Tondli/ Ivy Gourd Raita

We are not big fans of ivy gourds also known as tondli or tendli. Few weeks back, I saw fresh tender ivy gourds in the Indian stores and was tempted to buy them. However, instead of making our regular  'tondli chi bhaji', I made this simple tondli raita. In this dish, tondli is deep fried and seasoned with some spices. This perfectly seasoned crispy tondli is then added to some thick yogurt to create this delicious and refreshing raita. This is a perfect side dish with any Indian meal and goes well with rotis/ parathas and also rice- dal.

Ingredients -
2.5 cups sliced ivy gourd/ tondli/ tendli
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing/ asafoetida
1 pinch turmeric powder
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp green chilli paste
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (plus more for garnishing)
1 cup plain yogurt (cup used for dry measurements)
1 tbsp coarse peanut powder
1 tsp sugar (to taste)
2 tsp oil + oil for deep frying
salt to taste

Method -
1. Deep fry the chopped tondli (cut lengthwise) and take it out on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
2. Heat some oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, hing, turmeric, finely chopped ginger and green chilli paste and fry for sometime.
3. Add the fried tondli, salt and finely chopped cilantro and mix well. Cook for sometime till the tondli becomes crisp.
4. Beat some yogurt and add some salt, sugar and peanut powder. (The tondli already has some salt so adjust the salt accordingly).
5. Just before serving, add the tondli to the yogurt and mix together. Garnish with some more chopped cilantro.

This goes to Suma's 'Sidedishes from India' event.