Tindora
Tindora, botanically classified as Coccinia grandis, is a vigorous, tropical climbing vine that can grow up to ten centimeters per day and belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Tindora is favored for its crunchy texture and is utilized in heavily spiced dishes to add a cooling, mild flavor.
Coccinia grandis typically thrives in tropical to temperate climates with heavy rainfall between March and September, where temperatures range from 18° Celsius to 32° Celsius. Tindora is harvested during its first year of growth once it reaches a height of 1 meter at which point it should be staked or trellised to protect the fruit from touching the ground. Fruits may continue to grow and be harvested for more than a decade.
Tindora is mainly cultivated in eastern India, where it is known as ivy gourd or Malabar gourd; Thailand, where it is called kinchay; and Sri Lanka, where it is called kalu dodol. In these countries, tindora has been a staple food source for centuries and utilized in heavily spiced dishes to add a cooling, mild flavor. Other common names by which this crop is known to include Chinese cucumber, ivy gourd, Malabar nightshade, and scarlet gourd.
In Thai cuisine, tindora is prepared in a variety of ways but the most popular being stir-fried with chili pepper and garlic or stuffed with shrimp paste. In China, tindora is typically consumed in soup. In Japan, it is pickled and known as torasukelmon or torasukuramon.
Tindora is rich in vitamin A. It also contains vitamins B-1 and B-2, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Tindora can be found at Asian specialty grocers. If you cannot locate tindora locally, it is possible to purchase the gourd online through Amazon or another similar site. The tindora plant is not currently grown commercially in the United States.
Tindora should be refrigerated and used within a week after purchase to ensure freshness. You can also freeze tindora, which will retain its flavor but lose some crunchiness. Tindora has thin skin so it can also be easily peeled with a sharp knife before cooking.
Tindora can be cooked whole or sliced lengthwise and the seeds removed before cooking as well. To cook tindora, lightly oil a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the tindora slices to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side until browned. At this point, you can choose to add butter, soy sauce, salt, pepper, or another flavor enhancer to the pan. Tindora tastes best when it is crispy on the outside and tender inside. It can be enjoyed alone or with other vegetables in soups or stir-frys.