Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala Recipe | Simple Dahi Bhindi Recipe

Learn how to make Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala ~ Crispy okra cooked in creamy and spicy yogurt gravy

There are many advantages of cooking from food blogs than cook books. One you get introduced to new cuisines with simple as well exotic ingredients. Second you get to see how the actual dish looks with drool worthy photos posted along the recipes. For me the best part is you can easily reach out  the blogger and clear all your doubts/queries which otherwise is not possible with cookbook authors. And not to forget, you get all these services without costing you a penny. Yup, the buzz word is free. ;)

Ingredients for Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala

Since twelve years of blogging, I have tried many recipes following the recipes posted in blogs. Very few times the end result ended up in garbage but many a times it was licked clean from plates, spoons and even the serving bowl. When I think of those recipes which have become my family favourites, I realised I haven’t posted most of them. So with this new mission of mine, I will be posting all the recipes I had tried and tested from bloggers and most importantly, loved by my family will be posted under the tag called  Recipes from Your Kitchen to Mine.

Sukhi Aloo Bhindi Recipe | Simple and Quick Aloo Bhindi Fry Recipe

Learn how to make Sukhi Aloo Bhindi or Aloo Bhindi Fry ~ Spicy potato and okra fry flavoured with assorted aromatic spices

Its last term break for LD before the school shuts down for summer holidays in little over months’ time. The good weather that we enjoyed when the week long holidays began has come to abrupt end, which means that I am stuck inside the home with my soon to be 6 year old hyper active kid who loves outdoor activities. Can you imagine what that means?

It means he wants me to find and create new activities every 30 minutes, and some in 10 mins, to keep him busy and happy! Oh dear lord! I never imagined I would say this aloud, but I am really looking forward to the school reopen day on Monday and my 6 hours of time all by myself when LD is in school. I can’t help but entertain that mommy guilt creeping inside, and as usual, I know for sure that I will miss LD terribly when he is away at school. I guess its all part and parcel of motherhood in a nutshell.

Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry Recipe | Quick and Simple Potato and Okra Stir Fry Recipe

Learn how to make Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry ~ Spicy potato, okra and bell pepper stir fry with assorted aromatic spices

As I grow older, I have begun to admire and appreciate simple things in life, especially the simple food. When I look back and think of about my decade long culinary journey, I can’t help but smile at my younger self who believed cooking the ‘special’ dishes was the way to prove my cooking skills. Many of the simple things get lost in the day to day life as we run frantically behind the things to make it rather a special one… every single day!

Like everything in life we forget to appreciate simple foods we cook every other day! Most of the simple food gets lost in the day to day ritual of making something ‘special’ for the dinner. Unfortunately, we don’t even realise that it is these simple dishes which makes the whole meal taste delicious. It can be a smudge of pickle that livens up any boring meal or a quick vegetable stir fry that lifts the flavour of everyday dal and rice into something quite special. Initially, as a food blogger, I was always busy focusing on posting special recipes that the everyday simple recipes were kept away from the spotlight. As the years went by, my love for simple, every day food has grown by leaps and bounds and they have been making appearance in the blog quite often. These simple dishes are my priced recipes and worth to be blogged as this blog serves not only as my journal for day to day cooking and food stories, but also it will be my humble legacy, my gift to LD and to everyone who loves cooking. To my pleasant surprise, it is these simple recipes which seem to be the favourite from my blog and made me realise that I am not the only one who enjoys and appreciates simple things in life.

For the next few months, I will be concentrating on such simple food that makes regular appearance on our dinner tables. I hope you will join me in this culinary journey and enjoy cooking and tasting the simple dishes as much as I do. :) One such dish is Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry. In other words, potato, okra and bell pepper stir fry with assorted spices. Sounds too simple to be true? Well, in this case it is true!

Bhindi Do Pyaza: Say No to Slimy Okra!

Bhindi Do Pyaza

What happens when you balance laptop in one hand, cloths basket in another hand, two coffee mugs dangling from fingers?
Well, nothing!
And imagine same scenario and you are climbing down the stairs, looking back and chatting away to glory?

Masala Bhindi: Going Nuts!

Masala Bhindi

There are so many things happening around me, so many things that I want to write and so many thoughts to share. But today I feel like I have run out of words. May be I’ll be able to do it once I clear my mind and focus on just one thing at a time. But I am not sure when this going to happen! :)

So, al I am going to write about is food and just food, till I bounce back with some old stories, some sweet memories, some crabby bites and whole lot of rants. Today’s recipe is something I tried few days back, it’s Masala Bhindi. It was another hectic day at office and I was seriously not in a very good mood to cook anything, let alone chop vegetables and grind spice powder. But the thought of good food and wasting big bagful of Okras that I bought for ridiculous price were enough to dive into a long process of washing, cleaning, drying and chopping slimy Okras. First I thought of making simple Bhindi Do Pyaz (recipe to come soon) but later changed my mind when I saw a cup of roasted Peanuts sitting not-so-happily in pantry. It was few days back when I had roasted these peanuts to make Coconut-Mango Pulihara/Chitranna and I wanted to finish them as soon as possible.

Peanut with Okra? Sweet okras stir fried with crunchy roasted peanuts. The idea was enough to make me go nuts and with in few mins I was roasted few basic spices along with my favourite lentils to make a spice powder. Along with spices I thought of roasting white Sesames which is not much used in my recipes. Last week I had bought big bag of Indian red Onions (also called curry onions) from Indian grocery shop. It is quite expensive when compared with the usual white onions we get from supermarket but it tastes way too better than white ones. So I picked the biggest one I could find in that 5 kg gunny bag as I like the taste of fried onions. Except for cleaning, drying and chopping of okras, it took me very little time to make this Masala Bhindi. When served with Chapatti, Rice and Dal I felt it was worth all those efforts I put into cooking after one hell of the day! The sweet taste of okra and onion was perfectly in sync with roasted spice powder, peanuts and sesame. Try this recipe if you are tired of same old Bhindi Fry or Bhindi Masala and discover the nutty combination ;)

Roasted Spice Powder, Okras & Peanuts for Masala Bhindi

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Bhindi Masala (Stir fried Okra and Red Onion spiced with ground roasted spices, Peanuts and Sesame)
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-5
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat bread or flavoured/steam cooked rice

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Ingredients:
25-30 small and tender Okras (about 8-10 cups), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large Red Indian Onion, thinly sliced
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
1 Roasted white Sesame Seeds
Juice of ¼ - ½ Lime (Adjust acc to taste)
2-3 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Spice Powder:
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
½ tbsp Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas
¼ tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Lentils
2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
½ tbsp Roasted white Sesame
3-5 Dry Red Chillies (Adjust acc to taste)

For Tadka:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A big Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 tbsp Oil

Masala Bhindi

Method:

Dry roast cumin, hing, channa dal, urad dal and red chillies in a pan till the lentils turn golden brown and aromatic. Let them cool and combine with roasted peanuts and sesame. Grind them all into a fine powder using coffee grinder or mixer. Keep it aside till needed.
Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pan and add chopped okras to it. Cook them on high heat, stirring continuously, till okras turn crisp and brown spots start to appear. It usually takes around 5-7 minutes. Transfer these fried okras into a plate lined with kitchen towel.
Next heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add thinly sliced onion and finely chopped garlic. Sauté continuously till onions turn golden brown, about 2-3 mins.
Mix in turmeric and ground spices and toss them well. Make sure that the spices are evenly distributed among onions. Now add fried okras, salt to taste and mix well. Cook them for two more minutes making sure that the spices have coated every piece of okra.
Switch off the pan and mix in lime juice, roasted peanuts and sesame and toss well. Serve this delicious Masala Bhindi with Rice/Chapatti and Dal and enjoy.

Masala Bhindi

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Notes:

Few tips for those who find it difficult to cut, and cook those slimy Okras.
Always choose young and tender okras. The best ones are the ones that get easily snapped when you bend the tail end of the pod.
Make sure that you dry the Okra completely after washing them in water. Either spread them on kitchen towel in single layer and leave it for few hours or pat them dry with dry kitchen papers/towels. It is a must that the okras are dried properly if you don’t like them go slimy.
Next while chopping them, make sure that you have dry chopping board and knife. Keep dry kitchen paper next to you and clean the slime from knife using it whenever needed.
I have tried stir frying the okra with very little oil and ended up with really slimy okras. So then onwards I usually use little more oil than normal and cook it on a very high heat. This way the okras not only get cooked fast and retain their crispiness, but also any moisture in them disappears at high heat. And you will be surprised to see how the sliminess is reduced in short period of time.

Stuffed Bhindi Masala: My Okra Love Affair

Stuffed Bhindi Masala

Remember me?
It’s great to see you after all these years.
Can we be friends?
Your profile is so cute. I would love to add you as friends.
Are you so-and-so?
Aren’t you so-and-so’s cousin or friend?

Wondering what’s this all about? Well, these are the friendship requests I get on social networking sites. Some are from old friends whom I have almost forgotten and some from total strangers and some simply wanting to increase the number of friends in their profiles and some from lonely guys and girls seeking ‘real fun’ (Duh?!). Having it said, these social networking sites are really cool as I got to meet my long lost (not at your usual Kumbh ka Mela ;) friends all around the world. I always believed I had just few friends until I saw my friends list crossing 3 digits and then hitting close to three centuries. Now who would have thunk I made so many friends over all these years.

Well, meeting all these friends also means travelling back in time and remembering and sometime painfully reminding all those funny and embarrassing moments. Most of my recent friends think me to be a no-nonsense, serious kind of person to walk on this planet. Imagine their shock when they read my primary school friend’s message with bold letter flashing on my scrapbook asking me if I still play pranks on my boss or colleagues as I used to do with my teachers by placing the duster or the most common trick of spilling ink on their chair and snatch my colleagues lunch box as I did to my juniors and classmates. And an enthusiastic scrap left by my close friend about hitting that pimple faced boy with my metal compass box for teasing me for wearing gaudy pink lipstick and matching nail polish in my high school was enough to shake the foundation of my sophisticated image that I had built (but not completely succeeded is another matter all together). And one friend decides to write a long testimonial on how smart I was to mix hair remover solution and face bleach cream with shampoo to teach a unforgettable lesson to our hostel warden for stealing my favourite shampoo and that piece of information was enough to make me turn from serious working girl into a total prankster! My close friends are hell bent on spoiling all my reputation. ~sighs~ I say friends can also be your worst enemies (I can prove it, may be in another post) but they are the kind whom you cherish.

When people compare marriage to chewing gum, I couldn’t help but compare friendship to Okra. I know it sounds weird but I can be weird sometime! ;) You see my theory comes from the fact that Okra can be annoyingly slimy yet it tastes delicious when cooked right. Similarly friends can be annoyingly irritating yet they are the best part of your life. ~clap, clap or slap, slap~ Whoosh… Ok, I made that all up as today we have this lovely Okra or Bhindi recipe. So no need to break your head on the weird comparison of Okra and friendship. Without much delay (!!??) let us go to the recipe bit.

By now the regular reader of my blog would have realised how much I love Bhindi. This time I am posting a recipe of Stuffed Bhindi Masala which I cooked last night without following any recipe in particular. I used the ingredients which I thought would enhance the flavour of Bhindi and pleasantly they did. By the time I finished stuffing and sautéing, one quarter of the stuffed okras were stuffed in our mouths. Since I had already sliced the onions and chopped the tomatoes I had to use them in cooking. May be next time I will just stuff the okras and simply stir fry them or bake them. The stuffing used is roasted peanuts and few spices which gave pleasantly nutty flavour with touch of spiciness to sweet okras. While onions add more crunch and sweet note, tomatoes lends lovely tangy flavour to the dish. Try this recipe when you have time and see how okra can beat any vegetables hands down when cooked right.

Stuffed Bhindi

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Stuffed Bhindi Masala (Okra stuffed with roasted Peanut and Spice powder and cooked with sweet Onions and tangy Tomatoes)

Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
24-30 tender baby Okra/Bhindi (1 and half to 2 inches long) or 18-24 tender Okra, tips removed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large Onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
3-4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Green Chillies, slit (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Lime Juice (Optional)
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp Oil

For Stuffing/Filling:
¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
1 tbsp Channa Dal/Split Chickpeas
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
4-5 Dry Red Chillies (adjust acc to taste)
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

Stuffed Bhindi Masala

Method:

Wash okras and spread them on dry kitchen towels to remove excess water or simply pat them dry with kitchen towel.
While the okras are drying, heat a pan and dry roast channa dal, dry red chillies, hing, jeera and coriander seeds till they turn golden red and fragrant. Let them cool completely before you powder them. Add these roasted spices with roasted peanut, turmeric, amchur and salt to taste and grind them to coarse powder.
Now trim the okra ends and carefully make a slit on one side and stuff it with ¼-½ tsp of spice powder. Don’t worry if you are left with excess spice powder as it will be used later.
Heat about tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté stuffed okras on high flame, if required in batches, for about 4-5 minutes till brown spots start to appear and it is half cooked. Place them on paper towel till needed.
Now heat another tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When jeera starts to sizzle and turn light shade of brown, add curry leaves, finely chopped garlic and slit green chillies. Sauté till garlic turns light shade of brown, about one minute.
Add thinly sliced onion and sauté on medium flame till it turns golden brown, about 3 mins. Mix in finely chopped tomatoes and remaining spice powder and cook till tomatoes release it juice and turns pulpy, about 3 minutes.
Now add stuffed okras and sauté for 5-7 mins on medium flame till the okra is cooked through and the flavours blend well.

Bheja Fry? No, it's Bhindi Fry

Bhindi Fry

I have a crown yet I am not the king
You cut my crown and feet off with a fling

I carry lots of eggs, yet I nothing but a veggie
Even with all that I am thin and long not podgy

I am green and I am gooey
If u don't pay attention, I will make your dish go mushy and chewy

I do good to your health and to your brain
Which is what your elders told you without refrain

Now its up to you to think and guess
To who I am ...Cos I am good too and no less.

(Source: riddle from Siri and DK’s Open Sesame event)

How well the Bhendi/Bhindi/Okra/Bendekai is described by these two dear girls :) This slimy vegetable tops my list of favourite vegetable. Once you know how to handle this gooey goodness, you are sure to fall in love with it (it was true in my case, can't talk for others :). I like my bhindi cooked in a very simple way without much frills. It’s very common in our home to have minimum of two side dishes along with Rice or Roties for dinner and I give full credit to my Amma and MIL for spoiling us when we were kids.

With hectic schedule at work place it's become a habit to reach home at late evenings. During these times and days there are few recipes which come to my rescue that not only take few minutes to cook but also taste delicious. One such recipe is Bhindi Fry which is served in almost every Indian Restaurants and Takeaways. Other than it being my favourite dish to order at restaurants, I love to cook it at home on regular basis. Sometimes it’s best to apply KISS (short for Keep It Simple and Straightforward) principle when it comes to cooking and Bhindi Fry is a fine example for it (Aha… now you know why I mentioned Bheja Fry in my post title ;).

My recipe for Bhindi fry is quite simple and straight forward where fresh okra is pan fried with onion and tomatoes and few spices. While the onion gives it a crunch, tomato imparts little sour note. The spices used are minimal to keep natural sweetness of the bhindi/okra intact. Well, I never said you need to compromise on taste department even when the recipe calls for few minutes of your time. Cook this Bhindi Fry when you don’t have much time to spend in your kitchen and also when ever you feel like eating something light yet delicious.

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Bhindi Fry (Okra pan fried with onion and spices)
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:

15-20 tender Bhindi/Okra, washed, towel dried and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 large Tomato, finely chopped (Optional but recommended)
1-2 green chillies, slit (adjust acc to taste)
3-4 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
½ inch Ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp Turmeric
½-1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1-2 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
½ tsp Sugar (Optional)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Oil
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Okra/Bhindi/Bendekai

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add okra/bhindi to it. Sauté them on high to medium flame continuously till the sliminess is reduced and they start to brown. It should take around 5-8 minutes in total.
In another pan heat 1 tsp of oil and add cumin seeds to it. When they sizzle, add finely chopped onion. Sauté the onion till it turns translucent.
Now add slit green chilli, finely chopped garlic and ginger and sauté till onion turns golden brown in colour.
Mix in garam masala and turmeric powder and sauté for another minute till you get nice aroma of spices.
Add finely chopped tomatoes, sugar if using and cook on a medium flame for about a minute or two. I like the tomatoes little undercooked. If you prefer, you can cook for little longer till the tomato releases its juice and becomes pulpy.
Mix in amchur or lime juice, fried okra, and salt to taste and keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes till all the flavours blend well.
Serve this garnished with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy with chapatti or rice.

Bhindi Fry

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Notes:
Other Bhindi/Okra recipes blogged so far

• Bedekai Gojju
• Fried Okra/Bhindi Dal
• Fried Okra Palya
• Okra Raita
• Bhindi Fry in Yogurt
• Stuffed Bhindi/Okra

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Reminder:

MBP-Street Food ends on 24th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 24th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

Cooking with the Queen: Bendekai Gojju

Bendekai Gojju

Ladies Finger… such an elegant name for Okra/Bhindi. Considered as the queen of vegetables with its slender shape and crown on top, it is one of my favourite vegetable to cook with. Not many people prefer it because of its sliminess. When cut into pieces this queen likes to cling to anything it touches, knife, chopping board, your fingers. Well, no wonder that it’s not everyone’s favourite vegetable to deal with, especially the person who is in charge of the kitchen. Who would really want to deal with this slimy vegetable when you have so many other wonderful vegetables to choose from? It will be me and millions others like me who simply love this vegetables in spite of its clinging nature. The reason behind this is the taste which lingers for long hours. Okra is one vegetable that absorbs all the wonderful flavours of spices and transforms into smooth, silky in texture and unbelievable taste still maintaining its crisp crunch. When cooked to perfection, you will not hear any grumblings or see that ugly frowns or much of resistance from the same people who just moments ago were not very fond of it.

One such dish which undoubtedly is loved by most people is Bendekai/Bhindi/Okra Gojju. Gojju is a classic Kannadiga dish cooked for everyday meal. The recipe varies from one part of the state to another and hence don’t be surprised if you come across other recipes using whole different ingredients and cooking style. This is my Aunt’s recipe which is different from the way my Amma makes it. Crisp, fried okra is simmered in the delicious gravy of tamarind, coconut, jaggary and chilli is everything one can ask for.

Is it spicy? Yes, it is.
Is it sour? Yes, it is.
Is it sweet? Yes, it is.
And is it delicious? You bet…

I am posting this recipe for Archana, one of the readers of Monsoon Spice who wants to introduce Bendekai/Bendekaayi Gojju to her hubby. Archana, I hope you both enjoy this Gojju.

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Bendekai Gojju (Okra/Bhindi in Tangy & Spicy Coconut Gravy)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:

15-20 tender Okra/Bhindi
2 Green Chillies, slit (Adjust acc to taste)
1 lemon sized Tamarind Pulp/1 tsp Tamarind Paste (Adjust acc to taste)
1 lemon sized Jaggary (Adjust acc to taste)
¾ cups Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen
1 tbsp Oil

For Spice Powder:
4-6 Dry Red Chillies (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Black Peppercorns (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Chana Dal/Bengal Gram Dal
½ tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram
A big Pinch of Methi Seeds
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A big pinch Hing/Asafoetida
1 tsp Oil

Ground Spice Powder for Gojju

Method:
Wash the Okra and dry thoroughly using a clean dry cloth. Make sure that all the moisture is removed. This is important step when using Okra in cooking to reduce its sliminess. Once they are dried, cut them into ½ inch rounds using dry knife and keep them aside.
Soak tamarind pulp in a cup of warm water for about 10 mins. Squeeze out the tamarind pulp and discard the seeds. Keep this squeezed tamarind puree aside.
Dry roast all the spices listed, from dry red chillies to hing on a low flame till they are lightly browned. Takes about 2-4 mins of time. Cool the spices and grind them to smooth paste with coconut adding very little water.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and when it is hot add cut okras. Sauté them continuously at medium to high flame till okra turns brown and retains its crispiness. Usually it takes around 5-7 mins.
Once the okras have turns crisp and brown, add tamarind puree, slit chillies if using and mix well. Add about 1 cup of water, salt and jaggary and let it simmer for about 3-4 mins.
Now add ground paste and mix well. Depending on the required consistency of gravy add water and mix well. Cook uncovered on a medium to low heat for about 5-10 mins till all the flavours blend well and small bubbles start to appear.
Remove Gojju from flame. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When mustard starts to pop and splutter transfer this tadka/tempering into Gojju and mix well. Cover and let it sit for about 10 mins for the flavours to blend well.
Serve this tangy, sweet and spicy Bendekai Gojju with plain steamed white rice and enjoy. You can serve this hot or cold depending on your preference.

Roasted Spices for Gojju

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Note:

Beginners, always remember not to wash the okra once it is cut into pieces (been there, done that).
To reduce the sliminess of Okra, clean the knife and cutting board in between with kitchen towel or napkin.
Stir fry okra at medium to high temperature till it turns brown and crisp. This way the okra will not be gooey with slime.
When using frozen Okra, thaw and wipe it using kitchen towel. Preheat the oven at around 250 deg C. Line the baking tray with baking sheet or simply spray it with cooking spray. Spread it on a baking tray in single layer and bake it for about 5-10 minutes. I picked this tip from here and it works very well.

Seeking Comfort: Fried Okra Dal & Palya

Fried Okra Dal with Rice & Majjige Menasu

Winter has come early to our neck of woods. Last night the wind blew, trees shed their last of few leaves and a light rain kissed our parched landscape with thick frost giving it white ghostly look. With temperature dropping to minus degree Celsius, it was the perfect night for comfort food. I know you will agree with me that comfort food is one of the nice things about these chilly cold nights...

So what exactly is Comfort Food? In my search for a clear definition of Comfort Food I can say that I am yet to come across any place which explains to me what exactly comfort food is. I can see some of you rolling your eyes and saying why she has to make everything look so complicated. Doesn’t she know the simplest definition of comfort food, a food that provides comfort when eating? But wait, don’t you agree with me that the definition of ‘Comfort’ is quite vague. It’s not necessary that what provides comfort for one may make other person shriek in horror. When I say Egg Plant/Brinjal Sambar is my comfort food, I can see Krish running a mile away from it. We have to look beyond the word ‘comfort’ itself in order to get a better definition.

Dictionary.com defines Comfort Food as
Noun

"Food that is simply prepared and associated with a sense of home or contentment or food that is simply prepared and gives a sense of wellbeing; typically food with a high sugar or carbohydrate content that is associated with childhood or with home cooking."

Yourdictionary.com defines Comfort Food as
Noun

"Any food eaten not only for its pleasing taste but also for a sense of contentment, nostalgia, etc. that it provides."

Take quick look at the list of comfort foods listed in Wiki, About.com. Most of the things listed don’t fall into my category of comfort food. So is comfort food is based on regional, ethnicity? Or is it defined by it being entrée, main dish or dessert or anywhere else it might sit on a menu card? If someone says that they eat junk food on daily basis, first thing which might cross my head is what an uneducated palate that person has. But if the same person is to tell me that junk food is his/her comfort food, will that make me think twice and make me perceive him/her in any other way? Yes, I think it will on some level.

Comfort food for me is food I qualify as something worthwhile and is a food I enjoy. It is something which I wouldn’t find in any star restaurant’s menu. When I am sick, or tired, or far from home I yearn for the gastronomic equivalent of warmth I get from my loved ones. It may be a warm sweater, a kiss on the forehead, a favourite blanket or a food that reminds me of home. My comfort food changes depending on climate, occasion and whom I am with. It’s cold Salad with chilled Yogurt and Ice Cream in summer, a piping hot bowl of Soup or Dal with Rice in winter. A bowl of Rasam is what I crave for when I miss my Amma and a fattening double cheese Veg Deli is what I need when hungry me cross MacDonald’s. White Rice with Curd and Pickle is all I need when I am alone at home and its 3 course meal which comforts me when I am with my family. Comfort food makes me feel good because it reminds me of my childhood, of my mother, of good times and good friends and it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Without any doubt Dal is the quintessential comfort food! Unpretentious, rich in nutrition I feel good whenever I make Dal and eat it. When I am worn out and the world isn’t such a nice place to be in, I make simple Dal with Rice. When time is short but dear ones must be fed with joy and not pressure, I make Dal with some Palya. Okra/Bhindi/Ladies Finger is one of the most favourite vegetables at our place. When I found these small and tender bhindi in our local store I could no longer stop myself from buying a big bagful of them. Instead of everyday plain dal I wanted to experiment by adding some vegetables which will compliment the spicy and sour taste of this dal and I felt Okra will do that trick. For my amazement it not only complimented the dal but tasted very delicious. It was one experiment which produced wonderful results and I am going to make this again and again. These tender okras are fried in little oil till they are crisp and then simmered in sweet, sour and spicy dal is a perfect comfort food for me. I am sending my dear friend Linda who is hosting this month’s JFI-Toor Dal this comforting bowl of Fried Okra Dal. I hope you enjoy this one Linda:)

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Fried Okra Dal
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
15-20 small tender Okra
1 cup Toor Dal/Masoor Dal
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2-3 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
1 inch Ginger, crushed and chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
1 lemon sized Tamarind Pulp
1-1½ tbsp Jaggery
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
A big pinch of Hing/Asafetida
Few Curry Leaves
½ tbsp Oil

Fried Okra Dal

Method:
Cook toor dal in pressure cooker in enough water for about 15 minutes till the dal is cooked and mushy.
Soak tamarind pulp in about 1 cup of warm water for 5 minutes and squeeze the juice and discard the pulp.
Mean while, trim the ends of okra and cut them into 1 inch pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté it continuously at medium-high flame for about 8-10 minutes till okra turns crisp and brown. Keep this aside.
Heat ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and add mustard, broken red chilli, jeera, curry leaves and hing in that order and sauté.
Once the mustard starts to pop and splutter, add finely chopped garlic and sauté it for about 30 seconds. Then add finely chopped onion, slit green chillies and sauté it for around 1-2 minutes till onions turn translucent.
Mix in lightly mashed cooked toor dal, squeezed tamarind juice, jaggery, turmeric powder, finely chopped ginger and tomatoes and about 1-2 cups of water if needed.
Bring it to boil in a medium flame and mix in salt to taste and fried okras.
Cook over a medium flame for around 5-10 minutes till all the flavors blend well and serve hot garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Fried Okra Dal

Another favourite way of cooking Okra is simple Fried Okra Palya. Tender fried okra is spiced with ground paste of sweet coconut and spicy sambar powder and crisp onions. The dash of lime juice adds the tanginess and creates a wonderful fusion of sweet, tangy and spicy dish.

Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya with Jolada Rotti

Print This Recipe

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Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
15-20 tender Okras, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp Lime Juice
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Grind to Paste:
½ cup Coconut, fresh or frozen
1½ -2 tbsp Sambar Powder
½ tsp Tamarind Paste/2 tbsp Lime Juice
½ tbsp Jaggery (optional)

Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté it till jeera starts to sizzle and mix finely chopped onions and green chillies.
Sauté it till onion turns light brown and add cut okra pieces. Fry these okra for about 7-10 minutes over medium-high flame till it is crisp and brown.
Now mix in ground paste and keep stirring for about five minutes on medium flame. Make sure that the paste doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Switch off the pan and mix lime juice and mix well. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves with rice or roties.


Sweet ‘n Spicy Fried Okra Palya

Thalipeeth with Okra Raita and Aamras

Purani jeans aur guitar
Mohalle ki vo chhat
Aur mere yaar
Vo raaton ko jaagna
Subah ghar jaan
Kood ke deewar
Vo cigaretee peena
Gali mein jaake
Wo karna daanton ko
Ghadi ghadi saaf

Pahunchna college hamesha late
Vo kehna sir ka
"Get out from the class!"
Vo bahar jaake hamsha kehna
Yahan ka system
Hi hai kharaab
Vo jaake canteen mein
Table bajaake
Vo gaane gaana
Yaaron ke saath

Bas yaadein yaadein
Yaadein reh jaati hain
Kuchh chhoti chhoti
Baatein reh jaati hain
Bas yaadein…

Remember this song of Ali Haider? This song has been our college anthem;) and it always takes me down the memory lane. College canteen, mimicking our lecturers, bunking the classes, late night parties, birthday bums, ragging, internals, last minute study, lab sessions, hostel warden, hostel food, Sunday telephone calls from home, long Q in STD booths (when mobile phones were very rare and looked like TV remotes;), another long Q for Sunday special breakfasts, new year parties, tapri/dhaba food… Oh yes… How I miss my college and hostel days! Hostels, my home away from home where I made very good friends, and the memories of ragging my juniors, fighting with warden, jumping from compound walls after curfew hours, chewing bullet proof chapaties, drinking watery coffee, Friday night’s beauty session with all colored face packs, Saturday night’s eating out at Kamat’s or Sagar’s, visits to Café Coffee Day, counting the days to go home(for me from the day I returned from home;), stuffing last inch of our bags from Maggi noodles to hair pin, attacking the supply of home food from friend’s bag, reading M&B in zero watt bulb, bunking first session of the day coz of late night reading, listening to music till wee hours of morning, heating water with candle light to make Maggi noodles, birthday parties, pajama parties, Sunday laundry sessions… Yes… I can go on and on with my memories of hostel days.
When it comes to hostel days, hostel food is integral part of every hostilities memory. It is not a joke to cook and feed hundreds of hungry tummies every day; morning, noon and night. With usual bullet proof chapaties, sticky dal, watery milk, hot as hell subjis, oily curries, it was like breath of fresh air when we get invitation for home cooked meals from our localite friends. No wonder I used to feel home cooked meals are like oasis in hot desert ;) One of my friend’s mother was an excellent cook and her specialty was Marathi Cuisine. I still remember all delicious chat-pata chats, spicy Kaap (Pakoda), aromatic Bhaaji’s (Vegetable dish) with simple Koshimbir (Salads) and Poli’s she used to churn in her small kitchen and serve. There were the days when aunt would send us big stack of delicious Bhakries which we homesick souls would dip in sweet and creamy Shreekhand or Spicy Thalipeeth with Yogurt and Spicy Pickles. And how can I forget all those Puran Poli, Basundi, Gul Polies which we would gulp during Ganesha Chaturthi.
When lovely Nupur of One Hot Stove announced RCI-Maharastrian Cuisine for this month’s of RCI which is the brainchild of Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine, I knew what I wanted to contribute. It’s been ages since I had Thalipeeth and decided to serve it with Okra Raita and Aamras.
Thalipeeth is a multi-grain mildly spiced pancake which is not only tasty but also healthy and nutritious. I remember aunty using Bhajani, flour mixture of different grains which are slightly roasted and ground. After unsuccessful hunt for bhajani, I made thalipeeth using the flours in my pantry. Adjust all the ingredients according to your taste and preference. The recipe below makes 6 thalipeeth.
If you are a lover of Maharashtrian Cuisine like me and want to try some of the best Marathi food then look no further. Our this month's hostess for RCI, Nupur of One Hot Stove has her blog dedicated to authentic A-Z Maharashtrian Cuisine and here for Nupur's recipe for Thalipeeth. Her Bombay Pav Bhaji is something which I love the most.

Thalipeeth with Okra Raita and Aamras

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Thalipeeth
Prep Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
1½ cups Jowar Flour
½ cup Wheat Flour
2 tbsp Rice Flour
2 tbsp Gram Flour
1 tbsp Semolina
1 medium Onion, chopped very finely
1-2 Green Chillies, chopped finely
3-4 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
Oil/Ghee for frying

Thalipeeth

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except oil/ghee and knead it into stiff dough using water. The dough should be of chapatti consistency. While kneading the dough, rub some oil or ghee to your palms to keep from sticking.
Keep this dough aside for 10-15 minutes covered with wet kitchen towel.
Again knead the dough and make golf ball sized balls.
Take a clean plastic sheet or banana leaf and grease its one side with some oil or ghee.
Flatten one ball in the palm of your hand and place it in the center of the sheet. Pat the ball with palm and the fingers. If the dough is too sticky, dip fingers in water to make the patting easier. Keep flattening in circular motion to make a round flat disc but make it sure that the thalipeeth has even thickness.
make one small hole in the center with finger which will help to cook the thalipeeth evenly.
Heat the griddle or non-stick tava and gently remove thalipeeth from plastic sheet and place it on tava.
Apply little oil or ghee at the edges, in the center hole and on top of the thalipeeth and cook on both the sides until it turns crisp and light brown in colour.
Serve hot thalipeeth with yogurt or raita with pickle and sweet Aamras.

Thalipeeth with Okra Raita

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Bhindi/Okra Raita
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5-10 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
6-7 Okra/Bhindi, cut into thin slices
1 small Red Onion
2 cups Yogurt
½ tsp Green Chilli, finely chopped
A Pinch of Jeera/Cumin Powder
1 tsp Oil
Salt to Taste

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion. Sauté it till they turn translucent.
Now add okra and green chilli and sauté it in high flame till it becomes crisp and brown.
Beat the yogurt and mix sauted okra and onion and cumin powder and salt to taste and mix well.
Chill the raita for at least half an hour before serving.
If desired you can add little bit of chat masala. But I like the sweet taste of fried Okra with tanginess of yogurt.

Thalipeeth with Okra Raita

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Aamras
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
3 Ripe Mangoes(I used Alphanso)
1 tbsp Sugar(acc to taste)
1 cup chilled Milk
A pinch of Cardamom Powder
Ice Cubes

Method:
Peel the mangoes and take out the pulp. Discard the skin and seeds.
Blend this pulp with milk, sugar and ice cubes.
Add cardamom powder and chill it before serving and enjoy.

Thalipeeth with Aamras

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Did You Know?
The saying 'Anna he poornabrahma' aptly summarises what Maharashtrians feel about the food they cook. They consider 'anna', or food, equal to 'Brahma', or the creator of the universe. Food is God, to be worshipped. Little wonder that Maharashtrian cuisine not only fills the stomach, but also fills the soul - with content!
The cuisine of Maharashtra has its own distinctive flavors and tastes. It can be divided into two major sections–the coastal and the interior.
A major portion of Maharashtra, which lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea, is loosely called the Konkan and boasts of its own Konkani cuisine, which is a homogeneous combination of Malvani, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin, and Goan cuisines. Besides the coastal cuisine, the interior of Maharashtra—the Vidarbha area, has its own distinctive cuisine known as the Varadi cuisine.
The people are known for the aesthetic presentation of food, which adds extra allure to the feasts. For instance, in formal meals, it is a practice to sing sacred verses to dedicate the meal to God. The guests sit on floor rugs or red wooden seats and eat from silver or metal thalis and bowls placed on a raised 'chowrang', or a short decorative table. Rangolis or auspicious patterns of coloured powder are drawn around the thali or the chowrang. To avoid mixing flavours, each guest is given a bowl of saffron scented water to dip the fingers in before starting on the next course. There is a specific order of serving of savouries and sweets, curries and rice or rotis, and a person who does not know this is not considered to be well trained in the art of hospitality. Agarbattis spread fragrance everywhere and the host believes the satisfaction of his guests to be his true joy.
(Source: wiki and www.maharashtraweb.com)

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Thalipeeth with Okra Raita and Aamras

Bhindi Fry in Yogurt

Weird, quirky, out of the world, unusual name hah? I don’t blame you… The name Bhindi Fry in Yogurt is the name we kept for our Accidental Diva. After working my ass off in office trying to figure out where I went wrong with some thousand lines code, no wonder my brain was on curfew. There was a bag of lovely tender okra which was sitting in one corner of refrigerator for more than a week and before it starts rotting I wanted to cook something out of it. I hate to waste things especially food. All I could think of cooking was simple Stuffed Bhindi. With my brain cells going haywire, I absentmindedly chopped half of Bhindi’s before it dawned upon me I am supposed to slit them for Stuffed Bhindi. And before I could do anything my better half was ready with the ground masala for stuffing the okra. The only solution which came to my rescue was my Hubby Dear who is an expert in fixing things ;) The end result was Bhindi Fry. Just when I thought all’s well which ends well, I ended up adding yogurt to Bhindi Fry where I actually wanted to add yogurt to grated Cucumber for making Raita. To our utter surprise our Accidental Diva-Bhindi Fry in Yogurt turned out absolutely fantabulous. Crispy bhindi and crunchy onion cooked with spicy masala and sweet yogurt turned out really delicious. The name may sound little quirky but taste was unbelievable. May be next time I when my brain is half dead I hope I get as lucky as this time;)
I am sending this to my gorgeous friend Trupti's Spring Fling which is all about cooking with family or friends. Here is our Accidental Diva for you sweetie;)

Bhindi Fry in Yogurt

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Bhindi Fry in Yogurt
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
15-20 Okra/Ladies finger/Bhindi, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 large Onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp Sambar Masala
3 tbsp Grated Coconut
½ tbsp Tamarind Paste/Dry Mango Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
3-4 tbsp thick Yogurt
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 tbsp Oil
A Pinch of Hing/Asafetida
Few Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

Bhindi Fry in Yogurt

Method:
Grind grated coconut, sambar powder, tamarind paste, turmeric powder and salt (according to taste) into a smooth paste adding little water.
Mix this ground mixture with finely chopped onion and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add jeera, curry leaves and hing.
Sauté it till jeera starts to pop and splutter.
Now add cut okra and sauté it continuously at medium-high flame for about 8-10 minutes till okra turns crisp and brown.
To this add mixed ground masala and quater cup of water and mix well.
Cook this covered in a low-medium flame for about 5 minutes, checking in between so that the masala don’t stick to the pan.
Open the lid and add little more water if required and cook for further 1-2 minutes at low flame so that the okra retains its crispiness.
Switch off the gas and add yogurt and mix well.
Serve it hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves with chapatti or rice and dal.

Bhindi Fry in Yogurt

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Did You Know?
Okra is native to tropical areas of Africa, and was cultivated in Egypt in the 12th century.
Okra is a species of the Hibiscus genus (Hibiscus esculentus) and a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae).
Lady's Fingers is another name for okra. This name only dates back to the early 20th century, and originally applied to a small variety of okra.
Okra, when it's cut, releases a sticky substance that has thickening properties. This substance is useful in soups and stews.
(Source: www.foodreference.com)

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Bhindi Fry in Yogurt

Stuffed Baingan & Okra

My hubby is a vegetable lover and is a firm believer of 5 portions a day. I tease him a lot because he eats more vegetables than rice. Our refrigerator filled with all sorts of veggies except for one vegetable, Brinjal/Egg Plant. Oh no!! It’s not because he hates it, it’s just that he is little allergic to it. Before marriage one of the very few vegetables I used to eat was Brinjal. My Amma is an expert when it comes to cooking different egg plant dishes. After marriage I hardly cook anything using brinjal. But after seeing wonderful recipes of egg plant in other blogs I couldn’t stop making one of my favourite dish Stuffed Baingan. I didn’t feel like cooking it just for myself. So after thinking a little I thought of making stuffed Okra for my hubby using same ingredients. This is my Amma’s recipe of making very tasty dish using very little oil.

Sizzling Pot of Stuffed Baingan & Okra

Ingredients:
6-7 small Egg Plants/Brinjals (My Portion:)
8-10 Okra/Ladies finger (My hubby's Portion;)
½ tbsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2 Bay Leaves
2 medium Onion, finely chopped
3 big tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup Yogurt/Fresh Cream
2 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
1 ½ tbsp Oil
For Stuffing:
¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
1 tbsp Garam Masala
1 ½ tbsp Coriander Seeds
½ tbsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Kitchen King Masala (optional)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
¾ tbsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste

My Portion of Stuffed Baingan

My Hubby's Portion of Stuffed Okra

Method:
Grind all the ingredients without adding any water and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add jeera and bay leaves.
When jeera starts spluttering add chopped onion and fry them till they turn transparent.
To this add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become tender.
In a mean while, slit small baingan and okra in mid way and stuff them with ground masala.
Arrange them in pan and cook them covered in medium flame.
When they are half cooked turn them over and add cream and any remaining ground masala powder.
Again close the lid and cook them in medium flame till they are done.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roties.

Stuffed Baingan & Okra served with Boiled Rice

Final Verdict:
Mmm…. It was really good to eat my favourite veggie after long time. They were just perfect. While the baby brinjals were tender, okra was crisp and yummy. Because there was hardly any oil being used while cooking it was not just tasty but healthy too. Quite satisfying dish.

Note:
You can also add ginger and garlic paste while cooking. I omitted them because of other masalas being used in stuffing. So I didn’t wanted the masalas to clash with one another, just to blend well.

Stuffed Baingan & Okra served with Boiled Rice