Maharashtrian Tendli Bhaat | Ivy Gourd Rice (No Onion No Garlic)
Tendli or Tondli Masale Bhaat is a traditional Maharashtrian no onion no garlic one pot meal. This Maharashtrian Tendli bhaat is typically made during gatherings or special occasions. Generally served with a dollop of ghee and accompanied by solkadhi (Kokum Beverage) or taak (Buttermilk).
A little about Tendli
Tendli or Tondli means Ivy Gourd in English. Also known as scarlet gourd, Tindora, Kowai fruit, Dondakaya Avakaya, kovakkai etc etc. It grows primarily in tropical climates and is very commonly found in India. There are a lot of recipes of this Tendli. Eaten as a curry, dry sabji, pickles or even deep fried along with a few spices.
Tendli are best when they are firm, young and immature. The flesh inside should be white and seeds small. Mature tendli tend to be a bit soft, the flesh turns a bit pinkish colour and they are more sweeter in taste. Wash them nicely as they tend to accumulate dirt. Each and every piece should be given a nice rub so that the dirt is removed. Pat dry them with a clean towel. The top and the bottom ends should be sliced off and discarded. One can chop them lengthwise or in small circle as they wish.
I do not get good Tendli here or generally it happens that whenever I go for grocery shopping I end up finding the mature ones. So I do not buy them. But this time my local grocery had some fresh tendli and I was sure if they get it at all, I am going to buy it straigtaway. Why?
Why I am making Maharashtrian Tendli Bhaat?
I have not eaten this for ages now and secondly this month the letter was I for our facebook group A-Z Recipe Challenge . The group is managed by Jolly Makkar from Homemade Recipes and Vidya Narayan from Masala Chilli. We do need to cook a dish with an ingredient that begins with I. Letter "I" is a bit difficult. Very few ingredients to choose from and I was sure I was going to prepare something from Iceberg Lettuce, as that is commonly available here. But god had other plans, and Ivy gourd came to my rescue on time.
Maharashtrian Tendli Bhaat Recipe
Maharashtrian tendli bhaat comes in very quickly and can be done under 30 minutes. It does not uses any onion and garlic, just a few masala's and you are done. One can use goda masala but the taste of this masala bhat with freshly grounded masala is completely different. Also typically dry coconut is used for the masala but I have used desiccated as I did not had dry coconut. Ambemohar the fragrant rice is typically used for this preparation but you can use any rice which is not sticky. I have used basmati rice.
Ingredients
For the Masala (Spice Mix)
- 2 tablespoon Desicatted Coconut/Dry coconut
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 4-5 Black peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
- 1 Black Cardamom (Elaichi)
- 3-4 Cloves (Lavang/Long)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- ¼ inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini)
For Tendli Masale Bhaat
- 1 Cup Rice
- 100 gms Tendli/Tondli/Ivy Gourd
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- a pinch of Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)
- 2-3 tablespoon or 7-8 Broken Cashew (Kaju)
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Coconut + Extra for Garnish
- Chopped Coriander for Garnish
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)
- Salt to taste
- 1+¾ -2 Cups Water
Preparation
Masala (Spice Mix)
- Dry roast the ingredient one by one on slow until fragrant or they change colour.
- Let this cool completely.
- Grind it into a fine powder.
Tendli Masale Bhat
- Wash and Soak the rice for 20-30 minutes.
- In a pressure cooker, add the oil.
- Once hot add in the asafoetida and mustard seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds crackle. Now add in the curry leaves and cashew.
- Stir fry it for 8-10 seconds until the cashew starts changing colour.
- Now add in the fresh coconut, tendli and give a quick mix.
- Add in the rice, freshly grounded masala and salt.
- Mix in everything very gently so that the masala is coated nicely. Be gentle or else you will break the rice.
- Let this cook for a minute or two. This helps in the masala getting cooked and also getting it coated to the rice.
- Now add in 1+¾ or 2 cups of Water (Depending on your rice).
- Give everything a quick mix and pressure cook for 1-2 whistle or as per your pressure cook setting.
- Once the pressure settles , serve it garnished with some fresh coconut and coriander. One can add a dollop of ghee too and enjoy.
Notes
- 1 Cup = 240 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- Asafoetida (Hing) powder available in shops contains wheat and is not gluten free. Gluten intolerant people can either skip completely or opt for Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)
Maharashtrian Tendli Bhaat | Ivy Gourd Rice (No Onion No Garlic)
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Ingredients
- For the Masala
- 2 tablespoon Desicatted Coconut/Dry coconut
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 4-5 Black peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
- 1 Black Cardamom (Elaichi)
- 3-4 Cloves Lavang/Long
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
- ¼ inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini)
- For Tendli Masale Bhaat
- 1 Cup Rice
- 100 gms Tendli/Tondli/Ivy Gourd
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- a pinch of Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing) **Please see Notes
- 2-3 tablespoon or 7-8 Broken Cashew (Kaju)
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Coconut + Extra for Garnish
- Chopped Coriander for Garnish
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)
- Salt
- 1 +¾ -2 Cups Water
Instructions
- Masala (Spice Mix)
- Dry roast the ingredient one by one on slow until fragrant or they change colour.
- Let this cool completely.
- Grind it into a fine powder.
- Tendli Masale Bhat
- Wash and Soak the rice for 20-30 minutes.
- In a pressure cooker, add the oil.
- Once hot add in the asafoetida and mustard seeds.
- Let the mustard seeds crackle. Now add in the curry leaves and cashew.
- Stir fry it for 8-10 seconds until the cashew starts changing colour.
- Now add in the fresh coconut, tendli and give a quick mix.
- Add in the rice, freshly grounded masala and salt.
- Mix in everything very gently so that the masala is coated nicely. Be gentle or else you will break the rice.
- Let this cook for a minute or two. This helps in the masala getting cooked and also getting it coated to the rice.
- Now add in 1+¾ or 2 cups of Water (Depending on your rice).
- Give everything a quick mix and pressure cook for 1-2 whistle or as per your pressure cook setting.
- Once the pressure settles , serve it garnished with some fresh coconut and coriander. One can add a dollop of ghee too and enjoy.
Notes
- 1 Cup = 240 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- Asafoetida (Hing) powder available in shops contains wheat and is not gluten free. Gluten intolerant people can either skip completely or opt for Gluten Free Asafoetida (Hing)
Few more No Onion No Garlic Rice Recipes on my blog:
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Thank You
The roasted spice mix must be making the pulao more flavourful.
Thank You
I love this version of tendli bath with freshly ground masala. One more no knion no garlic recipe yo make on Vrat days.
Thank You. I remember my neighbors making this and hence dished out what i remember
This post brings back so many fond memories for me! My late grandmom spent a large part of her life in a Maharashtrian colony, and used to cook several dishes from the state's cuisine. She used to make a mean Tendli Masale Bhaat, which was heartily enjoyed by us with a side of curd, on cold winter evenings.
I can imagine just how flavourful your dish would have been, with the freshly prepared spice mix. I've got to try this out some time!
So True Priya, we do adapt to a place where we live. Being a mumbaikar I do make a mix of cuisines. Thank you for stopping by.
Liked the use of freshly ground masala in recipe, it must be such a flavorful dish.. Looks delicious, love such one pot meals especially for busy mornings
Thank You
Tendli Bhaat is my family favourite. Just love such one pot onion garlic free recipes. They come so handy on festivals . With freshly ground spice mix, this rice dish must have been so aromatic and flavorful !
Thank You
THe aroma of this spicy rice is so tantalising... have a lot of memories eating this when I first came to mumbai...
Thank You
Absolutely love this! One pot, no onions or garlic and with tendle too! Super awesome dish dear!
Thank You
I usually add my stir fried ivy gourd sabji to my rice and dal but have not yet tasted Maharashtrian Tendli Bhaat. It sounds like a wonderful one pot meal. With coconut, curry leaves flavor and masalas I'm sure no one would miss onion and garlic in this rice dish.
Thank You
I have made this masala bhath from Archana's space and absolutely loved the flavors. This is now a regular at our house. My boys love taking it for their lunch boxes as well. I am drooling at your recipe and want to make it soon again.
Thank You
Delicious n festive I love tondli bhat in fact whenever I buy tondli my first thought is tondli bhat.
Lovely share n desiccated coconut is what I too use many times .
Thank You
Renu, I have major weakness for Masale bhat with Tondli and it tastes amazing when piping hot, served with a side of curd and Nagli che Papad. Comfort food and ideal Weekend Brunch. Freshly roasted masala does add to the taste and flavor.
Thank You
I can almost smell the aroma and taste this best of comfort foods. Loved that you used freshly made masala. You are tempting me to make this right NOW!
Thank You
A powerpack meal, so easy to put together for lunch box. Completely new idea of putting ivy gourd in rice dish. Loved it. Bookmarking the recipe. Will definitely give it a try
Sure do. Thank You
Renu what a lovely idea of having this rice dish that too ONE POT kind 🙂 And the vegan and no-onion-no-garlic option indeed awesome !!! In festive time it looks much comfort food
Thank You
Trndil bhat looks so flavourful and delicious. Dry spices definitely made it aromatic. Saving the recipe to try later. Thanks for the well explained recipe.
Thank You
It is such a flavourful recipe you have come up with. I love the note you havE added on how to select and prepare the produce.
Thank You