Bhindi (Okra) Fry Masala

Okra or Ladies Finger as it is called in some parts of the world is an exotic vegetable and tastes delicious when fried on its own or with the combination of Okra and Onions with spices or no spices at all!

It is called Bhindi in the northern parts of India, Vendakka in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Bendakai in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
It is a provider of good bacteria and controls blood sugar.  It has a high amount of Vitamin B6 and folic acid.  Okra is also a good laxative and helps reduce the risk of certain types of cancer!
Okra has no saturated fats or cholesterol and a very low calorie vegetable.
Okra is termed as a brain food along with other vegetables like mushrooms, lettuce and asparagus…

Okras have to be used in larger quantities based on the number of serves as the sabji tends to reduce in quantity when it is finally served!
My preference is to have one or two accompaniments along with this sabji even if it is a home meal just for the family – like a Tadka Dal or a Moong Dal dish so that every family member gets a sizeable amount of this exotic sabji to enjoy!!!

Ingredients to serve 4-6 people

5 Cups of Okra chopped into 1 or 1 1/2 inches
1 Large Onion
2 Cloves Peeled Garlic (Optional)
1 Inch Piece Fresh Ginger (finely grated or chopped)
1 Large Tomato or 2 Medium Sized (Finely Chopped) Tomatoes
100 gms Tomato Paste
Fresh and finely chopped coriander leaves

3 Tbs Oil
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1-2 Tsp Garamasala Powder
1-2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 Tsp Coriander Powder
1-2 Tsp Salt]

Bhindi (Okra) Fry Masala

Preparation

Heat the oil in the pan
Add the cumin seeds and turmeric powder
Fry the okras for about 7-8 minutes till it is soft and changes slightly in colour
Take it out of the pan and keep aside
In the remainder of the oil, add the finely chopped onion, ginger and garlic
and sauteed for about 2-3 minutes till the onion is soft.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and fry for a further 3-4 minutes on a medium flame
The garamasala, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt should be added
Fry for a couple of minutes
Add the fried okras to the above and stir through the sabji gently
Cook the sabji on a low flame for  a couple of minutes (without a lid)
Garnish it with chopped fresh coriander leaves

Note: Tastes great with chappatis or rotis, parathas or plain cooked basmati rice!!
My preference is to use tomato paste for the texture and flavour and in that case the quantity of fresh tomatoes may be reduced based on the usage of the paste.
Generally a sachet of 100 grams of tomato paste is equivalent to 2 medium sized fresh tomatoes