Dahi Bhindi..Spicy Tangy Okra Preperation with curd and spices

Bhindi or Lady’s Finger or Okra also known as Bendakaya in telugu, is one of those vegetables which is available almost across the year and most of the people love their bhindis except a few people who hate the stickiness of bhindis. Bhindis go very well specially with rotis. And being a lover of bhindis myself I am constantly on the search for new recipes. One of the recipes I have commonly come across is Dahi Bhindi or Lady’s finger in combination with curd. Usually moisture in Bhindis makes them more slimy. So I used to wonder if adding curd doesn’t make it more slimy. But having tried it today, I now know that adding curd is not such a bad idea after all. Curd actually adds a kind of tangy zing to the dish which makes is quite yummy.


I found some of the recipes a bit complicated. So I added my own twist to the recipe. Its easy to make, not really time consuming and I am sure it would be a hit.

What you would need to make Dahi Bhindi:

Lady’s finger/Bhindi/Okra/Bendakaya : ½ kg

For the tempering:

Mustard seeds : ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Green chillies: 2 to 3
Garlic pods : 3-4 optional
Curry leaves : few
Dry red chillies: 1-2 broken into half
Hing/asafetida: a pinch
Turmeric powder:1/4 tsp

For the marinade mixture:

Curd-: 4-5 tbsp
Coriander/dhania powder:1/2 tsp
Cumin/jeera powder:1/2 tsp
Turmeric :1/4 tsp
Chilli powder : ¼ tsp or as per choice
Chopped coriander : 1 tsp
Salt : to taste

Preperation:

Take the curd in a bowl. Add the dhania powder, jeera powder, turmeric, chilli powder and chopped coriander to it. You can also add amchur powder and garam masala powder as per your choice. Mix the marinade well and keep aside.

Chop the lady’s finger and chillies into small pieces or 1” pieces as per you choice.

Finely chop the garlic.

Heat some oil in a kadhai. When the oil is sufficiently hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the red chillies and let them fry. Now add the hing powder and let the aroma start coming out.

At this point add the green chillies and garlic and fry well till the garlic loses the raw flavor. Now add the turmeric powder.

Once all the tempering is fried well, add the ladyfinger pieces and fry well on low heat, stirring occasionally.

When you know that the lady finger pieces are getting cooked add the marinade paste to the curry and let it cook for a minute.

Add salt, mix well, check seasoning.

Remove from stove and serve hot with rice or chapatis of your choice.