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Tinday masala
ٹینڈے مسالہ (tinday masala): soft-cooked round gourds with tomato, onion and green chilli
Small, pale-green tinday arrive on Punjab's sabzi carts with the summer heat, and in Lahore and Faisalabad homes they are cooked through June and July, when nobody wants a heavy pot of meat. Cooked slowly with onion, tomato and a handful of green chillies, the little gourds turn tender and almost silky, soaking up the masala like a sponge while keeping a faint freshness that is a little like courgette. Expect to see it with hot chapati, a bowl of yogurt and a plate of kachumar for a light lunch. Many cooks drown tinday in water, and they end up soggy and grey; they release plenty of their own liquid and need only a splash. Chef's tip: choose small, firm tinday with soft fuzz on the skin, since large ones have hard seeds and a woody core.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sabzi
- 1 ⅓ lb tinda (round gourds)scraped, topped and tailed, cut into eighths
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 green chilliesslit
- ¼ cup water
- 1 /4 tsp garam masala
To serve
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and add 1 tsp cumin seeds; let it sizzle for 20 seconds.
1 minStep 2: Add 1 onion and fry for about 6 minutes until soft and light golden.
6 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste for a minute.
1 minStep 4: Add 2 tomatoes, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 /2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes collapse and the oil separates.
5 minStep 5: Add 1 ⅓ lb tinda (round gourds) and 3 green chillies and toss for 2 minutes to coat every piece.
2 minStep 6: Add ¼ cup water, cover tightly and cook on a low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until a piece of gourd crushes easily with a spoon.
12 minStep 7: Uncover, raise the heat and cook for 1–2 minutes to dry off any thin liquid, then sprinkle with 1 /4 tsp garam masala and 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tinday masala take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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