Nowadays dinner time gives me a headache thinking about which curry I have to make. Due to diabetic scare we are mainly planning to make chapathi/whole wheat bread whenever possible. Making chapathi is not a big deal, but finds a suitable companion to go with is difficult task for me. I don’t like to repeat same curry every other day. Poor hubby won’t complain he enjoys everything at same pace. Even if it is not as good as planned he will eat it with a compliment not to make it second time.
Due to this chapathi dinner I started researching pristine dishes according to me. Amma usually make a potato onion curry, where as my mother-in-law has a universal sauce recipe which mingles with almost everything. My sister has dal or sabji recipe contributed by her domestic help. I have an own hard rule of not repeating my recipes within a couple of weeks, and thus search for new dishes? As Indian cuisine is vast, I am not going get tired of curry dishes in my life time.
When I opened the refrigerator to get some potato for my mom’s potato onion curry, I found a bag of okra. Now since I found the bag of okra, I wanted to use it as a major ingredient. After thinking a lot decide to make achaari dahi bhindi, which I read about. I know okra goes really well with yogurt from our own vendakka kichadi. I tried okra with other spices to make Rajasthani Bhindi. When I looked at the recipe for achaari dahi bhindi, it has most pungent spices mixed with yogurt and it came from favorite Punjabi cuisine.
While googling, I found this recipe by Tarla Dalal . I liked the recipe however the spice amount she used in not suitable to our palate. If I used 2 teaspoon of coriander powder, my hubby will be run away from the spot itself, he has aversion towards coriander powder and certain spices.
I reduced the amount of coriander powder to ¾ teaspoon, chili powder to ½ teaspoon, mustard seeds to ½ teaspoon and fennel seeds to 1 teaspoon , oil to 3 tablespoon and adding extra small green chili. I made this tasty dish which goes well with any bread. Main star of this curry is its pickle spices like, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds/kalonji, fenugreek seeds and asafetodia. If you want to try something new with your favorite okra try this dish. It is unique in its flavor and taste. Here goes the recipe.
One year ago: Cauliflower Carrot stir fry
Print recipe from here
What you need
Okra/ladies finger/ Bhindi/vendakka: 1.1 lb/500g (approximately 29 no)
Chopped ginger: 2 teaspoon
Chopped green chili: 1no
Chopped green chili: 1no
Chopped tomatoes: 1 cup (about 2 no)
Yogurt: ¼ cup
Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
Chili powder: ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder: ¾ teaspoon
Olive oil: 3 tablespoon
Salt: 1 teaspoon or to taste
Water: ¼ cup
For Achaari masala
Fennel seeds/Saunf: 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds/ Rai/ Sarson: 1 teaspoon
Nigella seeds/Kalonji:½ teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds/ Methi seeds: ¼ teaspoon
Asafoetida/hing: ⅛ teaspoon
How I made
Wash, wipe dry and cut the ladies finger into1" diagonal pieces and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and saute the ladies finger in it for 10 minutes or until the sides becomes slightly brown. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil another pan and add the achaari masala to it. When the seeds crackle, add the ginger ,chopped green chili. Fry ginger and green chili for 2 minutes then add tomato and cook for 5 minutes or until tomato becomes soft and the mixture starts to leaves oil.
In the mean time, in a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, turmeric powder, water, chili powder, coriander powder and salt and set aside.
Add this yogurt spice mixture to the pan, mix well with tomato ginger spices and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the ladies finger and simmer for 2 minutes so that spice mixture gets incorporated into each pieces.
Serve hot with chapathi or any other bread.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 serving
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: Yes I will
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Greedyrosie says
Mmh, I'm so happy I stumbled along your blog. I love south Indian food, and we don't get too much in this part of the UK. I'd eat curry every day if I could, so its nice to have a resource for some of my favourite foods. Still scared i'm going to hate Okra though :0)
http://www.greedyrosie.net
Sunshine And Smile says
I have seen okra looking this gorgeous 🙂
http://www.sunshineandsmile.com
RS says
Looks very fabulous...
Ananda Rajashekar says
Gosh wonderful it is! making chapathis every night seriously i could never do that....Bhindi being my fav i going to give it a shot!
Sarah Naveen says
Swathi that looks amazing gal!!! bookmarking!!
Faith says
This looks like a really fantastic way to make okra! Very delicious!
Yasmin says
Yummy! Looks good!
Cheers,
Yas
Simply Life says
YUM! This looks delicious!
Pushpa says
Achari bindi looks perfect and delish.
Elisabeth says
Swathi-Your okra dish is so incredible, I am drooling over this...and not to worry about diabetic scare, anything so good, fresh, and colorful with all the amazing spices, could not possibly be a diabetic "alarm."
Thanks for sharing, yet another great recipe:DDD
Viki's Kitchen says
Chapati and side dishes.....I understand the difficulty:). okra looks perfect!
Joanne says
It's definitely hard cooking for those with dietary restrictions but this curry looks delicious! I love okra!
Nandini's Food says
This is truly flavourful with those spices...Yummy! Would pack some for lunch!
Reeni says
A wonderful okra dish Swathi! I like the tomato in there - good companion for okra.
Peggy says
This sounds great! I can't wait for my okra to start growing in the garden!
Victor says
I love okra. Love all the spices in this dish! Thanks for sharing!
sanjeeta kk says
Never tried curd with bhindi..looks yum!
Lite Bite
Rani acharyulu says
Wow,lovely aachari dahi bheendi,looks so inviting.The first click itself super tempting.
Mexico in my kitchen says
Hello Swathi,
You know, some people compare the flavor of Nopales with Okra. I am not a fan of Okra but could eat Nopales any day. Yes, you can eat nopales just with tomato, onon, garlic and peppers. Or with scramble eggs. But first you have to precook the nopales.
Here is the link in how to prep them:
http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2009/06/how-to-cook-cactus-pads-nopalescomo.html
I hope this helps.
Mely
Candace says
I'm from the south where "okra and tomatoes" are a big hit. I've never been a big fan of okra prepared that way; however, I think I would love it with the addition of your spices and flavors. It looks delicious, Swathi! So colorful and healthy too!
G.Pavani says
tempting n delicious curry..
Marelie says
Hi Swathi,
It looks magical..I cant tell you how I love this dish right now.Last time I tried your egg with tomatoes and onions and I loved it.Now I will try this one.Thanks for sharing.
Padhu says
Looks great!
kaveri says
Loved this bhindi treat...a new recipe...have to try it for sure...
Miriam says
This is an amazing meal! I'm sorry for the diabetes scare, I hope everything turns out okay. ~Hugs~ Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
Prathibha says
looks lovely n yummy..nice side dish...
Treat and Trick says
Nice blend of spices, I'm going to love this, looks perfect and yummy!
http://treatntrick.blogspot.com
Mary says
This looks quite delicious. Your photos of it are really lovely. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Jay says
lovely combination of flavors..awesome try with great result swathy.:P
Tasty Appetite
? says
The sourness of the yogurt and the pickling spices should make this rich and satisfying!
Suja says
Wow this is making me drool,adipoli recipe aanalloo..
michelangelo in the kitchen says
Fantastic okra recipe! I love the way you prepared it! I've got to try this and get some okra right away! Cheers!!!
Rebecca from Chow and Chatter says
looks so good love okra fun to find new recipes
VS says
Lovely post and loved the pictures. I make a similar dish called bindi-do-pyaaza. Very similar in preparation. Yours looks yum!
Sensible Vegetarian says
This looks simply fantastic. Normally when I make Achari Dahi Bindi me and my elder one just eat this alone without any main dish. Now I feel like grabbing that wonderful bowl of yours.
sinfullyspicy.com says
I have tried achari with paneer and potatoes.Okra sounds too good.Looks very yummy Swathi.Perfect with rotis!
Rosita Vargas says
Esta rica receta está estupenda contundente ,con especias exquisitas,me encanta,precioso plato ,cariños y abrazos.
Sobha Shyam says
Wow.. okra looks great..achari masala is good..will try this out !!
Priya says
Slurp,fingerlicking achaari dahi bhindi, simply irresistible..
Reshmi Mahesh says
This form of okra looks delicious...I have never tried yogurt with okra....will give a try next time...
Suman Singh says
I don't think I have ever tried okra in this way..looks simply delicious..just need some rotis to finish this plate..
Kalyani says
curry looks delicious and new recipe to me ......
Nitha says
Never had the confidence to try okra other than in Sambar & stir fry. This looks delicious..
Mélange says
My God,what a splendid thick gravy there ! You know Swathi,I love bhindis like anything.They are so flavourful and distinguished.Loved this recipe of yours.Even I feel the same way.To have a side dish for chapathis.Thanks for posting this.
Vimitha Anand says
I love this curry... Looks so yum...
Kurinji says
Wow tempting recipe and nice clicks....Kurinjikathambam, Event : HRH-Healthy Summer
Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says
I am going bookmark this recipe as I am loving it 🙂