Kovakka mezhukkupuratti (Ivy gourd stirred fry)

Gone are the days when my grandmother's backyard garden was our vegetable reserve

I remember as a child one day, when I said I was hungry, Ammachi said she will make me something special with kovakka and like most grandmothers of yesteryears, made a dash to the backyard only to come up with a handful of kovakka and within minutes she was feeding me rice and kovakka mezhukkupuratti

Not only did her dishes bear the ethnic taste, but she made it special for me saying she has made it only for me and no one else.. hehe ;D I still feel the pride of having felt special while I gulped the little balls of rice and curry she used to playfully put into my mouth. Oh yes! Any meal time was story time too :D :D

A couple of days back when I bought a parceled meals from Square One Talent, one of the side dishes was kovakka mezhukkupuratti. In the haste borne out of the afternoon hunger, the kothi for the Kerala meals, and the authentic taste of the dishes, though I was gobbling up till the plate was cleared of the last bit and piece of that lunch, I had already decided to shop for some kovakka :D :D... and yes of course... you guessed right!... That's what I made ;D ;D

What I used

1. Vegetable oil: 2-3 tablespoons
2. Diced onion medium-sized: 1
3. Salt: to taste
4. Turmeric powder: a pinch just for color or 1/8th teaspoon
5. Chilli powder: 1/4 teaspoon 
6. Washed kovakka cut longitudinally into 1-inch halves: 500 grams
7. Curry leaves (optional): few leaves will do
8. Water: 1/4 cup

How I made it

1. In a frying pan, heat the oil on medium flame and when the oil is hot, add the onion with some salt and saute well till it becomes a shiny pale pink
2. Add the turmeric and chilli powders and saute till the raw smell of the spices is gone. This should take about a minute or so. If you like it spicy, the amount of chilli powder can be increased
3. To this add the kovakka and curry leaves and mix well ensuring everything in the pan is coated with oil
4. Keep the pan covered and cook on low-medium flame with occasional stirring for about 20-30 minutes till the veggie is fully cooked. Can add water if needed and keep the pan covered so the steam will also enhance the cooking process, but then ensure the contents are on fire till all the water has evaporated 
5. Like always, once the fire is turned out, keep the pan covered for sometime so all the magic can take place inside to transform the ingredients into a delicacy :D :D

This made me a hearty meal on an afternoon as I relished the kovakka mezhukkupuratti served with hot brown rice made into small little urulas (balls), reminiscing those cute long-ago days :D :D