Okra - Potato Stir Fry

The idea of mixing okra and potato came to me from a Raghavan Iyer cookbook, but I decided to make it dry. This was the first time I made it and the one lesson I learnt is that this subji should be made in great quantities if you want to get any share of it, which says a lot about its taste.

Here's how I made it:

Tender okra - caps cut off and halved lenght-wise
Red potata - cut into fngers
Tempering - oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafotida, chopped curry leaves, turmeric pwd
Other seasonings - salt, cumin pwd, coriander pwd, red chilli pwd, amchoor pwd
some more oil to shallow fry
chopped cilantro for garnish

Take some oil in a wide shallow wok, fry the okra for 15 mins on medium heat, stirring now & then. Drain the okra and fry the potatoes in the same oil. You can add a little more oil if required for frying. Drain the potatoes. At this stage, both the okra and potatoes should be well cooked but firm.

Make the tempering by heating the oil, then adding the mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the other ingredients. Saute few seconds.

Then add the fried okra and potatoes. Add the seasonings to taste. Mix gently and let it heat thru.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

This Okra-Potato Stir Fry goes well with rotis and rice.

Bhindani Kadhi

This recipe is from Tarla Dalal's cookbook. It makes a tasty and quick accompaniment for plain rice, pulav, khichdi etc. Here's how I make it:

1 cup tender okra - pat & clean with a damp cloth, spread out to dry, then slit lenghtwise in half.

2 cups buttermilk (should be fairly thin consistency)

1 tbsp ghee or veg. oil

1 tsp grated ginger

2 dry red chillies or to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tbsp gram flour

handful of chopped cilantro

1 tsp salt or to taste

2 tsp sugar or to taste

Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the okra on low heat until tender, about 15 mins. In the meanwhile mix all the other ingredients together. Add to the okra and stirring continuously, bring it to a boil on medium high heat. Stirring continuously gives the kadhi good consistency. Then lower heat and simmer for 5 mins.  

Serve hot with rice.

This Bhindani Kadhi goes to the Flavors of Gujarat event at Simply Food.

Bharli Bhendi - stuffed okra

This is a good dry side dish for rotis. Here's how I make it:

Tender okra - about 40 - 45 nos.
Oil
2 heaped tbsp gram flour (besan)
2 tbsp dry shredded coconut
1 tbsp peanut pwd.
Salt 1 tsp or to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp amchur pwd.
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
pinch of asafotida
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp fennel pwd.
1 tsp goda masala
Few tsp water

Wipe the okra with a wet cloth, cut the tops and tails off and half slit open each okra.

To make the stuffing - heat 2 tsp oil on medium low and lightly fry the gram flour until aromatic. Add all the other ingredients listed above from the dry shredded coconut to the goda masala. Saute on low heat for 2 mins. Take off heat. Add a few tsp of water to bind the stuffing.

Bharli bhendi masala stuffing

When the masala stuffing has cooled slightly, fill about 1/4 tsp in each okra. Cook the okra in about 2 tsp oil in a non-stick wok, with cover, on medium low heat for about 15 mins till they soften. Serve hot with rotis.