" Dry Bhindi Sabzi" goes Global !!

The "Dry Bhindi Sabzi" gets on the list of "Best of Global " dishes !! Try it out:

Okra Fried Rice

Okra Fried Rice

We first had Okra Fried Rice at a Caribbean inspired party last month and it was just awesome!Never knew that okra could blend so well with rice. The whole dish has a subtle okra flavor and goes well with the jerk chicken (jerk potatoes for the vegetarians) and goat curry.
I didn't get the actual recipe, but tried it anyway and the result was almost similar to the original. So go ahead and try out this awesome Caribbean style Okra Fried Rice.

Ingredients:
Fresh Okra/Ladiesfinger: 250g(finely sliced into thin rings)
Onions: 1 small (finely minced)
Garlic: 5 cloves(finely chopped)
Bell Pepper(optional): 1/2( finely chopped into cubes)
Cooked rice: 3 cups(cooled brown or basmati)
Bay leaves: 1-2
Cloves: 2
Cinnamon: 1/2 "
Allspice: 1tsp
Oil: 1tbsp
Soy sauce: 1-2 tsp
Pepper: to taste
Salt: to taste

Method:
1)Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon. Then add the chopped onions and garlic and saute till translucent.
2)Add the bell pepper and saute for 5 mins(optional) and then add the okra rings and fry till it loses the stickiness.
3)Add the soy sauce,allspice,pepper and salt and saute for a couple of minutes.
4)Add the cooked rice(you can add some chicken soup base while cooking the rice for added flavor) and mix well.
5)Serve the Okra Fried Rice with 'jerk chicken' or 'jerk potatoes', Chicken curry, or any spicy curry.

Caribbean Style Okra Fried Rice

Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin and Okra Sambar(Palakkad style)

Pumpkin and okra sambar

We had this awesome sambar at a friends place during the Diwali weekend. It was made by my friend's mother and she had used pumpkin and ladiesfinger/okra for the sambar. The family has it's roots in Palakkad,a town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Being Palakkad Iyers their cuisine is a unique blend of the cooking styles from both the states (Kerala and Tamil Nadu).
I've always used the popular ready-made sambar powder to date and had never made the sambar from scratch(roasting and grinding the masalas). I had to get the recipe and it turned out so well that I've decided to make sambar the 'hard-way' instead of taking the 'easy way' out henceforth.
This sambar is typically made with any two of these seasonal vegetables: ladiesfinger/okra, arabi/taro root, pumpkin, capsicum and drumstick.
Here's the recipe as given by Ms Sarda Ramakrishnan:
Ingredients: (Serves 8)

• Coriander seeds: 2tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds:1 tbsp
• Channa dal: 1 tbsp
• Dry red chillies: 5
• Tamarind pulp: walnut sized (soak in water and squeeze out the pulp),
• Tur dal: 2 cups (finely mashed)
• Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup grated
• Pumpkin: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2" pieces)
• Ladiesfinger/Okra: 1 cup (cut into 1 and 1/2" pieces)
• Hing/asafoetida: 1/2tsp
• Salt: to taste

For the tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Curry leaves:5-6 nos.
• Oil: 2tsp

Mehod:

1. Roast the coriander seeds,fenugreek seeds,channa dal and the red chillies in a pan till the fenugreek and channa dal start turning red.
2. Let it cool and then grind to a fine paste along with the grated coconut.
3. Cook the pumkin and okra pieces in the tamarind pulp along with salt and enough water till the vegetables are half cooked.
4. Add the cooked tur dal and the ground masala paste to the vegetables. Add enough water to bring it to a sambar consistency.
5. Bring the sambar to a boil and add the hing powder.
6. In a separate pan,heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When it starts to sputter,add the curry leaves.
7. Pour this tempering over the sambar.
8. Serve hot with rice.

Question: What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?
Note:
Don't throw away the pumpkin seeds- you can wash, dry and then roast them. The roasted pumpkin seeds are considered a snack food and are loaded with zinc.

Dry bhindi sabzi (Dry Okra curry with potatoes)

Okra or 'Ladies finger' as it is known in India has always been a favorite vegetable. I bought some fresh okra the other day to try out something new-'gumbo'. I had only heard about this dish and finally managed to taste it from a can!! I checked for some gumbo recipes and found so many-I had no clue which was the right one. Finally I chickened out and turned the okra into my tried and tested version. This recipe should actually have more okra than potatoes,but since I picked up just a handful (for the gumbo),I had to add in more potatoes to increase the quantity of the 'sabzi'.
Ingredients:

• Okra/ladiesfinger: 500 gms
• Potato: 1 small diced
• Green chillies: 1 or 2(slit lengthwise)
• Onion: 1/2 medium (finely chopped)
• Tamarind paste: 1 tsp
• Ginger: 1/2 "(finely chopped)
• Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper powder: 1 tsp(freshly ground)
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Salt:to taste

For the tempering(optional):

• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Cumin seeds/Zeera : 1/2 tsp
• Sesame seeds: 1tsp
• Curry leaves: 2-3 nos.
• Oil: 3tsp

Method:

1. Wash and pat dry the okra before cutting them.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add the mustard seeds,sesame seeds and cumin seeds.
3. When the mustard starts to sputter,add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and the chopped ginger.
4. Fry till the ginger turns golden brown,then add the chopped onions and fry till it browns.
5. Then add the diced potatoes and the green chillies and fry for about 5 mins,stirring constantly.
6. Add the chopped okra, the tamarind paste,the garam masala, pepper powder and stir-fry on a medium flame, till the okra and potatoes are cooked.
7. Add the salt and mix well.
8. Serve with some hot chapathis/phulkas(whole wheat tortillas) or as a side dish with a plate of rice and dal.

I'm still on the lookout for a great gumbo recipe and I'd really appreciate if someone has a tried-and tested recipe which I could try out.

Question: What is your favorite okra dish?