Did you know what Ivy Gourd was?

Ok, it may seem to you that I'm raiding Cinnamon N Chillies's larder on petitchef.com, but I just came across this one recipe of theirs that I think I'm going to have to try tonight itself. Its 'Tangy Spicy Kundru Bhat'; I love, love, love kundru or tindli or ivy gourd (ya, I know its strange someone has this kind of a fascination for this humble vegetable) and I love all the other ingredients that have been listed out. This is the link to it and I have copied it below. I also think I'm going to have to link Cinnamon N Chillies' website to my blog. Thank you for giving me such a brilliant recipe. And btw, Icame to know kundru or tindli was called Ivy Gourd only a few days back.

Tangy Spicy Kundru Bhat (Ivy Gourd Rice)

It's been a while since I left my job. Yet weekend brings the same kind of lethargic feeling which comes after slogging away through the whole week. Not that I get to sit with my manicured hands as a homemaker :-), but admittedly the pressure on my head is much low now and the whistle blows only once in a while :-) Yet I never shy away from giving shelter to that 'lazy me' side of me. After all hubby and I need to be on the same wavelength. Right? ;-) And when it comes to lazy lunches or dinner I find sense in making an all in one kind of dish like Pulao or Khichdi. This time I wanted to try Kundru rice. Months or year ago I had read about it in Raaga's site but never attempted before. I like the inherent sour tinge that Kundru has and we normally make sabzi of it along with Potatoes.  I finally attempted it with some tweaks which are inspired by my amma's way of cooking.

Ingredients:
250-300 gms Ivy Gourd (Kundru)
3/4 Cup Basmati Rice
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds (Sarson)
A pinch of Asafoestida (Heeng)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 Cloves (Laung)
2 tbsp Roasted Chana Dal
3 tbsp Raw Peanuts
5 tsp Puliogare powder (Ready made powder for making Taramrind rice) or 2 tbsp Tamarind paste
4 tsp Sambar powder
1 tsp Cumin powder (Jeera)
1 Whole Red Chillies
1 Green Chilli - slit into halves
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
10-12 Curry leaves
Salt to Taste
4 tbsp Oil

Method:

Wash and boil the rice with few drops of oil and lemon juice.Soak the Kundru in water for an hour. Scrub the surface clean. Set aside to dry. Cut the edges off and slit into vertical halves. If the Kundru seems too thick, cut into four pieces.Heat Oil in a wok. Add Mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add Asafoetida, Cumin, Cloves, Red Chilli.Add Chana Dal and Peanuts. When they start to brown, add Tuermeric powder. Add Curry leaves and Gree Chilli. Add Kundru and Salt. Mix well. Cover and cook. Stir in between.When Kundru is cooked (the skin will shrink. You can also check by cutting a piece with spatula.) add Tamarind powder or paste. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.Add 1/4 cup of water and Sambar powder. Bring the water to a boil and cook for a minute. Now add rice and mix. Cover and cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.Drizzle some ghee on top and serve hot.