Do you believe that okra should never be cooked moist? This okra and baby potato stew will make you re-evaluate that belief! When simmered in a flavorful tomato curry, okra and potatoes get infused with a delicious tang and, thanks to the acidity of the tomatoes, none of the okra slime.
Okra
Bhindi Bhujiya Besanwali: Fried Okra Discs
Bhindi bhujiya besanwali, with its crunch and bite, appeals even to those who turn their noses up at okra in other forms. Perfect on the side with rice and dal.
Bharwan Bhindi: Okra Stuffed with Peanut Spice
Bharwan bhindi (okra stuffed with peanut spice) is a beautiful dish to make on leisurely days when you have tender, small-sized fresh okras on hand. The stuffing that goes into the okra can vary – this peanut spice is among my best-loved okra fillings.
Dahi Bhindi: Indian Okra in Ginger Pepper Yogurt Sauce
Okra / bhindi – one of the most versatile vegetables in Indian cuisine. I cook it with onions or without, season it with Indian spices, or sometimes look westwards for inspiration.
Despite the same core ingredient, each of these okra dishes tastes worlds apart. Dahi bhindi (okra cooked in a yogurt-based gravy) is one such unique preparation. The recipe includes besan (gram flour) which adds body to the gravy, and a freshly prepared ginger-pepper blend which gives it a distinct, sharp kick.
Here’s how to make dahi bhindi.
Okra with Ginger, Coriander, Sesame Seeds and Olive Oil
I was planning to make Sailu’s bhindi sambhariya for dinner when to my dismay, I found that my okra wasn’t the right fit for it – too large, not tender enough. So instead I cut the okra into vertical strips and cooked it with a sort of Indo-western spice mix. The result was an unexpected delight – nutty and fresh, delicate and sharp.
Bhindi Do Pyaza: Okra, and Twice as Much of Onions!
Bhindi (okra) with a generous mix of onions and Indian spices – bhindi do pyaza (literally: okra with twice the amount of onions) is a lovely vegetable dish to go with chapatis.
Masaledar Okra Strips
Is it just me or does a simple change like cutting vegetables in a different shape give a dish a whole new spin?
For dinner last night, before I started chopping up the okra (bhindi) into my usual 1-cm disks, I noticed that some of them were bulging – which means the seeds were big and ripe. I didn’t want those seeds and yet the bhindi good enough to eat. What could be done?