Friday, May 29, 2009

Two for a Company with Bitter gourd and Okra

Bittergourd and okra have been two of my favourite vegetables over the couple of years and greens of course or else they’d feel left out ;) . There are a few typical of dishes/recipes which come to mind when we think of karela and bhindi. Looking for different recipes apart from the usual ones has become a habit now. So that’s what I did….before I begin here’s something I’d like to tell all of u… I am bit by the blog bug too!! ;) I read many posts from my fellow foodie friends saying that blogging has become an obsession. Recipe inventions while travelling and thinking spice round the clock…actually even in dreams :) has become “normal” I thank God for this as am not alone :)
In this context, while hunting for something which hasn’t been made in my kitchen I found 2 recipes which fitted the tag of zara hatke :). Not only did I love the way these two very different dishes tasted but also admired the way it looked resting in the serving bowls. Without much ado, let me proceed to the recipes ….Read on

Sliced Okra Bathed in Buttermilk/Bhindi Kadi
Recipe source: 660 curries

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh okra, rinsed, dried, ends trimmed and cut into 1” length
4 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp chickpea flour/besan
2 tbsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi
2 tbsp ghee/melted butter/oil
1 tbsp ginger-chilli paste ( I added this to balance the dominant sweet taste)
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves with tender stems
10-12 fresh curry leaves

Method:

Whisk the buttermilk, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and ginger-green chilli paste together in a medium sized bowl avoiding any lumps. Stir in coriander leaves and curry leaves.

Heat ghee/butter/oil in a large saucepan over medium- high heat. Sprinkle the cumin and fenugreek seeds into the pan and cook until they sizzle and turn reddish brown and fragrant.

Immediately add okra/bhendi and stir fry till they acquire light brown colouration and their ridged sides, 8-10 minutes

Pour in spiced buttermilk mixture and stir once or twice to deglaze the pan. Lower the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, until the okras are fork- tender and the curry has thickened slightly. 10-12 minutes.
The colour transforms from a pale cream coloured curry to a robust sun-yellow. This is the sign of doneness. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice/ roti.


Gujarathi Karela Sabji
Source: googled and arrived at http://simplysensationalfood.blogspot.com/


Ingredients :
3 medium Bitter gourds, peeled and cut into 3 pieces each
1 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, diced
½ tsp coriander leaves to garnish

For the stuffing:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp chickpea flour/besan
1 tbsp crushed jaggery
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp coriander leaves, chopped

For the gravy:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp jaggery
½ tsp mustard seeds

Method:
Cut a slit into each bitter gourd piece and remove the seeds

Mix the stuffing ingredients with a little water and make a thick paste

Stuff each bitter gourd piece with this paste and steam it for about 20 minutes or till cooked and tender.

Heat oil in a shallow frying pan add mustard seeds, once it starts to pop add garlic paste, onions and fry till translucent.

Add the tomatoes, spices for the gravy. Cook till tomatoes soften and thicken the gravy.

Add the steamed bitter gourd and toss gently to bind in with the gravy.Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Once done, take it off the flame garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/roti

44 comments:

Raks said...

This is new to me,the combo-bitter gourd and oakra!! Will try next time in our version:))

Parita said...

Oh my the blog bug is spreading around ha:) for me too blog is the first thing which comes in my mind when i get up in the morning and last thing on my mind when i go to sleep...though i still havent got spices in my dreams yet :) i love okra kadhi..looks mouth watering..havent still got the courage to try karela but it sure looks delicious:)

Sharmila said...

Both the sabzis look good. Like the karela in a new version. :-)

Deepthi Shankar said...

looks delicious .. thatz a unique combo btw

chef and her kitchen said...

Both the dishes look yummy....!!!

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Okra is my favorite and I love this preperation in yogurt! Karelas - hmmm. No I dont eat them. But my husband and MIL love it...
Both look real yum...

lubnakarim06 said...

Bitter gourd and okra sounds a delectable combo....i never them in combo...both green and both of them have white color inside but yet so different in taste...nice way to combine the two....Yum...

lubnakarim06 said...

Your pet turtu looks pretty.....

Priya Suresh said...

Haha me too blog bug!! i cant go to sleep without checking the blogsphere...Okra kadhi and karela sabji looks delicious and tempting!!!

Saritha said...

Lol we are in the same boat,i get dreams of recipes i see in other blogs.

Karela is my fav,but no one in my house eat,so when my mom was here,that was the first fry i got it done by her.

Padma said...

Very new combo to me ... looks great and nice click... will try it sometime and let you know :)

Kayal said...

The kadi looks so creamy and yummy. Will try that Gujarati version of bitter gourd too

Suparna said...

:) :) I see many of them agreeing in unison about the blog bug syndrome :)lollll

Thanks for dropping by Raji,Parita,sharmila, deesha, pratibha,hofc,priya,varunavi, Lubna (thanks for the special mention abt my cutu turtu :))

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice recipes Suparna...I guess the okra gravy must go very well with the karela...I must try your recipes with this combo soon :)

Vikis Kitchen said...

Yes dear, I am also getting possessed by this blogosphere:)
But love the way it absorbs me. Blogging got me a lot of like-minded people and it is a necessity for any one who needs friends.
Okra in buttermilk curry looks great ...my favorite.

ARUNA said...

never tried bitter gourd and okra combo.....thanks for the idea dear!

Cilantro said...

Lovely recipe...

anudivya said...

The buttermilk sauce is so silky and smooth! Love that texture. Okra and me have not met for a while... might just be inspired.

Cham said...

Haha what a syndrome? I cannot live without net, I even watch TV, study, etc... Blog is something recent bug But i limit myself but it is a great networking probably a life style!
Okra in buttermilk is delicious!

Priyameena said...

I too enjoy blogging...Okra and bitter guard is really a nice combination..

Lena Jayadev said...

combo of bitter gourd and okra .. nice presentation... :)

Padma said...

Suparna - I have something for you in my blog - click on this link for a surprise :)
http://padmasrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/05/dhal-coconut-chutney.html

Pooja said...

Kadi and sabji look so delicious! Great shots too :)

Pooja said...

Delicious dishes suparna..Will try this version next time..

dsdsds said...

Those are lovely... but i must first say same pinch... coz now a days, I too dream more about cooking :)) check out my blog for your award: http://salt2taste.blogspot.com/2009/05/cantaloupe-sugar-mix.html

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Both dishes looks tempting and delicious. Both looks yumm.

Thanks for your lovely comments on Spike. I showed all your comments to my hubby. He was happy by seeing them. He loves Spike and very much attached to him.

Red Chillies said...

If there is anything beyond obssession then that is me :-)) in terms of blogging of course. (Let me know if you find the word).
I even have dreams that my blog got deleted ;-))

like both bhindi and karela recipe.

Unknown said...

Okra and Karela nice combo. Beautiful tempting pictures.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

both the dishes are new to me and they both look wonderful.... they are my favs too.

Varsha Vipins said...

Ha..we all love blogging dont we Sups?:)..That sounds an interesting combo dear..:)

Unknown said...

hummm yes interesting and different combination looks good.

Hari Chandana P said...

Hi...both the dishes are yummyy.. looks perfects... thanks for the recipe..:)

Vrinda said...

Okra in buttermilk is my fav,yummy curry...

Chitra said...

this combo is a tempting one,,will try this) have BG & OKRA at home!!

Purva Desai said...

Its a nutritious combo......and simply love bhindi kadhi....

Vibaas said...

love bhindi in kadhi..am not a fan of bittergourd though :)

Indian Khana said...

wow thts wonderful...looks nice

Malar Gandhi said...

I love both ur dish, they looks so perfect, would try this version soon. Thanks for sharing it here, dear.

Soma said...

I have never cooked this combination! very interesting recipe.I like both okra & bitter gourd, & I am trying to imagine how they will taste together.
Soma(www.ecurry.com)

Nithya Praveen said...

I agree this is really an obsession,i forget even my daily chores once i sit in front of my laptop blogging.Nice recipes...am not a fan of bittergourd,but liked hte okra one..thanks for the recipe:)

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

I love the kadhi and so nicely made and they are just tempting!!!

Savi-Ruchi said...

maja banthu nimma mathu odi, yestu nija alwa? we always keep hunting for new things ;) Bhindi kadhi has always been my favorite so this time around, I would love to try the gujarathi karela sabzi.

Anonymous said...

Lovely Suparna! I love bhindi but dont like karela that much...but both your recipes look fantastic! Really yummy! Glad to know you caught the blog bug....we'll get many more hatke recipes this way ;)

Bong Mom said...

Both sabzis look lovely, first I thought you had made karela-okra kadhi :)