fried okra/ ladies finger
(bhendi bhaji)
Ingredients
okra/ ladies finger - 2 cups , cut into ring shape
lemon juice - one half tablespoon
vegetable oil - 1-1/2 or 2 tablespoons
mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
turmeric powder - one half teaspoon
green chillies - 2-3 , finely chopped
crushed groundnuts- 2 tablespoons
salt to taste
Recipe
1. Wash okra / ladies finger thoroughly. Wipe with kitchen paper, pat dry and cut into ring shape.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan. Add mustard seeds and as soon as popping starts , add turmeric powder, green chillies. Saute a bit and then add okra rings. Immediately after adding okra rings , add lemon juice, only then stir with spatula. Okra rings will be less sticky due to the lemon juice.
3. Stir well, add crushed groundnuts and salt.
4. At the initial stages of cooking, okra is supposed to be very sticky. But after 5-7 minutes, okra will start loosing its stickiness. Remove from heat when okra is tender and non-sticky.
Tip
Fresh okra/ladies finger is preferred instead of frozen. If using frozen, thaw completely and keep on kitchen paper so that extra moisture is absorbed.
Fried okra tastes good with
roti/chapati, one of my daughter's favorites. In India, in most of the preschool/kindergartens , it's a rule to bring roti/chapati along with any subji, for example
potato,
okra, spinach, mostly the dried version in tiffin box.