Simple Vendakkai Curry (Bhindi/Okra Fry)

Vendakkai used to be my kids’ favorite vegetable after potatoes.  This was when they were very young and finicky about the food they ate.  They used to have bhindi with rasam sadam (rice) or with rotis.  Both my husband’s family and my family knew this.  So every time we went to India, everyone made bhindi for my kids.  At one point my oldest asked me if that is the only vegetable that they know how to make :)
 

We get vendakkai in our Indian store regularly, but the quality is not always consistent.  Sometimes it is so fibrous that I end up discarding half of what I buy.  At other times, they are so tender and tasty that I can’t make enough.

I make vendakkai in several different ways.  If the bhindi is good, then I make it without too much masala so that we can taste the vegetable without letting the masalas overpower the taste.

 

Here is what you need:

• 2 tsp. oil
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 lb. okra, washed and cut into small rounds
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder

 

Here is how I made it:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan.  Add the mustard and cumin seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds sputter, add the onions and green chilies.  Fry till they turn slightly brown.
3. Add the cut okra, salt, and turmeric powder.  Mix well.
4. Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, till the okra is almost cooked – about 8 minutes.
5. Add the chili powder, and toss to coat the okra well.  Cook on medium heat for 5 – 10 more minutes, tossing the pan a couple of times. 

Serve with rotis, rice, and dal or rasam.

Vendakai Morkuzhambu (Buttermilk stew with okra)

This is the kind of morkuzhambu that my mom usually makes.  It is also the kind that is served as part of the feast in Tamil weddings and in restaurants when you order South Indian Thalis (meal plates with assorted delicacies from a particular region).  She did not make it as regularly as sambar or rasam.  We would have it on special occasions, as part of a big meal.  She typically made it with paruppu usili or seppankizhangu curry.

Since I learned to make red morkuzhabu from my mother-in-law, I have been leaning towards that and have ignored this more traditional kind.  Last weekend, my husband was mentioning that it has been a while since we had this morkuzhambu.  In fact, he said, he was going to make it one of these days.  I didn't think that was going to happen any time soon.  He is a good cook and does cook occasionally – like on Mother’s day, and maybe my birthday, and a couple of times in between.

To be fair, I really shouldn’t blame him.  I consider the kitchen my "petai" or domain.  I don’t like sharing my kitchen space and also hate people messing up my arrangement of spices and utensils.  My friends, mom, mother-in-law, and my husband have all experienced this reluctance (that is putting it mildly) on my part to share my kitchen.

Anyway, since I had the day off, and it was the day my Indian store got fresh vegetables (I made this with fresh okra or vendakai), I decided to make the morkuzhambu myself.  I also made rasam, keerai, and paruppu usili.  My husband was a happy man at dinner :)

Here is what you need:

• 3 tsp. toor dal
• 1 ½ tsp. channa dal
• 2 tsp. jeera
• 2 tsp. dhania
• 5 green chilies
• 1” piece ginger
• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 2 cups sour yogurt
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. oil
• 6 okras

For tempering:

• 1 tsp. oil
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 red chilies
• ¼ tsp. hing
• few curry leaves

 

 Here is how I made it:

1. Soak the toor dal and channa dal in water for about an hour.
2. Drain the water from the dals and grind them along with jeera, dhania, green chilies, ginger, and coconut, into a smooth paste.
3. Mix this with beaten yogurt, salt, and turmeric powder in a pot.
4. Place this on low heat, stirring constantly to prevent curdling.  When it shows signs of coming to a boil, turn off the heat.
5. Cut off the top and tail of the okras and slice them.
6. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a saucepan.  When the oil is hot, add the okra and cook on high heat, till the okra turns golden brown. 
7. Reduce heat and cover and cook for 5 minutes so that the okra is cooked through.
8. Add this to the kuzhambu. 
9. Heat the rest of the oil and add the mustard seeds, red chilies, and hing.
10. When the mustard seeds sputter, add the curry leaves.
11. Turn off the heat and pour this over the kuzhmabu.

Serve hot with rice and paruppu usili or seppankizhangu curry

Vendakkai (Bhindi / Okra) with Nalla Karam Podi

My wonderful friend, Anu, introduced me to nalla karam podi a few years ago.  Her mom makes the best avakkai.  She makes it fresh every summer and will save some for all of us.  Whoever goes to India in summer will bring it back and mail it to the rest of us.  Anu mailed me nalla karam podi with the avakkai once.  I would secretly indulge in steaming hot rice mixed with this spicy powder and a little bit of sesame oil for lunch some days.

This time when I went to India, my mom’s friend was visiting from Hyderabad and she brought back nalla karam podi.  She actually brought back so many packets that I though I should find other uses for it.  So I decided to try it as a masala for my dry subzis (vegetable dishes).

Okra with nalla karam podi

I don’t know how to make this spice mix from scratch, but there are several recipes on other food blogs.

Here is what you need:

• 2 tsp. oil
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb. okra, washed and cut into small rounds
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tsp. nalla karam podi

Here is how I made it:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan.  Add the mustard and cumin seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds sputter, add the onions and fry till they turn slightly brown.
3. Add the cut okra, salt, and turmeric powder.  Mix well.
4. Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, till the okra is almost cooked – about 10 minutes.
5. Add the nalla karam podi, and toss to coat the okra well.  Cook on medium heat for five more minutes.

Serve with rotis, rice, and dal or rasam.