Dahi Nariyal wali Bhindi/Okra in coconut and yogurt sauce

es I am back. I realize it is unusual for me to go without a post for a fortnight and thanks to many of my readers that missed me. Lets just say life gets in the way sometimes. Here I am with a simple homey bhindi/okra dish the recipe of which I've had for a really long time in my diary (remember the little 'yellowing' notebook). As I sat back and thought about my history of cooking, nostalgia struck and hence the thought of getting to my good old diary. I remember having taken down this recipe during my college days from a magazine. I still remember it was a dish by the famous Indian celebrity chef Tarla Dalal whose recipes were a regular feature in the magazine.

Okra has gotten a bad reputation and often people think of it as a slimy vegetable and hence dislike it. Many other deep fry it to avoid the sliminess. The recipe below describes two simple points which if you follow, you will get the best tasting okra without the slime. It is a vegetable that is well liked in my family. Both hubs and my little one love it including me of course. If you have followed my site you would have noticed several okra recipes like Paneer Bharvan Bhindi, Kadahi Bhindi.

If you buy your okra handpicked from an open basket and not the pre-packaged plastic-wrapped kind, here's a cool trick to test if your okra is tender- try bending the tip with your thumb, if it snaps and breaks off clean, the okra is tender, if it bends and does not break, do not buy it. Back at home in India, the sabji-wala didn't seem to mind me testing his bhindis very much but if you are concerned about that just breaking a couple should give you an idea of the lot... lol.

Ingredients:

Bhindi ....................................... 1 pound

Onion ....................................... 1 medium, chopped fine

Tomato ..................................... 1 large, chopped

Grated Coconut ........................... 1/2 cup (fresh or frozen)

Cashews .................................... 2 tbsp

Urad Daal ................................... 2 tsp

Mustard, Cumin seeds ..................... 1 tsp

Curry leaves ................................ 5 - 6

Whole Red Chilli ........................... 2

Turmeric .................................... 1/4 tsp

Salt .......................................... to taste

Red chilli powder ......................... 1 tsp or to taste

Oil ........................................... 2 tbsp + for pan frying

Yogurt ....................................... 1/3 cup

Method:

1. Make a paste of coconut and cashew with little water, set aside.

2. Wash and dry the okra completely. Cut the into big pieces and shallow fry them uncovered in wide pan with some oil till tender and light brown.

3. In another pan, heat 2 tbsp oil, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal and fry till it splutters. Add the red chillies and curry leaves and cook for a minute.

4. Add the onion and saute until golden in color. Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, the coconut paste and salt and fry until the oil separates from the mixture.

5. Add about 1-1/2 cup of water to the yogurt and whisk nicely. Add to the pan and stir continuously. Add the bhindi and cook for  3-4 minutes minutes. Serve hot. ENJOY!

Notes:

1. It helps to use fresh and tender baby okra for best results.

2. I prefer shallow frying but feel free to deep fry if you so choose.

3. The okra must be completely dry after being washed before you cook them to avoid getting it slimy.

4. Always cook okra uncovered if you do not wish it to be slimy.

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