Bendekai Gojju / Okra (ladies finger) Curry / Bhindi Ki Subzi

           "Bendekai Gojju" / "Okra (ladies finger) curry" is one of the easiest and simplest form of curries and tastes scrumptious with aroma of freshly ground spices. Its one of the simple traditional recipe of Karnataka and goes excellently well with rice, chapatis, phulka and rotis.       

          "Bendekai Gojju" brings me a lot of childhood memories. The aroma that ignited the huger while returning home after playing with friends during holidays, "Kaituttu Oota" enjoyed with my cousins at grandmas home, savoring chapatis with this gojju during lunch break in school and much more. My mother and grandma are the wonderful cooks that I have seen in my life and have always been my inspiration to cook good food and this post is dedicated to them.

Ingredients:

• Cut okra (ladies finger) - 2 1/2 cups
• Tamarind - 1 marble size, soak in 1/4 cup warm water and extract juice
• Jaggery (brown sugar) - 2 to 3 tsp 
• Oil - As required
• Cilantro - for garnishing
• Salt - to taste

Ingredients For Masala Paste:

• Channa dal - 1 tbs
• Urad dal - 1/2 tbs
• Dry red chilis - 3 to 4, use according to the spiciness of the chilis
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 7 to 8
• Sesame seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
• Curry leaves - 1 strand
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafetida - A generous pinch

Ingredients For Tempering:

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 8 to 10 leaves
• Turmeric powder - A pinch
• Asafetida - A pinch

Method:

• Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and roast until they brown. Then add dry red chilies followed by channa dal and urad dal.

• Add in the frnugreek seeds, sesame seeds, turmeric powder, asafetida and curry leaves one after the other and saute.
• Finally add in the grated coconut and saute for only few seconds so that the moisture is gone. Remove from stove top and allow to cool.

• Transfer the roasted mixture to a blender and grind into a paste by adding little water.

• Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan and saute the cut okra until the sides become brown & crispy and the slime is gone. (If using frozen okra cook according to the instructions given on the packaging)

• Add in the tamarind juice and saute until it evaporates. 

• Add the ground masala paste and 1 1/2 cups of water and mix well. Add in the jaggery and salt and allow it to boil for around 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile heat 1 tsp oil and prepare a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder and asafetida.

• Add the tempering on to the boiling "gojju".
• Finally garnish with cilantro and remove from stove top.

• Enjoy the "Gojju" with steaming rice or chapati.

Note:

• Using the same method "gojju" can also be prepared by using onion, tomato, brinjal (egg plant), capsicum (bell peppers) or a combination of these veggies.
• To remove the slime from the okra, the cut okra can be spread on a plate and placed in a refrigerator 5 to 6 hrs prior to the preparation of the food.
• If time does not permit the above step, 1 or 2 tsp curd (yogurt) can be added to the okra while sauteing so that the slime will go away fast.

Watch the video for the recipe:

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