Nutty Okra Masala - A definite hit!

'What's cooking?'

'Bendekai ....'

'Ohhh no..... i dont want it.... i'll just have somthing else....'

'Listen, it'll be nice.....'

'No, it'll be sticky and slimy.... i dont like it at all....'

This used to be Dee's reaction to Okra, till I started making dishes with okra not sticky, slimy, flabby and broken....

'And now the conversation goes like this....

'What are u making?'

'Bendekai .....'

'Wow... You're making that peanut wala bhindi, right??'

'Hmmmm....'

'Make that please... i love it.....'

So would be everyone's demand - even my inlaws'. We've all fallen in love with this variant of Bhindi masala. I've even made it for guests, shared it with colleagues, lunch pals, and well, every one gets bowled over for this! And they'll definitely ask for the recipe, even the guys would! And a pal who tasted it, urged me to put it on my blog soon, and thanks to her, the post is up for u all!

Well, i actually got this recipe from Sia's Monsoon Spice here; Thanks Sia for a wonderful combination. I had read it and got a fair idea of the ingredients and method, though not noted it, and later tried it out after a few days. I did not follow it completely, though, and made some modifications to suit my taste and method.....

You just got to try it, and I can guarantee it's gonna be a BIG HIT! Be sure to follow the instructions to handle okra, though.

Nutty Okra Masala

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 20 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Okra/Ladies finger - ½ - ¾ kg Onions - 2 big Oil - 2 tbsp Salt to taste For spice powder: Peanuts - 1 tbsp Bengal gram dal - ½ tbsp Black gram dal - ½ tbsp Sesame seeds - ½ tbsp Dry red chilies - 10-15 depending on taste Curry leaves - 10-12 leaves For tempering: Oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Black gram dal - 1 tsp Peanuts - ½ tbsp Sesame seeds - 2 tsp Curry leaves - 10 - 12 leaves Method: Spice powder • Heat a skillet and roast all the ingredients except sesame seeds • When they are almost roasted, add sesame seeds and turn off the flame, continue stirring for a few more seconds • Cool slightly and grind it to a coarse powder • This can be prepared in larger quantity and stored for multiple uses Okra masala • Wash the okra, wipe it with a kitchen towel and dry it completely • Chop it on a dry cutting board with a dry knife, into ¾” pieces • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat1 tbsp oil and add the chopped okras • Roast the okra on a high flame, continuously stirring, till the slime vanishes. • Add a little more oil if needed • Add salt and mix in thoroughly, continuing heat for 2 more minutes • Chop onions and in a separate pan, heat the remaining oil and sauté till translucent • Mix the roasted okra, add the spice powder prepared above and mix thoroughly till the spice powder is evenly coated over the okras Tempering • Heat oil in a small skillet, add mustard and allow to splutter • Add peanuts and after a few seconds add black gram dal and curry leaves • When the nuts and dal are done, add sesame seeds and turn off the flame • Add this to the above prepared okra-onion masala and mix well • Serve with chapathis / rice Tips n Tricks: • Make sure there is no water content in the okra, or the dish will turn into a disaster. • Don’t worry if the walls of the pan get charred, it can be easily washed off. • Never cook the okras with the pan covered, it gets soft and broken rather than staying crunchy Variations: • Dry grated coconut can also be added, but I prefer without it