Spicy Okra ( Masala Bhindi)

Okra or ladies finger is also known as " bhindi " in India. It is a part of every kitchen in the Indian household. Okra is a good source of calcium, starch, magnesium, iron and vitamin A and C. It is a very helpful for those who are suffering from sore throat, constipation and lung inflammation.. It also helps in normalizing cholesterol and blood pressure. It is also very beneficial for the skin. It helps in reducing acne and pimples and makes skin healthy. It is said that for those who are suffering from depression, exhaustion and weakness, okra can be very helpful for them.

There are many ways of cooking okra. Some of them are :-

1. Spicy okra (recipe mentioned here)
2. Okra fry (Bhindi fry)
3. Okra with onions (Bhindi do pyaaza)
4. Okra curry ( Bhindi curry)
5. Yogurt Okra ( Dahi bhindi)
6. Okra salan ( Bhindi ka salan )
7. Okra fry ( Bhindi fry )

Ingredients

• Okra 1 pound medium sized
• Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
• mustard seeds 1/ 4 tsp
• Onion 1 chopped in small pieces
• Dried mango powder 1/2 tsp ( you can even use 1/2 tsp of lime juice, do not use both of these ingredients together.)
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Oil as required
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp (optional)
• chili as per taste, chopped in small pieces
• Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
• Curry masala 1/2 tsp I had once published a hub on how to make curry masala at home http://dipsmi.hubpages.com/hub/how-to-make-curry-masala-garam-masala-at-home
• Coriander/ cilantro for garnishing

Preparation

• Wash the okra at least an hour before cooking.

• Once the okra is dry, cut the okra in halves.
• Heat oil in pan.
• Once the oil in pan is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• When the cumin seeds and the mustard seeds start spluttering, add finely chopped onion pieces.
• Fry the onions till they are golden brown.
• Add the chopped pieces of chili and let it cook for 30 seconds.
• Add ginger garlic in the pan and mix well with the onion and chili.
• Let it cook for 2 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt and mix well. Let it cook for 1 minute.
• Pour dried mango powder and curry masala (available at any Indian grocery store) and mix well and let it cook for 1 minute.
• Add the cut okra to this mixture and mix well.
• Keep stirring so that the spices do not get stuck at the bottom of the pan.
• Keep frying till the okra is cooked. It will change its color and will no longer be light green.
• Garnish with cilantro chopped in small pieces.
• Serve the spicy okra hot with bread, naan or Indian bread.

Okra is my favorite vegetable and I can eat it almost everyday ( but not boiled or raw! ). Okra is usually not covered in lid while cooking as it gets soggy. Okra dishes are easy to cook and taste even better. In my next hubs I will be soon sharing the recipes of the other okra recipes..