Dahi Bhindi (Lady Finger in Creamy Yogurt Gravy)

I dont remember when i fell in love with okra but I am glad i did. Okra/Bhindi/Lady Finger is one of the few vegetable which is loved by everyone, i have not seen a single person who doesnt like okra. Personally i love okra stir fried with onions, serve them hot with rotis drizzled with ghee and its perfect and satifying meal. Just thinking of it makes me drool!! Today I am going to share a recipe of okra in creamy yogurt gravy. This is one of my favorite curries and if you love okra then you got to try this. I had first tasted this dish few years back at a friends house and fell for it. Over the years i have prepared this many times and always makes me want more! The taste is very much similar to Kadhi which i have posted earlier with addition of crispy okra pieces. The challenge here is to make sure you donot curdle the curd. Serve hot with little ghee drizzled and its perfect for rice or roti. The recipe below serves 4. Ingredients: 1/2 kg Okra washed,dried and chopped in 1 inch pieces 2 onions chopped finely 1 cup curd beaten 1 tbsp fresh cream (optional) 1 tsp sugar or jaggery powder 1 tsp ginger paste 1 tsp amchur powder 1 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp garam masala or kitchen king masala Salt to taste Ghee and Coriander leaves for garnishing For Tempering: 2 tsp oil 1 tsp urad dal 2 dry red chillies broken 1 tsp cumin seeds 5-6 curry leaves a pinch of Asafoetida/hing 1 bay leaf

Procedure:

• In a pan heat 1 tsp oil and add the chopped okras, cover them on medium heat until light browned and crispy on the edges. Turn off the heat and keep aside.
• In another pan heat 2 tsp oil for tempering, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, hing, curry leaves and bay leaf. As soon as the urad dal starts getting light brown in color add in the chopped onions and fry them until translucent.
• Add in the cooked okra pieces along with the rest of the masalas. Add few tbsp of water and cook for few mins.
• Lower the heat and add in the well beaten curd and fresh cream and mix well. Again you can add few tbsp of water to achieve the required consistency.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and drizzle some ghee, serve hot with rice or roti.