Bhindi ki sabzi ~ Okra curry ~ Vendakkai Curry

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Okra is one of my favorite veggies and this easy and simple curry is one of my favorite curries to make with it. Every few weeks  I make this at least once, yet surprisingly I never got around to posting this recipe in this space before now. This is the type of curry I love to make for weeknight dinners, no fuss, easy, tasty and healthy too. With a minimum of spices, the taste of the vegetables shines through in this curry.

If you are making a list for "super easy and quick recipes" this curry will definitely qualify to be on the list and would probably get a top spot on it too :) This curry works very well with some phulkas/ rotis or with some plain steamed rice and dhal.

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Ingredients and method to make okra curry

6 cups of cut pieces of okra (about 50-55 pcs of okra/ approx 700 gms/ 1.5 lbs)(bhindi/vendakkai)

1 medium red onion cut fine (pyaaz/ vengayam)

2 medium tomatoes cut fine (tamatar/ thakkali)

1 Tbsp oil

3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/manjal podi)

1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste) (hara mirch)

Salt to taste (namak/ uppu)

Wash bhindi/ okra, dry thoroughly using kitchen tissue. Remove crown and tail and cut okra into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut onions and tomatoes and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds/ jeera to it, when the seeds sizzle, add onions and stir on low to medium low heat until onions turn translucent. 

Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt to taste and stir until tomatoes are soft and mushy. 

Add okra pieces and mix gently. Close with a lid and allow to cook until soft. Stir a few times in between gently to ensure even cooking. Make sure to cook okra until soft yet it retains it's shape.

Serve curry hot with phulkas/ chapathis/ rotis/ flat bread or as a side with rice and dhal.

Serves approx 3

Other easy curries that go well with phulkas/ Indian flat bread, or rice and dhal....

Dudhi/ Lauki sabzi ~ Bottlegourd in peanut gravy curry

Methi Baingan ~ Eggplant with fenugreek leaves curry

Potato Masala Curry ~ Aloo ki sabzi ~ Potato gravy curry

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Mor Kozhambu ~ South Indian style Kadhi with bhindi ~ Okra in buttermilk gravy curry

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Mor kozhambu, a simple recipe that comes from south Indian cuisine, can be best described as a soupy form of curry, for lack of  a better term to describe it. Mor is the Tamil (an Indian language) word for buttermilk and kozhambu is the tamil term for most curries that are made with a dhal or soup type consistency.  Usually it is served on a bed of plain steamed rice with a dry stir fry curry on the side. This eggplant stir fry  is my personal favorite curry in combination with mor kozhambu.

There are several variations of this kozhambu that I have learned from different members of my family and I hope to post all of them here in time. This first one, is the way my mother in law sometimes makes mor kozhambu,it is simple, quick and satisfying. This kozhambu unlike sambar or poricha kozhambu, feels quite light and is perfect for really hot days, like the ones we are experiencing right now :-)

 

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Ingredients and method to make Mor Kozhambu

1 and 1/4 cup cut okra (bhindi/ vendakkai) (see notes)
2 cups buttermilk (slightly sour buttermilk works best for this dish)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)
salt to taste (namak/ uppu)
handful cilantro cut fine for garnish (optional) (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/kothamalli)

2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ sarson/ kadagu)

Grind
1 tsp oil
3 tsp split yellow chick peas (chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds/ mendiyam)
3 Indian or Thai variety green chilies  (or to taste)
6 Tbsp fresh or frozen grated coconut (nariyal/thengai)

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed medium pan, add chana dhal and roast on a low flame. When chana dhal begins to change color and become a little pinkish/ brownish, add fenugreek/methi seeds and stir for a few seconds.

When methi seeds begin to brown, add green chilies, stir for a few seconds and remove from heat.

Cool and grind this roasted lentils along with fresh/ frozen thawed coconut and water into a smooth paste and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat oil, then add mustard seeds, when mustard seeds begin to splutter,add turmeric powder, stir once or twice, then add okra and stir until okra is cooked and soft.

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Add the ground mixture to it and allow it to heat, then add buttermilk and on a low heat, heat the mixture until it froths up.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before adding salt.

Mix well, garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves) if using and serve on a bed of steamed hot plain rice

Notes
This kozhambu should not be heated to a boiling point after the salt has been added, since the buttermilk will split. So if you are refrigerating the balance of this kozhambu you can warm it on low heat and serve warm with hot rice.

Okra can be replaced with any other vegetable from the squash family or you can even use watermelon rind
just add the other vegetable, allow it to cook, adding a little water as required and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. 

You can even skip any vegetables in this entirely, just add mustard seeds, then add the coconut mixture and proceed with the rest of the recipe

If you do not have buttermilk, you can whisk together 1 cup yogurt and 1 cup water thoroughly and use in this recipe

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