I born and bought up in the southern part of tamil nadu and i dont remember seeing kovakkai in those places and hence i never get a chance to cook/eat kovakkai during those days. But later when i came to chennai i happend to see kovakkai as a common vegitable and got a chance to taste kovakkai in some of my relatives home ... mmm.. its a yummy vegitable and i and my family really liked it and now it becomes one of the regular curry in our food. Kovakkai is not what I would call my most favourite vegetable, but it's allright enough eaten once a week. Kovakkai has a good medicinal properties too.. its low-calorie, rich in minerals and B complex and, best of all, its low-glycemic index makes it good for diabetics
Kovak'kai' is good for making curry.. not the kovai'pazham' . When you cut the kovakkai if you see more reddish color inside, then it wont be good. Slicing the kovaikkai also an interesting thing. Some like to cut in thin round slices as shown below and some like to cut it in vertical pieces. Both are good if it cooked properly. Allow some time to cook this vegitable in the low flame in the oil which gives an wonderful dish and i can guarantee that your family will love it. Try this yummy kovakkai Curry recipe and let me know.
![Kovakkai Curry]( "Kovakkai Curry") |
| Kovakkai Curry |
Preparation and Yield:| Preparation time | 15 mins |
| Cooking Time | 40 mins |
| Servings | 4 |
| Recipe Category | Main |
| Recipe Cuisine | South Indian |
![Kovakkai Curry]( "Kovakkai Curry") |
| Kovakkai Curry |
Ingredients:
| Kovakkai | 1/2 Kg |
| Onion | 1 |
| Sambar Powder | 1 tablespoon |
| Salt | To taste |
| Turmeric Powder | 1/4 teaspoon |
For Seasoning:
| Oil | 2 tablespoon |
| Mustard Seeds | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Curry Leaves | few |
Method:
- Wash and finely chop kovakkai and take it in a vessel. Add turmeric powder and salt and pressure cooker them allowing 2-3 whistles. We can cook the kovakkai on stove top itself, but it is a time consuming effort. I always prefer to pressure cook them.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan, and add mustard seeds . When the mustard seeds start to sputter, add the urdhal and fry till it becomes golden brown color. Then add the curry leaves and saute for couple of seconds. Then, add the onions and a pinch of salt and saute the onions till they are light brown color.
- Now add the cooked kovakkai and add the sambar powder and adjust the salt. Add rest of oil and keep the flame in medium and allow the kovakkai to nicely fry in the oil along with the spices. The more the time you allow the kovakkai to fry in the oil the more crispier and tastier kovakkai curry you will get. Make sure that you dont overburn the kovakkai. Check it in regular interval.
- The yummy Kovakkai Curry is ready to serve
![Kovakkai Curry]( "Kovakkai Curry") |
| Kovakkai Curry |
