Chettinad Vendakkai Saddam Recipe (Spicy Okra Rice)

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups cooked rice
• 10 Vendakkai (Okra/Bhindi), cut into small dices
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon thick tamarind paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• a pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon channa dal 
• 1 tomato, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• a sprig of curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ginger(small piece) and garlic(2 pods), chopped
  
  

  Directions

  1. To begin making the Chettinad Vendakkai Saddam Recipe (Spicy Okra Rice), we will first cook the okra along with the spices.
  2. Take a heavy bottomed pan and heat the spoonful of oil on medium heat. Add the onions, tomato, ginger and garlic and the Vendakkai and salt to taste. Stir fry on low to medium heat until the okra (Vendakkai) is well cooked and roasted. This will take about 10 minutes.
  3. Once the Vendakkai is well cooked, add the turmeric powder, curry leaves, cinnamon powder, black pepper powder, salt, thick tamarind paste and sauté the ladies fingers till it gets coated well with all the other ingredients. 
  4. Now, in another tadka pan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add in the mustard seeds, channa dal and cashews. Allow them to crackle and get roasted until lightly browned. Add this to the Vendakkai mixture.
  5. Stir the seasoning well into the Vendakkai mixture. At this stage add in the cooked rice. Stir together all the ingredients until well combined. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.  Check the salt and spices and adjust to suit your taste.
  6. Finally, turn off the heat and transfer the Chettinad Vendakkai Saddam to a serving bowl.
  7. Serve the delicious tangy and spicy Chettinad Vendakkai Saddam Recipe (Spicy Okra Rice) hot along with a tomato onion raita.

Bhindi Rice

  Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 20 Mins |Serves: 2

    Bhindi| ladies finger|okra       8
    Basmati rice     1/2 cup 
    Onion      1
    Tomato     1/2 
    Sambar powder   2 tsp
    Ginger garlic paste    1/2  tsp
    Pav bhaji masala| garam masala    1/4 tsp
    Salt    as needed
    Oil    2 tblsp
    Cashew nuts | peanuts    little (optional)
    Coriander leaves     few       
      - See more at: http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2015/06/bhindi-rice-recipe-bhindi-pulao-lunch.html#sthash.g6OmGN9p.dpuf

Dahi Bindi Fry

Ingredients:

• 22-25 - Medium Size Okra/Bhindi
• 1 - Large Onion
• 2 - Medium Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp - Oil
• 1/2 tbsp - Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp - Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp - Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp - Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp - Dry Mango Powder/Amchur
• 1/2 tbsp - Crushed Kasoori Methi
• 1 Cup - Beaten Yogurt/Dahi
• 2 Cups - Water
• To Taste - Salt
To Grind
• 10 - Whole Cashewnuts
• 2 tbsp - Grated Coconut
For Tempering/Tadka
• 1 tbsp - Oil
• A Pinch - Asafoetida/Hing
• 1/2 tsp - Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tsp - Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp - Urad Dal
• 2 - Dry Red Chilies
• 5-6 - Curry Leaves

  Method:

  1. Soak cashews in water for 10 minutes and grind with coconut using little water into smooth paste.
  2. Wash, pat dry and cut both ends of okra, cut okra in 1/2 inch pieces and keep aside.
  3. Peel and finely chop onion, tomato.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and saute okra until brown, keep aside.
  5. In a same pan heat 1 tbsp oil, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli (broken) and saute until golden brown. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste and saute until golden brown.
  6. Add all masala powder (red chili, turmeric, or garam masla, amchur) and mix well. Now add tomato and cook until tomato get slightly mashed.
  7. Add kasoori methi mix well, cover and cook until tomato gets mashed fully, stir in intervals.
  8. Add cashew & coconut paste mix and saute for a minute.
  9. Now add beaten curd, water, salt and mix everything well. Simmer for 2-3 minutes in slow flame.
  10. Add fried okra (If gravy is very thick add little more water) and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until okra gets cooked. Off flame.

  Serve warm or hot with pulao, steamed rice or paratha.

Bendakai vepudu/Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Bendakai vepudu/Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Ingredients: 
Vendakkai / okra - 1 lb ( cut into

small round pieces )
Onion - 1 ( chopped )
Green chillies - 3 ( split )
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.
Method: 

• Wash and wipe the vendaikai with a kitchen towel.
• Cut it into small rounds.
• In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot add mustard.
• When the spluttering stops add urad dhal and fry till it turns light brown.
• Add chopped onion,Green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onion turns brown.
• Add vendaikai pieces and stir fry on low flame till its stickiness disappears.
• Add sambar powder, turmeric and salt and stir well.
• Keep it on low flame for 5 minutes.
• Remove once well done and serve it with steamed rice.
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Vendakai Poricha kuzhambu/ Ladies Finger(Bhindi/Okra) curry in tamarind sauce

Poricha Kuzhambu better known as Porichozhambu in the Palakkad circles is a tangy tamarind and vegetables based dish served with steamed white rice. It is another variation of the Pitlai. Naadan vegetables like brinjals, raw bananas, yam, ash gourd broad beans (Avarakkai) are generally used. You can also used carrots, potatoes and peas in addition to the above mentioned vegetables. So if you are bored of having Sambar every other day for lunch, try is variation. I used here Ladies finger. 

Vendakai Poricha kuzhambu/ Ladies Finger(Bhindi/Okra) curry in tamarind sauce

Ingredients

1. Vendakai - 1 cup
2. Tamarind – gooseberry sized ball
3.  Karamani(Rajma) – a fistful
4. Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
5. Salt – to taste

For the spice paste

Vendakai Poricha kuzhambu/ Ladies Finger(Bhindi/Okra) curry in tamarind sauce

1. Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
2. Channa dal – 1 tsp
3. Black Pepper – a few
4.  Dried Red Chillies – 4
5.  Asfoetida – a small piece
6. Fresh Grated Coconut – 1/4 to 1/2 cup
7. Coconut oil – 1 tsp

For the seasoning

1. Coconut oil – 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Curry leaves a few

Method

1. Cut the veggie. Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 mins. Squeeze and extract tamarind juice in a vessel. 
2. Pressure cook the vegetables with turmeric and salt and 1 cup of water. 
3. Also pressure cook the Karamani.
4. Heat a tsp of oil in a Kadai, add a piece of asafoetida, after its bloats, add the dals and fry finally add the peppercorns and red chillies. Once all these are fried, grind them with the coconut into a smooth paste adding a little water.
5. Take the tamarind extract in a vessel, add turmeric powder and salt and boil it for 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Add the cooked vegetables, and karamani(Rajma) to the tamarind water.
7. Bring to boil and simmer for about 2 -3 mins. Finally add the ground paste. Check for salt and consistency. If the curry is too thick add a little water and adjust the consistency. Simmer for a 3 – 4 mins.
8. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, once they crackle pour over the kuzhambu. Garnish with curry leaves.

Tasty Porichozhambu is ready to serve.

A good accompaniment for this would be the not so spicy Paruppu Thogayal.

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

          Bendakaya iguru is One of my favorite dish. It is not a stir fry. We can eat with rice and rotis. It will be more tastier with Mamidikaya pappu,which i will be posting next week. .

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

Ingredients:

Bendakayalu (Lady fingers) - 500 grams
Onion - 1 big size
Green chilly - 5 to 6
Red chilly - 2 to 3
Garlic cloves - 5 to 6
Curry Leaves
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 to 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method:

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

• Soak them into water with 2 tbsp of salt about 10 mins.
• Wash them with fresh water and wipe with a clean cotton cloth.

• After they become dry Cut them into small pieces.
• Take onions and green chillis and cut them.
• Take a wide pan add 2 tbsp oil.
• Add mustard seeds, chana dal and jeera, red chilly and curry leaves.
• Add pieces of garlic cloves also.
• After they popped nicely add onions and green chillis.

• Cook till the onions become soft.
• Add Bendakaya pieces into the vessel.
• Mix well and close the lid about 2 to 3 mins.
• In between just mix with spoon.
• Add Turmeric and Red chilly powder.

• Mix well and lastly add salt.
• Take care when adding salt, because when lady fingers loosing all its moisture they will shrink a lot.
• Its better to add some salt while cooking and add some salt at last of preparation.

• Serve with hot rice or rotis.

Tips:

• When we are buying the lady fingers, make sure they are tender and good.
• For knowing they are tender, bend the tail end of the lady finger and if it breaks easily then they are tender, if they doesn't break they are not tender.
• And when we are cutting those lady fingers if they are getting crunchy sound, they are also not tender, better to avoid them into curry.
• It is better to make curry at the same day or next day when we are buying them.
• Don't cover the lid over while cooking.
• Cover for 2 to 3 mins and remove the lid and fry them and again close the lid about 2 mins and remove the lid and fry them again, so just don't cover the lid continually.
• If we cover more time then the curry will be gooey( gummy).
• Here i just make curry only, if we need fry then we need to take more oil, so for calorie conscious, i am not advising that.