Known by many local names — kundru, tondli, kovakka, tindora, dondakaya and more — the humble tendli or ivy gourd is a vegetable that’s staple in kitchens across India. Many consider the tendli a tasteless vegetable. However, its neutral taste enables it to be teamed with other ingredients to create scrumptious dishes. When you pick up tendli from the market, remember to follow the rule ‘the more tender, the better’. Let's look at some delicious dishes that can be made with tender tendli.

Tendli bhaat

This Maharashtrian dish is a spicy preparation of rice and tendli. Served during special occasions, and otherwise, and accompanied by dollops of ghee and sol kadi, it is soul food that many swear by. Each household has its own special masala for cooking the one-pot meal, though the traditional Goda masala is a favourite.

Tendli pickle

Tendli dons another fiery avatar when it is pickled. The Goan version of the pickle (usually made with jaggery, palm vinegar and dried red chillies) is sweet and spicy, while the Andhra variety (with red chilli powder and aromatics) can burn your mouth. The lip-smacking tendli pickle is a perfect accompaniment for chapatis and rice dishes.

Tendle bibbe ambat

Tender cashews and crisp tendli pair very well, especially in tendle bibbe ambat, an appetising Konkani curry, they complement each other. Tendli soaks up the flavours in the coconut-based tendle bibbe ambat and turns into juicy chunks that melt in the mouth. Another interesting and more popular variant of this combination is a simple Konkani-style stir fry, known as tendle bibbe upkari.

Tendli salad

Fresh, tender tendli can be an interesting addition to salads. Be it mixed sprouts or even corn and carrots, the humble veggie adds flavour and texture to whatever you choose to add it to.

Tendli chutney

Tendli is ground to a paste in the dondakaya pachadi, a flavourful Andhra-style chutney. Adjust and add ingredients to the mix to create tangy spreads for your sandwiches and wraps or to eat with your dosas and idlis.

Sambhariyu shaak

Another yummy dish that has tendli as one of the main ingredients is the sambhariyu shaak. Tendli, brinjal and other vegetables are stuffed with a coconut-besan-spice mix in this all-time Gujarati favourite.

Do you know of any other interesting dishes that can be created with tendli? Let us know in the comments section below.