempting!! Can I drop by at your place for lunch?? 😀
Thank you Lisa? I need some body to finish all these food. You are heartly welcome:))
First off, great photography! I’m a huge fan of this gourd and learnt to make a dry curry from my mom.Will try your version too Sumith:)
Hi Divya, thanks for the compliment, but no where near your photography. I love that crunchiness in that!! Please let me know once you made it:))
Looks so good! Ok Sumith, I’ve arranged a wala to knock on your door. Prepare the dabba for me, please!!
Ah, I liked the Indian film “The Lunchbox” – romantic and MOUTHWATERING! 😀
Haha thank you Rotwein. That movie “Lunch box” inspired me this post!! Have you seen the movie “Julie and Julia” very inspirational movie for the food bloggers?
Now I’m watching it again on You Tube – without subtitle though… As for Julie and Julia, yes I saw it as well. It is encouraging!
After seeing your kovaka recipe . I couldn’t resist , Made it today . It came out awesome and it tastes amazing . Just wanted to let you know .. ?
Hi SSI thanks for the feed back. Glad you like it!! Kovakka is my ever time favourite too:))
Thank you Lathiya?
Another spectactular piece of food art Sumith. I’m fascinated by the information on the lunchbox – what an amazing system and with that failure rate it’s no wonder others are wondering how they achieve it! Fabulous post.. x
Thank you wendy:)) there is a movie “Lunch box” story is behind this dabba. And “Julie and Julia” a must see movie for bloggers. You will love it!!
That’s definitely on my list to follow up then – thanks for the tip! x
And all these motivation comes from your blog? thanks for those great posts!!
What an absolutely lovely thing to say! Well it’s reciprocal – I just love the amazing photo’s on your site and the colourful stories that accompany your recipes – it makes it a very different foody blog which I love! x
Hi Wendy, your words make my day. These all happening only because of people like you around. Thank you so much:))
It’s a great and inspiring community that we’re both part of! x
Very true Wendy!!
Thanks for visiting my blog and I got the chance to see these wonderful recipes presented in your lovely blog.
Thanks you Suzanna for stopping by. I enjoyed reading your blog. Hope you will enjoy our cuisine from Kerala, a tiny state from India.
Looks good. I like the tiffin box.
Thank you Kimberley:))
I have watched ‘Lunchbox’ at least 3 times. That is rare for me to watch a movie multiple times. I appreciate this post a lot. Have a beautiful and safe weekend.
Hi Tina, Lunch Box is one of my favourite movie as well. Could see it again so is that one. Thanks for the motivation in you. Have a nice week end:))
Same to you. Stay safe.
Love that extra bit of knowledge you pass on every time ….Loved that last line toooo.. 🙂 🙂
Thank you for your valuable comments. Haha the last line is the truth, some times I think why I haven’t start this blog when I was a bachelor. Now its like a tightrope walker in a circus?
Understand 🙂 the time n management of it!!
Understand:-) time and the management of it!! 🙂
I love your enthusiasm and your food! Thanks for following my blog.
Thank you quiall:)
A staple in my kitchen but a different recipe. Your new recipe is a sure try. .Thank you, Sumith!
Glad you like it! Thanks for your feed back. Have a nice day:)
Great to see this post, Hope you are well in these unusual times.
Thank you Peggy, still rowing 😊 Hope you are keeping well.
Sumith loved the tendli preparation and your presentation was delicious. Our dabbawallas are awesome and they deliver on time. Thanks for the wonderful share👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you Kamal for the visit. I love those dhabbawalas, much to learn from them!
As beautifully presented as ever
Thanks a lot Derrick.
Mmmm, yes please!
Thanks a lot, Christy. I really appreciate this.
Beautiful photos, delicious food (I can almost smell the fragrant spices) and so interesting. I always learn something when I read your blog, thank you Chef! My dream is to dine in your restaurant and I’ll travel anywhere in the world to do this one day!
Thank you dear for this beautiful compliment. One day you will dine at my restaurant. I am very impressed on your blog too. Thanks a lot for reading my blog.