Stuffed Okra

Okra is vegetable that changes its texture depending on the way we cook. It is very tricky to get the crispy / dry texture. The secret is adding the sourness in any form will avoid the stickiness.

Ingredients:

Medium size Okra – 250 gms

Onion – 1

Oil – 1 tbsp

Stuffing masala

For stuffing masala - 

Urad daal – 1 tsp 

Chana daal – 1 tbsp

Red Chilli – 5-6

Cumin – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Aamchur Powder – ½ tsp

Salt

Roast everything except aamchur  powder and grind into a coarse powder

Now to this add salt, aamchur powder and required amount of water to make it into a thick paste.

Cut the heads and tails of okra and make a slit so that the end bit is still intact.

Stuff each okra with the spicy mix and keep it ready.

Heat a wide bottomed pan with oil.

Now slowly place the okras without over lapping each other.

Allow them to cook under medium flame. Turn in between to get cooked evenly.

When they are half done add the sliced onion and sprinkle some salt.

Continue cooking under medium flame until the okras are well fried.

This can be served as a side dish in the mail meal.

Bindi pakoda / Okra fry

A famous side dish at Andhra mess. I have tasted this for the first time at a mess in Hyderabad. Thinly sliced vegetables, coated with equal amounts of gram flour and rice flour mixture and deep fried until crisp. You can even make this using ivy gourd.

Okra fry

Ingredients:
Okra / Bindi – 250 gms
Basin/ Gram flour – ¼ cup
Rice flour – ¼ cup
Onion (small) - 1
Green chilli – 4 to 5
Curry leaves – hand full
Salt
Oil to deep fry

Method:

Heat a pan with oil to deep fry the okra mixture. Keep it in medium flame.

In the mean time cut the okra, onion and chilli into 2 inch thin strips.

Except oil, mix all the other ingredients to the okra mixture.

Sprinkle enough water just to bind the ingredients together.

Increase the flame to heat the oil. Once it is hot enough, take small amounts of okra mixture and slowly slide them into the hot oil.

Fry them until they become crunchy.

You can serve this as a side dish.

Okra baked in oven

As I do not want to intake more oil, I have baked the same okra mixture in oven just by adding 2 tbsp of oil to the mixture.


Note: If you are not quick enough and can’t manage to cut all the vegetables on time, do not heat the pan in the beginning.

Bindi curry – Bendakaaya mudda koora

This is in between the gravy and dry variety. This can go well with either rice or roti.

Ingredients:
Okra – 250 gms
Onion – 1
Tomato - 1
Aamchur powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Chili powder – ½ to 1 tsp
Roaster peanuts – 1 tbsp
Grated dry coconut – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves
Salt

Method:
Cut each bindi into 3-4 pieces.
Cut onion into big cubes. More or less the same size as bindi.
Grind 1 tbsp of desiccated coconut and 1 tbsp of roasted peanuts along with 2 garlic cloves.
Heat a wide pan with 2 tbsp of oil. When it is hot enough, add chana daal, cumin, red chilli and curry leaves. Now add onion and fry for a minute.
Add okra and fry for 2 minutes. Now add chopped tomato, stir and cover the pan with lid. Allow it to get cooked with the steam for about 5 minutes.
When the okra is half done, add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, aamchur powder add the ground coconut and peanut powder. Sprinkle some water, about 4-5 tbsp, stir every thing and cover it.
Cook the curry until okra is tender and the curry becomes thick.

 Bendakaya mudda koora with rice

Simple Okra / Bindi fry

This is a very simple stir fry with minimal ingredients and less effort.

Bindi fry

Ingredients:

Okra – about 150 – 200 gms
Onion 1 – Finely chopped
Grated coconut (Fresh or dry) – 2 tbsp
Salt
Corriander powder – 3/4th tsp
Chilli powder – ½ tsp

For tempering –
Red chilli – 2
Curry leaves
Mustard
Cumin seeds
channa daal
Peanuts

Wash the Bindi / Okra drain them thoroughly and pat them with kitchen towel or alternatively, wipe them using a damp cloth or kitchen towel and at the end make sure that they are absolutely moisture free.

Cut the bindi equally into small pieces.
Chop the onion into small pieces.

Heat a deep pan and add 2 tblsp of oil.

When the oil is hot enough, then add red chilli, Peanuts, channa daal, mustard, cumin, curry leaves one after the other and fry until the peanuts change their colour.

Add chopped onion and fry for a minute and add chopped okra. No need to fry onion separately until transparent as it gets fried further along with okra.

Fry them for two minutes by stirring in between.

The okra starts getting sticky. Don’t worry. Just add small piece of tamarind. If you don’t like tamarind, just add 1 tsp of yogurt or even the whey will do.

Stir again, reduce the flame to medium and close the lid.

When the okra is half cooked, remove the lid sprinkle some salt, Coriander powder, chilli powder and stir very gently as okra tend to become mushy.

Do not cover the lid once you add salt and coriander + Chilli powder.

Stir occasionally until the okra becomes dry and bit crispy at the corners.

Sprinkle some grated coconut and remove from the fire.

Goes well with rice or roti.

Note: you can also grind the dry coconut, coriander powder and chilli powder coarsely and store in a bottle and can use it when ever you prepare any stir fries.