Bhindi Do Pyaza /Ladies Finger & Onion stir fry - Goodbye Mushy, Welcome Soft Crunchiness(!!)

For all those mushy ladies finger haters and also for 'Oh no! Same old lady finger curry!!!" naysayers - this Bhindi Do Pyaza is for you :) Bhindi (Ladies finger) Do (two) Pyaza (Onions) is a North Indian dry curry where it denotes onions used twice the normal amount with Ladiesfinger to make this dish. One just needs more onions and do a stir fry along with ladiesfinger and ta-da, the dish is ready. I am going to dissapoint the 'Hail Frozen Foods' folks here since I am really sorry, Frozen ladiesfinger will not work at all. If you really want to, then its mushy heaven for you :)



I have seen few variations, esp one with tomatoes added to it. Somehow I prefer when the fusion of onions and ladiesfinger is not distracted by the addition of tomatoes.Although this dish will not find its way under "Done within 10min" category, it sure is worth that wee bit of extra patience. The trick to avoid the mushiness is not to cover when cooking these ladiesfingers and also to use fresh ones. Not frozen. Prep time is approx 5-10min and cooking time another 15-20min. But the 30minute wait makes it worth it at the end of it all :)

Ingredients


• About 500 gms Ladiesfinger/Okra/bhindi (approx 1-1/2 pounds)
  
  
• 2 onions, sliced
  
  
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  
  
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
  
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
  
• 1/2 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
  
  
• 1 tsp chilli powder (or as per taste)
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Dry Mango Powder /Amchur (optional - instead you can add lemon juice)
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
  
  
• Salt to taste
  

Method

Wash, clean and dry the fresh ladiesfinger thoroughly. Should not be wet. Chop of the ends and slice them.



In a pan, in 1/2 tsp oil, add the cumin seeds. When lightly brown, add the onions, ginger garlic paste, salt and the spices (except Garam Masala and Mango powder) and stir until soft



Add the Ladiesfinger, give a quick stir on high flame until it is coated with the onion-spice mixture. Then reduce the flame to low-medium and give it a stir every 5 minutes.



The dish is done when the ladiesfinger turn soft - takes about 15-20min..



It will not be mushy nor will it be crunchy. Just the right bite to it. Just 2 min before taking off the flame, add the remaining two spices, stir and serve warm with Phulkas, Chapathi or White Rice


There - Simple wasnt it?

Black Eyed Peas (cowpeas) and Potato curry

Another staple in my pantry after Chickpeas is Black Eyed Peas. Since I have been on a pantry cleaning run, I saw a small handful of these left over in the packet. I wanted to use them but at the same time, I had few guests coming over and it sure won't be enough for all of us. Hence thought of adding some potatoes to make the dish more mealy and of large quantity. These are also known as cowpeas and are rich in protein, magnesium, iron and folate. They are also immensely versatile.



They can be used in multiple ways from soups, to yummy and crunchy snacks to main course dishes. They also help to fill one up faster thus making me to resort to these for salads etc. I am on an everlasting diet remember!!!!! This curry is very simple to make and has hardly any prep work. All you need is to soak these, chop few potatoes, dump them along with spices together in one pot and forget them for next 20-30 min and Viola! yummy curry ready.

Ingredients


• 1 cup Black eyed peas (cowpeas), soaked overnight
  
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
  
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
  
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
  
• 2-3 small potatoes, chopped with skins on
  
  
• 1 tsp cumin
  
  
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  
  
• 1 tsp garam masala
  
  
• 1 cup mix of mint and cilantro (Grind this into paste along with 2-3 chillies. You can add 2-3 tbsp of grated coconut too)
  
  
• salt to taste
  
  
• 1 Bay leaf
  
  
• curry leaves for garnish
  

Method

1.Saute cumin seeds in 1/2 tsp oil. Add onions, ginger garlic, salt along with bay leaf and spices.



2.Add the potatoes, saute them for 2-3 minutes and then add drained black eyed peas



3.Add the tomato puree and cook for another 1-2 min



4.Add sufficient water to cover the mixture - about 1 to 1-1/2 cups, close the lid and let it cook for 15-20 min.



5.Once the black eyed peas have been cooked, add the ground paste - cook for another 5 min.



Serve hot with Phulkas or rice.