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?

Kadambam Rice - Simple one pot South Indian dish with vegetables galore!

Some dishes never fail to remind you of home, of the warmth of mom's touch - in short that luxurious comfort which we never thought we will leave. But life moves on, and so do we. The ache slowly is replaced by new responsibilities and in accommodating new changes in our lives - but BAM! a spoonful of that special dish, one fine day, teleports your memory cells back to the days bygone. And this is exactly what happened when I made Kadambam(mixture in Tamil) Sadam(rice)




Usually on the last day of Pongal - for Mattu pongal, we have a custom of making flavored rice like coconut rice, lemon rice etc. Few households also make this rice. It is an excellent option esp. if you like me get this sudden urge to throw everything you have in the fridge into a pot! If you like Sambar Rice and if you like Bisi Bela Bath, then this is another likable option for you, since I think this dish is between those two dishes. This is my mom's version which was given to her by her elder sister who is an excellent cook herself.

Ingredients


• 1 cup rice
  
  
• 1/2 cup Bengal gram (channa dal)
  
  
• 1 cup pigeon peas (toor dal)
  
  
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  
  
• approx 3 cups of mixed vegetables chopped (ex. ladies finger, taro root, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplants, capsicum, peas, green pumpkin, drumsticks etc)
  
  
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp Sambar powder
  
  
• salt to taste
  
  
• few sprigs of curry leaves, cilantro and 1 tsp of sesame oil/ghee for garnish
  
  

Method

1. Cook rice with 3 cups of water. Meanwhile cook both the lentils together until cooked. Set aside. Par boil the vegetables for approx 10min.



2. Mix the tamarind paste in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil in a pan. Add salt, sambar powder, curry leaves along with vegetables and let it cook for 5 min. The vegetables are par boiled since they are further cooked again here.



3. Add the lentils mixture and stir for another 2-3 min.



4.Finally add rice



and gently mix making sure not to mash the vegetables.


5.Garnish with cilantro and sesame oil/ghee and serve hot with papad.



This is my entry to Harvest : the festival of Rice event. ( Thank you siri for letting me know :) )

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Some foods are our best friends, may be not so much for our taste buds ;-) but surely deeply loved by our body. Among such is Oats. Want to know more about Oats - the types available, how to cook the different varieties etc? Check my article about the same at Daily Tiffin

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