Okra / Lady's finger Curry / Vendakkai Kuzhambu (Type 1)

There are a lot of okra curry varieties prepared in India. Some are cooked with coconut, without coconut, puli kuzhambu, simply as side dish, Okra fry, Bhindi masala the list is endless. This Okra curry recipe is cooked with coconut where very little ingredients are required. It can be had with plain white rice.

Vendakkai Kuzhambu

Ingredients

• Okra / Lady's finger - 200 gms
• Tomato - 2 large
• Coconut - 1/4th cup
• Ginger - 2 inch piece
• Garlic - 4 pods
• Oil  1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 1 and half teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/4th teaspoon
• Salt - as required

To temper

• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Preparation

Cut Okra into big pieces, fry it in one teaspoon of oil until the stickiness leaves. Let it be crunchy. Set it aside. Take coconut, tomato, ginger, garlic in a mixer and grind it into a fine paste.

Now take a frying pan, pour oil and when hot add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the ground coconut tomato paste, pour little water and let it cook for 10minutes.  Until the raw smell leaves.

Now add turmeric and chilli powder and mix well. Pour some more water, add salt and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. The curry will start thickening and oil will start floating up. Switch off and serve with plain white rice.

Thank you for visiting. Please leave your valuable comments. Check my Facebook page on the below mentioned link.
https://www.facebook.com/Bridecooks

Okra Puli Kuzhambu

Vendakkai/ Okra Puli kuzhambu is a popular dish in Tamilnadu where a gravy is made out of coconut and tamarind extract. It is tangy, spicy and absolutely delicious and goes well with rice.

Ingredients

Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu

• Okra - 250 grams
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Tamarind - 1 lemon size
• Shredded Coconut - a handful
• Garlic - 7 -8 pods
• Turmeric powder - 1/4th teaspoon
• Puli kuzhambu powder or Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - 2 -3 stems (optional)

Seasoning

• Sesame Oil or Cooking oil - 2 teaspoon
• Mustard - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Fenugreek seeds/ Vendhayam - 1 pinch
• Cumin seeds - 1 pinch (optional)

Preparation

1. Cut okra into small edible pieces, fry it in half teaspoon oil and set it aside. Extract tamarind juice from the tamarind and set it aside as well. Pour sesame oil and when hot season it with all items under seasoning.
2. Add chopped onions and garlic and fry it until it turns light brown. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry until they are a little mushy. Then add in turmeric powder and puli kuzambu powder or Sambar powder is fine too. Fry for 30 seconds.
3. Pour the tamarind extract, add salt and allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes until the oil starts floating. Finally add the shredded coconut and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for gravy consistency. It must not be too watery or too thick.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves. It is optional.

Okra Puli Kuzhambu

1. Tip: This dish tastes good when made with Sesame oil, however, it can be made with any cooking oil. 
2. Adding shredded coconut can be taken as optional but without coconut the kuzhambu will be very watery and will taste more tangy. Reduce spice level if you decide to make it without coconut.