Food Talk
 Bhindi Bhaji

Few know that the versatile lady’s finger can be cooked with gravy as well. Pushpesh Pant explains novel ways to serve the good old bhindi

Bhindi, a.k.a. okra, is much more famous as Lady’s Fingers. It is a many-splendoured delight. You can relish it fried crisp-cut in tiny wheels- with or without onions, or enjoy the dum ki bhindi a la Awadh, intact and aromatic (in a different league from the dhaba stable bhindi masala or in its do pyaza avtar. Our favourite elder sister Binu Jijji dishes out an interesting version—bhindi sliced thin—resembling green chillies slit lengthwise- tossed with rice flour and besan and dry roasted with whole coriander seeds on a tawa. Alu-bhindi is mundane and smacks of stretching the vegetable when it is dear and the bharwan variety requires a fertile imagination to provide a filling that is truly remarkable and eschews the routine amchur, kala namak-based home-made chaat masala substitutes.

We shall forever cherish fond memories of our tryst with a magical bhindi we fortunately tasted accidentally at a roadside dhaba at Omkareshwear, Madhya Pradesh, at the stroke of midnight. The deft cook performed his magic in front of our eyes. The entire operation took no more than 12 minutes, from cutting the vegetable to its consumption. The out-of- this-world taste, it seems, was imparted by freshly ground turmeric paste, garlic and ginger water and blending of hing, powdered cloves, cumminseed and whole coriander and ajwain. The whole was certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

Bhindi is seldom encountered as a gravy dish, except in the South where it is commonly served in gravy-based on tomatoes or curd. Trust us, the ‘lady’ is as seductive in this garb as her many ‘drier’ manifestations. The bhendakai pulassu recipe we share with you this time is easier to master and promises to easily ‘steal the show’ by its novelty.

Okra in gravy

Ingredients

Okra 500gm
Cooking oil 1 /4 cup
Oonions (chopped) 1cup
Tomato puree or curd (whisked) 200ml
Green chillies 2-3
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Tamarind pulp (extract) 1/2 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For tempering

Cooking oil 1tbs
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 15-20

Method

Wash bhindi in running water, pat dry, slice off the caps and the tips. Heat oil in a pan, add ˝ cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then add okra and stir-fry for a minute or until the moisture is absorbed. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and a little salt stir-fry over medium heat until translucent, add garlic paste, and stir-fry until onions are light golden. Add green chillies, stir for 30 seconds, add coriander, red chillies and turmeric powders dissolved in a little water, and stir until the moisture evaporates. Then add tomato puree, stir-fry until fat begins to appear on the surface, (if using curd, take off heat and stir in curd slowly, replace on flame ) add tamarind, stir-fry for a minute, add ˝ cup water, sugar and salt, bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for two to three minutes. Now add okra and simmer until the tempering is ready.

For the tempering, heat oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds, stir over medium heat until they begin to pop, add fenugreek seeds and curry leaf, stir, and pour over the simmering okra. Remove and adjust the seasoning.

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