Bhindo Do Pyaza in a very different style!!

Dear All,

“So few people eat okra (more radishes are grown in this country) that it never even makes it onto the lists of Top 10 hated foods.”

- Julia Reed

Okra/Bhindi/Lady Finger's was not on my list of favorite vegetable until recently. Bhindi Do Pyaza is a famous North Indian dish where okra is cooked along with almost equal amount of onions. Okra is slit in half and cooked on slow heat with very minimum spices. This way of cooking brings out the crunchiness in okras which blends well with the taste of onions and together its an delicious combination best served with rotis or phulkas. 

I personally havent met many people who dislike bhindi well I am one of them! Its true I am not a big fan of okras. While growing up my mom tried all different ways to make okra either stuffed or with onions but somehow I never liked it. Recently while doing grocery shopping my roommate picked up 1kg of okra...dear oh dear were the only words which came out of my mouth. She loves okras in any form, I dont know why always two opposite people are forced to stay together by nature, nah dont get me wrong she is adorable but completely opposite to me! Thats the reason why she is one of my closest friend. 

Ok before I bore you guys to death, lets get back to today's special. Bhindi Do Pyaza but cooked with khoya! Exactly my reaction when i first heard it..Okra with khoya? Hmmm now thats something different isnt it? Addition of khoya or mava as we call it increases the richness and taste of this dish, it takes the dish to completely different level .If you love Bhindi Do Pyaza you got to try this recipe! I promise you will ask for more just like we did :D

Bhindi Do Pyaza with Khoya
Serves 2 to 3
Ingredients:-
1/2 kg Okra, washed, dried, chopped in 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup mava/khoya
1 big onion, finely sliced
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 small cinnamon sticks
3 cardamon pods
2 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 dry red chili broken
a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar

Procedure:-

• Heat oil in a pan, add in cloves, cinnamon, cardamon pods, bay leaf, red chilli and asafoetida.
• Now add in onion and tomatoes and saute for 5 mins until onions have become soft.
• Now add in okras and rest of spices and mix well.
• Cover and cook for 15 to 20 mins, dont forget to sprinkle some water in between if okra starts sticking to the pan.
• Finally add in mava/khoya and mix well. Cover and cook for another 5 mins.
• Serve hot with rotis or phulkas.
• Enjoy!

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.