Indian Okra Curry / Sarson wali Bhindi ki sabzi
Today´s recipe is a delicious and tasty curry made with okra pampered in
a lovely mustard sauce. When I first saw this recipe in a TV show, it sounded
very interesting. But I was quite apprehensive about the result. I have tried
other veggies with mustard sauce like aava pettina arati kura where raw
plantains are cooked in mustard seeds paste and tamarind gravy. But ladies finger in
mustard sauce was something new to me. I tried it immediately and the curry was
awesome.
The
pungent taste of black mustard seeds is dominated by the sweetness from the
sugar, the sourness from tomatoes and the spiciness from the chillies. It has got a totally new and unique flavour which goes very well with rice or roti or chapathi. This mustard sauce gives both the flavours of sweet and hot ( pungent ) tastes. The
addition of tomato balances all the remaining flavours. So, this curry is the combo of all the
tastes - sweet, sour and hotness.
I love this ladies finger because of many reasons. Firstly, this is a low calorie veggie rich in calcium and other necessary minerals. Secondly, this being a versatile veggie that can be used and cooked in various forms. I have already shared the basic bhindi tomato curry and the stew ( bendakaya pulusu ) which is so very prefect for a windy or a chilli afternoon meal.
This sarson wali bhindi sabzi is a variation from the routine okra fry. The
preparation of this curry is also very simple with a small process of frying
the bhindi, preparing the sauce ( gravy ) and cooking off together. Its always
advisable to use tender okra for any bhindi curry. Now, lets not waste any more
time and get straight into the preparation of this curry.
Preparation
Wash the
bhindi and wipe with a kitchen cloth. Chop off the edges and cut the bhindi
into 2" pieces.
Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
Fry the
chopped okra in batches.
Fry until the okra withers. The okra should be completely cooked and the edges should be brown in colour as shown in the pic below.
Prepare the sauce with the
items listed under ´To Grind´.
Now heat oil in another pan.
Add kalonji seeds.
Adding these onion seeds will give a lovely flavour to the curry. You can skip if not interested.
Fry for a minute and add the finely chopped onions.
Add sugar and mix well.
The addition of sugar gives an amazing caramelising effect on the onions.
Saute the onions until brown in colour. Now add the turmeric powder and the
ground paste.
Add sufficient water and mix well.
Now add the chopped tomatoes
and salt and cook covered.
When the tomatoes are cooked, add the fried bhindi
pieces and mix well.
Check for seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot as a side dish with rice, roti or chapathi.
Ingredients
Bhindi 250g
Sugar 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Onions 1
Kalonji seeds ( onion seeds ) 1 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Chilli powder 2 tsp
Oil to deep fry
Coriander leaves to garnish
To grind
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Mustard seeds 1 1/2 tbsp
Coriander seeds 1 tbsp.
Water little
Method
- Chop the okra into 2 " pieces and keep aside.
- Deep fry the okra pieces in oil until cooked. Keep aside.
- Grind the items listed under the ´To Grind´ table. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and add kalonji seeds.
- Add chopped onions and sugar. Cook until brown in colour.
- Add turmeric powder and the ground paste.
- Add water, chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well and cook covered.
- Once the tomatoes are soft, add the fried okra and mix well.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Notes
- Increase/decrease the amount of chilli powder according to your taste buds.
- You can use the ready made mustard paste instead of the mustard seeds.
- You can also use the yellow mustard seeds instead of the black mustard seeds.
- Adding tomato is optional. But it gives a nice taste to the curry.
- This rai wali bhindi curry is a semi-gravy dish which is perfect for both rice and chapathi.
- Do not skip on adding the sugar to the curry.
