Is it necessary to remove the seeds of Tinda before cooking Tinda sabji?

Question

Is it necessary to remove the seeds of Tinda before cooking? And if so why?

Answer 1

Tinda also called apple gourd, indian round gourd and most commonly Indian baby pumpkin is despite its name actually a gourd rather than an pumpkin. It is consumed when the gourd is very young so the seeds of this plant will be very soft.

When you are preparing Tinda, you typically peel it and then slice it in half. A huge majority of the time the seed should be very soft so you can use it without removing the seeds. However since these plants are harvested before its fully ripe, there will be discrepancy with exactly when they are harvested. Riper Tinda that was harvested later might have tougher seed in which case you want to remove them. You don't have to throw it out. It can be roasted in the oven and consumed much like pumpkin seeds.

Here is a photo of a Tinda dish where you can distinctly see the seeds still in the Tinda. The photo was from here.

Note: The photo is of Tinda Masala which is a type of Sabji. Sabji refers broadly as vegetables cooked in spices and curry flavors.