It took me a 2017 research paper to find dondakaya nutrition info.
Here's the problem. This vegetable has too many names: Dondakaya. Tindora. Ivy Gourd. Kundru. Kovai. Tondli. Giloda. And scientifically, Coccinia grandis.
If you've been searching for nutrition information and coming up empty, you're not alone. I dug through research papers so you don't have to.
This guide covers everything you need to know about tindora nutrition, how to select and store it, cooking tips, and how it fits into a balanced Indian meal.
Jump to:
- What Is Tindora?
- Tindora Nutrition Breakdown
- Tindora Nutrition: Serving Sizes
- Tindora Nutrition: Raw vs Cooked Portions
- How to Select Tindora
- Where to Buy Tindora
- How to Store Tindora
- The Cooking Challenge
- Blood Sugar Research
- Tindora vs Okra
- Other Ways to Cook Tindora
- Tindora Nutrition in a Balanced Thali
- Oven Roasted Tindora Fry Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
What Is Tindora?
Tindora is a small, cucumber-like vegetable popular in Indian cooking. It's commonly used in stir fries, curries, sambar, and pickles across South Indian and Gujarati cuisines.
Other Names You Might See
Dondakaya (Telugu), Tindora (Hindi/Gujarati), Kovakkai (Tamil), Tondli (Marathi), Kundru (Hindi), Giloda (Gujarati), Ivy Gourd (English). If you see any of these at your local Indian grocery store, it's the same vegetable.
Tindora Nutrition Breakdown
Here's the nutrition breakdown for raw tindora (dondakaya):
| Per | Calories | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100g | 73 | 1.4 | 3 | .24 | 2 |
Source: Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT) 2017, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.
Tindora Nutrition: Serving Sizes
How much tindora is one serving? It depends on how you're building your thali.
| Amount | Serving | Calories | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100g | 100g | 73 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 | 2 |
| ¼ lb | 113g* | 82.5 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 2.3 |
| ½ lb | 227g* | 165.7 | 3.2 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 4.5 |
| 1 lb | 454g* | 331.4 | 6.4 | 13.6 | 1.1 | 9.1 |
*Serving size adjusted from original recipe
Practical serving guidance:
½ pound per person if tindora fry is your main vegetable dish.
¼ pound per person if you have multiple sides in your thali.
One pound of raw tindora makes 2 generous servings or 4 lighter servings.
With cooking oil: If you cook half a pound with 1 teaspoon of oil, the total comes to about 200 calories per serving.
Tindora Nutrition: Raw vs Cooked Portions
Tindora shrinks when cooked. How much depends on whether you're using fresh or frozen, and your cooking method. Here's how much you'll end up with from ½ pound (227g) raw:
| Cooked Weight | Stovetop (20 min) | Oven (30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh | 132g (42% shrinkage) | 94g (59% shrinkage) |
| Frozen | 114g (50% shrinkage) | 108g (52% shrinkage) |
For stovetop, I added ¼ cup of water and cooked covered for about 20 minutes total. For the oven, I baked at high heat for 30 minutes.
Fresh tindora in the oven loses the most moisture, which is why you get that crispier texture. Frozen tindora has already lost some moisture during processing, so it shrinks less but also doesn't crisp up as well.
Don't let the smaller cooked weight fool you. It's still a lot of food for very few calories. That's volume eating.
How to Select Tindora
When buying fresh tindora at the store, look for:
- Size: Smaller and thinner is better. Thick ones have tougher seeds and less appealing texture.
- Color: Dark green indicates freshness. Avoid any that are turning yellow or orange (overripe).
- Firmness: Should feel firm, not soft or wrinkled.
- Surface: Smooth skin with no dents or blemishes.
The thin ones cook faster and have a better texture in stir fries.
Where to Buy Tindora
Fresh tindora is available at most Indian grocery stores. Look in the vegetable section, sometimes labeled as tindora, dondakaya, or ivy gourd depending on the store's regional focus.
Frozen tindora is available in the frozen vegetable section of Indian stores. It's pre-cut and ready to cook, but tends to be thicker than what you'd select fresh. I'm still testing brands to find one with thinner pieces. I'll update this page when I find a good option.
Availability is good year-round, though quality of fresh tindora varies by season.
How to Store Tindora
Fresh tindora lasts a long time in the refrigerator. Store unwashed in a plastic bag or container in the crisper drawer. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks easily.
Can You Freeze Cooked Tindora?
Yes. I tested it. Made a batch of tindora fry, froze half, and reheated it in the microwave a few days later. The texture held up and it tasted just as good.
This makes meal prep easy. Make a big batch on the weekend, freeze portions, and reheat when you need it. That's meal prep without eating the same thing every day.
The Cooking Challenge
Unlike some vegetables that cook quickly, tindora takes patience on the stovetop. You're looking at 8 or more minutes of active stirring to get it properly cooked and slightly crispy.
The oven solves this.
Oven roasting takes just 2 minutes of active prep. Toss, spread on a sheet pan, and let the oven do the work. You get better texture with less effort.
| Method | Active Time | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop | 8+ minutes stirring | Good, but labor intensive |
| Oven | 2 minutes prep | Crispier, hands off |
If you've avoided making tindora because it takes too long, try the oven method.
Blood Sugar Research
Ivy gourd has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine for blood sugar management. But does the science support this?
A double-blind clinical trial published in Experimental Diabetes Research tested ivy gourd leaves (not the fruit we eat as a vegetable) on 122 healthy participants. The experimental group showed significantly lower blood sugar levels compared to the control group after glucose tolerance testing.
The research on ivy gourd leaves is promising, but most studies focus on the leaves, not the fruit (tindora). I haven't found much research specifically on the fruit we eat as a vegetable. Whether eating tindora provides similar blood sugar benefits is unclear.
One recent study did analyze the fruit and found it contains phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and carotenoids with antioxidant properties. But this was a lab analysis, not a clinical trial on health outcomes.
Important: This is not medical advice. If you have diabetes or blood sugar concerns, talk to your doctor before making dietary changes. Ivy gourd may interact with diabetes medications.
Tindora vs Okra
How does tindora compare to another popular Indian vegetable? Here's a side by side look at the raw nutrition:
| Ingredient | Serving | Calories | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tindora | 100g | 73 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 | 2 |
| Okra | 100g | 33 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
Key differences:
Okra is lower in calories but higher in carbs.
Tindora has more calories but fewer carbs.
Both have the same fiber content (3g per 100g). Okra has slightly more protein.
Both are excellent vegetable choices for a balanced thali. Okra works better if you're watching calories. Tindora works better if you're watching carbs.
For more on okra, see the Okra Nutrition Guide.
Other Ways to Cook Tindora
Tindora fry is the most popular preparation, but this vegetable is versatile:
- Tindora curry: Cooked in a tomato or coconut based gravy.
- Tindora sambar: Added to lentil based sambar. Frozen tindora works well here since texture matters less.
- Tindora pickle (Dondakaya Avakaya): A tangy Andhra style pickle.
- Stuffed tindora: Slit and filled with spice mixture, then pan fried.
Tindora Nutrition in a Balanced Thali
Here's how tindora fry fits into a complete meal:
| Recipe Name | Serving Size | Calories | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Rice (Stovetop Method) | 1 bowl (100g) | 112 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Tomato Pappu | 1 cup (~110 g of cooked dal) | 154 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| Oven Roasted Dondakaya Fry | 1 serving (105g cooked) | 204 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Oven Baked Chicken Thighs | Indian Style | 1 bowl (~100g) | 196 | 25 | 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Total | - | 666 | 37 | 12 | 16 | 63 |
This thali includes white rice, tomato dal, tindora fry, and oven baked chicken thighs. Adjust the tindora portion based on how you're building your plate:
2 servings from 1 lb tindora: Larger vegetable portion, fewer other sides.
4 servings from 1 lb tindora: Smaller vegetable portion, more variety in your thali.
Oven Roasted Tindora Fry Recipe
Ready to try tindora? The oven method is the easiest way to get started. Minimal prep, hands off cooking, crispy results.
Get the full Oven Roasted Dondakaya Fry recipe with step by step photos and nutrition info →
Frequently Asked Questions
Tindora goes by many names: Dondakaya (Telugu), Tindora (Hindi/Gujarati), Kovakkai (Tamil), Tondli (Marathi), Kundru (Hindi), Giloda (Gujarati), and Ivy Gourd (English). The scientific name is Coccinia grandis.
Tindora is a good choice for volume eating. Half a pound cooked with minimal oil is about 200 calories with 7 grams of fiber. That's a lot of food that will keep you full without many calories.
You can, but the texture won't be as good. Frozen tindora tends to be thicker, and the texture doesn't crisp up the same way. For sambar or curries where texture matters less, frozen works fine. For fry, fresh is worth the extra prep.
Fresh tindora keeps for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Store unwashed in the crisper drawer.
No. They look similar but are different vegetables. Tindora (ivy gourd) is Coccinia grandis. Gherkins are small cucumbers from the Cucumis family. Tindora has a firmer texture and different flavor.
Raw tindora has 73 calories per 100g. It's higher in calories than okra but lower in carbs.
Yes, tindora has only 2g carbs per 100g, making it one of the lowest carb vegetables. It's a good choice for low carb eating.
Final Thoughts
Do you prefer your tindora crispy from the oven or quick from the stovetop? And are you team fresh or team frozen? Let me know in the comments!
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