Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Two recipes with okra... a dahi wali bhindi (okra in a curds tomato gravy) and a ginger okra stir fried ....

Some of my favorite recipes never see the light of the day on this blog unfortunately. My being lazy and sometimes the pictures being unsatisfactory are few of the reasons. But my long time readers and friends would know that I never bother much about the pictures as long as the recipe is represented well and it tastes good. So when Shail Mohan asked for a few okra recipes on facebook I just checked and saw two terrific recipes with okra in my drafts folder , this dahi wali bhindi was written completely and the adraki bhindi or ginger okra stir fried had just a dark picture and the ingredient list.

I have also posted a Kashmiri masale ki sookhi bhindi (okra stir fried with a Kashmir style fennel spice mix)
and a Ghee fried peppery okra on my other blog.

Many times I make some recipe for dinner and take pictures anyways hoping they will turn up good or mediocre or I will brighten them up on picasa. I never bothered about even cropping and brightening my pictures back then, so these pictures come to you straight out of the camera, the recipes are both terrific and all okra lovers will be glad to try these.


The dahi wali bhindi is richer and can be served as a standalone subzi for your dinner chapati , I never tried it with rice but many of you might find it good with rice too. I can eat this subzi on it's own too ...I do that with many vegetables anyways :-)


ingredients...

Bhindi / okra 250 gm (tipped and cut into inch long pieces)
fresh curds 1 cup
fennel powder 2 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp
tomatoes chopped lengthwise 1 cup
green chillies slit lengthwise 2-3 nos.
2 cloves
2-3 petals of star anise
1 small black cardamom or half a fat one
salt to taste
mustard oil 1 tbsp

procedure..

Heat the oil in a kadai or pan and tip in the whole spices , wait till they crackle and then tip in the chopped ginger and green chillies .

Wait for a few seconds till the chillies change color and the ginger is fried , throw in the cut bhindi ( okra ) and fry till the bhindi pieces are slightly browned in the corners..

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste and fry till the tomatoes wilt ..

Whip the curds ( at room temperature ) with powdered spices ( fennel and pepper powders ) and some red chilly powder if you like it hot . Pour this mixture over the cooking bhindi , mix well and allow a gentle boil .

Take off heat and keep covered for a couple of minutes for the flavors to blend.

Serve hot with chapatis or as a side dish ...


The spice level can be adjusted if you like it mild or hot , it is a great blend of sour hot and spicy with dominant aromas of black cardamom , star anise and fennel .... curds and tomatoes as a base are great together .

The okra doesn't get slimy if you fry it well till the surface is almost dry ( so that the juices are sealed in ). There is no turmeric powder used in this curry so the color remains a nice creamy red , although the pictures look yellowish because it was cooked for dinner and clicked in artificial light...

adraki bhindi or ginger okra stir fried...


ingredients...
okra cut in two pieces and slit lengthwise taking care not to slit all the way 400 gm
ginger julienne 2-3 tbsp or more if you like ginger the way I do
5-6 garlic cloves peeled and slit into two halves
turmeric powder 1 tsp (optional)
black pepper powder 2 tsp or more if you like
amchoor powder 1/2 tsp or to taste
salt to taste
mustard oil or any other oil of your choice 2 tbsp

There are no chillies in the recipe as the heat from ginger and black pepper is quite high, you can throw in a few slit green chillies if you like. Sometimes I use the less hot varieties of green chillies for this stir fry as the flavor of the green chillies enhances the overall taste.



procedure...


Heat oil in  a kadai and tip in the ginger and garlic first. Let the ginger get a little cooked and almost caremalised , the garlic is cut in bigger chunks so it doesn't get browned before the ginger cooks. The ginger just needs to release some flavor in the oil and get fried.

Add the cut okra and toss to fry . Cooking is done on high heat in this case and you have to keep tossing or stirring with a spatula. Do not brown the okra, just a few brownish specks here and there and about 3/4th done okra is what we are aiming for.

Sprinkle the salt and turmeric powder if using, mix in to cook then sprinkle the black pepper powder and toss well to mix. In these 2 minutes the okra cooks some more. Take off heat.

Sprinkle the amchoor powder , mix well and serve hot. You can choose to sprinkle some chaat masala over it  if you like. Its a hot tangy dish and makes a nice side dish for traditional Indian lunch or dinner.

For me it can be a salad too ...Yes, I told you I do that :-)


cheers...

13 comments:

  1. Both these look real yummy. I am sure going to try them. I need all the okra recipes I can get as it is a fav veggie at home :)

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  2. Thanks Shail... I shall post one baked recipe soon.

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  3. Agreed! Thankyou for all the fabulous Okra recipes!

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  4. Yum yum,mouthwatering here, wat a super tempting dishes...

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  5. That's same with me. Sometimes I take pictures but did not get time to post.
    Okra is our family favourite and I often bake it.

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  6. Wow, loved this stir fried okra!! First time here, nice to read your yummy recipes :)
    Thanks for leaving a nice comment at my place..

    Cheers!
    Vani

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  7. The adrakwali bhindi sounds so good! We make bhindi ni kadhi with crushed peanut and buttermilk, and that is eaten while fasting too..

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  8. Thanks for visiting my blog and your kind comments,it was very comforting.

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  9. thanks sangeeta for visiting my blog and nice comments.

    such a simple and easy recipe f ginger okra. i will try this recipe for sure as we all at home love stir fried bhindi.

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  10. yummmmmmmm, just had dahi waali bhindi for lunch and it was amazing..... Have tried adraki bhindi too, liked it too, but this one wins thumbs down :) We love bhindis and with the summer round the corner, these recipes are definitely going to be regular on the table.....

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  11. Thank you. I love such feedback. And this reminds me I have to post a baked bhindi recipe soon :-)

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  12. Thank you for this nice site. I tried lauki ki sabzi. It came out just fine !
    Ram Vancouver

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