Okra in tangy coconut sauce (Bhindi ka khatta salan)

We love okra but we haven’t tried Bhindi salan in our life. So we tried this dish and found it to be very tasty. We have posted this recipe on our blog.

Okra is a low-calorie, low fat, low cholesterol vegetable that is also an excellent source of iron, manganese, thiamine, vitamin C and vitamin K2. It’s a fantastic vegetable to add to your diet, as it’s both delicious and versatile. You can use it in soups, stir-fries, curries, salads and more.

Okra is an Indian vegetable that’s one of those foods that everyone loves to hate. Okra is an extremely nutritious vegetable that’s high in fiber and low in calories. It’s one of the most versatile vegetables there is and can be served in a variety of dishes. Okra can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, pickled, or even roasted. The color varies from green to red, and one of the most popular ways to cook the vegetable is to steam it along with other vegetables like spinach or green beans. Okra is an excellent source of vitamin C and contains phytonutrients that protect against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Okra, also known as Ladies Finger (Bhindi), is a household favorite, whether stir-fried (Poriyal) or cooked in a curry. This time, I cooked the okra in a tangy Coconut sauce made with coconut and tamarind. This is the foundation for the curry; you may add potato, arvi (Colocasia), fried Paneer, and for non-vegetarians, both Vegetable and Meat (Lamb/Mutton, Prawns, and Chicken) are added; check my previous dish Mutton and Okra in Tangy Sauce for more information. Bhindi ka katta Salan translates to “okra in tangy sauce” (Coconut and Tamarind mixture). If you don’t add the tamarind, we call it Mittah Salan, which is a delicious dish. To eliminate the gluey or slippery texture of okra, I cooked it with cumin seeds in this dish. I usually include garlic cloves in my tamarind-based sauces, both in the paste and as whole cloves in the gravy, since I like eating them in such sauces. This acidic okra is delicious with plain rice, chapathi (roti), or naan. Always try the tamarind-based curries the following day; they will be more flavorful than the day before.

Ingredients

Frying

• • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 300 gms okra or bhindi
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Paste

• • 1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut
  • 1 tblsp. tomato (chopped)
  • 2 medium-sized chopped onions
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup water

Gravy

• 1 tbsp. oil
• 15 curry leaves
• 1 tblsp. tomato (chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 4 green chillies, slit
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 3 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste (concentrated and thick)
• season with salt to taste
• a few coriander leaves (optional)

Method

• • Cut okra into 1 inch chunks or 1 inch pieces (I bought ready made frozen).

Paste-making

• • In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and mix until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Okra in a pan

• • Heat the pot, then add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the cumin seeds and let them sputter for 15 seconds.
  • Fry the okra for a few minutes, until it is mildly crispy and golden, then remove it from the pan and set it aside.

Gravy

• Preheat the pressure cooker or any vessel, and add all of the gravy components, paste, 2 cup water, chopped tomato, garlic cloves, green chilies, oil, one by one, mixing well except the tamarind and ladies finger, in a cooker and simmer. Switch off the cooker after 2 to 3 whistles and let it rest for a while.
• Cook until the gravy is cooked and the oil begins to leave the gravy if it’s in a vessel.
• Open the cover, add the okra, tamarind paste, and 1 cup water (as needed for gravy consistency), stir well, shut the lid, and simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat, until the tamarind is cooked through and the okra is tender.
• Simmer the flame for another 10 minutes, then turn it off and set it aside to cool. At this point, you may add coriander leaves.
• After a while, lift the cover and notice how the okra drenched in sour sauce has taken on a nice color and looks delicious.
• Serve with simple rice or Roti as a side dish (Chapathi). I like it with Idli and Dosa on occasion.

Notes

• When I need to prepare fast, I avoid stir-frying okra and instead place all of the ingredients in a cooker or vessel at once and cook them.
• To obtain the flavor of cumin seeds and okra, I made the gravy in the same pot that I fried the okra in.
• Both gravies tasted excellent when made with dried coconut (copra) rather than fresh coconut.
• You may use tamarind water instead of the ready-made tamarind thick paste (Dry tamarind which is soaked in warm water and its pulp is removed).

 

Okra is a vegetable that is regularly used in Indian recipes. It is particularly popular in the southern part of India, where the “bhindi” (or okra) is often served with coconut. The traditional way of cooking okra is to steam it with spices and leave it to cook overnight, while the coconut sauce is prepared the next day. The combination of the two taste good, and is popular among the Indian population.. Read more about bhindi sabji for roti and let us know what you think.