Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Okra in Yogurt Sauce (Bendakaya~Perugu Kura)


Okra in Yogurt Sauce (Dahi Bhindi)

This north Indian style curry is not a regular preparation at my home but a guest.

Though curry is quite easy to prepare and tastes soothingly smooth, I rarely make it mainly because this is not the dish that I grew up on. Okra-coconut curry and okra sambhar are what I am used to. Once in a while, like a visit from a cultural-exchange student, I do enjoy treating okra and myself in this special way.


Okra, Curry Leaves, Home-made Indian Yogurt

Recipe:

Prep the okra:
Pick 15 to 20 fresh, young looking okra (Bendakaya): Wash and wipe them dry with a clean kitchen cloth. Cut off both ends. Slice the middle portion into half-inch circular rings. (Follow the tips outlined here for clean, gum-free okra curry.)

Prep the yogurt:
1 cup of plain yogurt (I used traditional Indian home-made yogurt for this recipe). Take it in a cup and churn it for smooth consistency without any lumps.

Cook in a skillet:
Heat a teaspoon of peanut oil.
Add and toast 4 to 6 curry leaves, pinch of each – cumin and mustard seeds in that order.
When seeds start to dance around, add the okra rings.
On medium heat, cook the okra for the about 5 to 10 minutes covered until they soften little bit. Stir once or twice, more like shake the skillet and toss the okra. Leave the okra alone for spectacular crunchy results.

Final touch:
Add the silky~smooth yogurt.
Stir in turmeric, salt and red chilli powder to taste or ½ teaspoon each.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of each – Indian(garam) masala powder and dry coconut powder
Mix and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes on low heat.
Serve hot with rice or with roti. My personal preference is having it just plain in a cup with some more yogurt added.

Okra in Yogurt Sauce and Beetroot-Tomato Pulao
Okra in Yogurt Sauce and Beetroot-Tomato Pulao

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Benda Kaaya(Okra),Yogurt (Monday October 16, 2006 at 12:07 pm- permalink)
Comments (35)

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35 comments for Okra in Yogurt Sauce (Bendakaya~Perugu Kura) »

  1. Oh yumm Indira! I have okra at home and I am going to try it soon. Do u think it will go well with chapathis?

    Your beetroot pulao looks ravishing! Recipe please 🙂

    Your red bell pepper chutney was a big hit the other day at my place. I think I added too much jaggery while making it, so I tweaked it a little. I put popu and added some chilli powder in the popu and mixed it all in the chutney. The chutney tasted great with hot rice.
    Thanks for a wonderful recipe. That is one to stay in my home for sure.
    Cheers
    Latha

    Comment by Latha — October 16, 2006 @ 12:42 pm

  2. yes recipe for the pulav please

    Comment by Supriya — October 16, 2006 @ 12:45 pm

  3. Wow, Okra curry with curd rice is always my favourite.What another wonderful way of combining my fave ingredients!I must try this for my daughter.

    Comment by Lakshmiammal — October 16, 2006 @ 12:45 pm

  4. Hi Latha: Yes, good with chapatis too but only thing is you have to prepare it large quantity. May be a sidedish of dal would help along with this curry for chapatis.
    From all the photos of food (pakodis too, yum 🙂 ), looks like your dinner party was a grand success. I am glad to hear that chutney was also well liked by everyone. Thanks for trying out and for the input. Appreciate it.

    About pulao:
    This is the first time we have ever prepared a pulao with beetroots. It came out good but the color, oh boy…it’s halloween dinner party worthy. 🙂
    Recipe is similar to my cherry tomato pulao recipe, except that I have also added grated beetroots about 2 cups along with cherry tomatoes.

    Hi Lakshmi: I think children would love this preparation. Not spicy and no ginger-garlic masala.
    If you try, let me know how you like it. thanks.

    Comment by Indira — October 16, 2006 @ 1:13 pm

  5. I am going to try out the receipe but I do have to tell you something, everytime I go to the Recent Posts section and click on anything it errors out saying “Sorry no Posts found!”.The only way I am able to get to your recent posts is by going to the October 2006 Archives.
    Thanks,
    Indira V

    Comment by Indira Venkat — October 16, 2006 @ 1:15 pm

  6. hi Indira,
    I love Bhindi/Okra and as usual your pictures are so great I just want to eat them right now.
    I have been reading your blog for a while and since didn’t have my own blog, didn’t know whether it’s ok to comment.
    I have been wanting to tell you always, your blog brings about a sense of calm & peace, don’t know whether it’s the beautiful pictures, the sumptuous food or the name Mahanadi, but it always has that effect.
    thanks

    Comment by Sandeepa — October 16, 2006 @ 1:56 pm

  7. Hi Indira,
    Never tried Okra with yogurt before. My mom makes Majjiga pulusu with bendakaya, but never tried the other way around. Thanks for lovely- scrumptious pictures and recipe.

    Comment by Pavani — October 16, 2006 @ 2:53 pm

  8. Hello Indira,
    YUM! My mother makes a dry style okra curry that I love. She hasn’t made it in a long time either. I must try your recipe. Thanks!

    Comment by Beenzzz — October 16, 2006 @ 3:23 pm

  9. Indira,
    Looks good! Are you sure this is a north indian curry? My mum (from Anantapur) makes a very similar dish except everytime I make it, it becomes a big green and white mushy lump (I think I mix it too much whilst cooking).
    So I’ll give your one a shot and hope for the best.
    Praveena.
    P.S. I made your rice noodles and tofu in fiery peanut sauce. I think it will become a regular at our house!

    Comment by Praveena — October 16, 2006 @ 3:57 pm

  10. Indira garu,

    Bendakaya kura looks yummy. This is a south Indian dish too. Except that we add greenchilli,coconut,salt,turmeric paste instead of redchilli & garam masala. This version goes well with chapathis. Also, we cook ridge gourd in the similar fashion. we peel & cut the ridge into 6 inch rounds (cylinders) then make the slit just like gutti vankaya and fill the slits with the green chilli+coocnut+salt+ turmeric paste. This is my husband’s all time favorite & all of my friends liked it.

    Comment by pandu — October 16, 2006 @ 4:30 pm

  11. I like the idea of this dish. Sounds comforting. Now that beetroot pulao looks so delicious. Hope you will post the recipe…

    Comment by mika — October 16, 2006 @ 8:07 pm

  12. Hi Indira,
    this is my second time commetn to your site. the recipe u put here for okra with yogurt is reaaly nice. some time back i tried the same but with little difference in ingredients and the method of preparing, its even on my blog , u can check it out at http://creativepooja.blogspot.com/2006/09/okra-bhindi-with-yogurt.html , your comment on this will be valuable for me.
    thanks.
    -Pooja

    Comment by Pooja — October 16, 2006 @ 10:34 pm

  13. Burp….Just now had a delicious lunch with beetroot-tomato pulao. mmm…its yummy…My son is a diehard fan of beetroot. He enjoys eating boiled and cut beetroot whenever I make beetroot fry with grated coconut. This pulao is a great idea to make him eat good helping of rice also. He likes your recipes very much Indira… Maybe because they have a motherly touch…
    BTW, I am planning to make okra perugu kura this weekend. Asalu kanna kosaru muddante idenemo?

    Comment by Anuradha — October 17, 2006 @ 1:25 am

  14. Hi Indira,
    I always add little yogurt to remove stickiness.
    Next time I will try your method. Green and Pink combination looks nice.

    Comment by MenuToday — October 17, 2006 @ 4:49 am

  15. This looks wonderful. I never liked okra much at all until I tried some at an Indian restaurant. Now, I love it all sorts of ways. But in particular,, I have never met an Indian okra recipe, from any part of India, that I did not like.I’m not sure why this should be, since the recipes are widely different from one another, but there it is.So, I’ll be trying this one, too.Thanks.

    Comment by lindy — October 17, 2006 @ 6:14 am

  16. ——————————————————–
    Comment deleted by blog owner because of inappropriate/rude nature.

    Comment by Anonymous — October 17, 2006 @ 6:59 am

  17. People: please read carefully. Indira clearly said “North Indian STYLE”…That’s what creative cooks do. They play with ingredients and cooking styles. Go to many restaurants here in North america for instance and their menus will call a dish “curried something or the other” when it might have no resemblance to anything that so-called authentic indian cooks make.But it is reminiscent of Indian food. That’s what one means when one uses a term like north indian style.

    And Anonymous ,I find it interesting that you hurl out a churlish and inaccurate comment (her north Indian recipes Totally wrong?? what cheap drug are you smoking) like that without having the courage to identify yourself? And besides, Indira has never claimed to be a “queen” ,as you so petulantly put it, of anything. Fans of her blog definitely do. So dude or dudette,whoever you are, get a life! or some cultural sensitivity training….

    Comment by Janani — October 17, 2006 @ 7:43 am

  18. hello anonymous-

    Indira’s blog, a culturally open and diverse blog, is not a place for your north-indian vs south-indian controversies and fights. Please don’t even attempt to spoil the spirit and enthusiasm with which she creates recipes for herself and her fans!

    I just checked Sanjeev Kapoor’s website, and he has a recipe called ” Dahi Bhindi” – isn’t he supposed to be an authority on north indian cooking? Even if it is not a north indian, so what! Big deal! It is an Indian recipe after all – who cares whether it is from the north or the south! Hello – the fact that you have identified yourself as an anonymous shows how narrow-minded you are!!

    Comment by Desimom — October 17, 2006 @ 8:05 am

  19. Great recipe!! Great pictures.

    Comment by Amy Thomas — October 17, 2006 @ 9:32 am

  20. I am sure this “anonymous” is jealous . Otherwise he/she would write their details along with this kind of comment .
    Best way is to igmore as if no one ever read his comment .Everyone who visits this blog clearly know that Indira garu never said she is an expert or anything like that. But I personally feel she is an expert in cooking .Who cares if some jealous soul writes a nasty comment.
    IMO ignore that post and continue enjoying Indira’s blog.

    Comment by Ratnavalli — October 17, 2006 @ 10:24 am

  21. Hi Indira V: I have verified all my links both in IE and firefox , they seem to be working fine. I am not sure why you couldn’t open the posts under ‘recent posts’ category. Are you using any different browser?

    Thanks all for your nice comments on this recipe, never thought it would generate this kind of reaction.

    Food blogging has been a learning experience for me, I write what I know and you reply with your experiences and knowledge. Thanks for mentioning different varieties of okra preparation. I will surely give it a try next time when I prepare something with okra.

    Janani, Desimom and Ratnavalli: Thanks!

    Comment by Indira — October 17, 2006 @ 10:55 am

  22. This is a new recipe. I love vendakkai pachadi/raita (and have blogged about it). So i know i will like this as well. Thanks for sharing.

    Comment by Hema — October 17, 2006 @ 1:01 pm

  23. Hi Indira,

    Great recipe.I will definetly try this.How is Seattle?Hope to see more pleasent and mouth watering pictures from u.

    Bye
    Laxmi.

    Comment by laxmi — October 17, 2006 @ 3:42 pm

  24. I just happen to find your site and its very nice!

    Comment by krista — October 17, 2006 @ 3:57 pm

  25. ahh good…you are back and so am I :d..
    Good to hear that you are enjoying seattle, I would love to see places from your eye..I jsut see them differently!.
    I dont get fresh okra..but this one sounds doable with frozen one..

    Comment by disha — October 17, 2006 @ 7:03 pm

  26. Hi Indira,
    I love okra and will definitely give this a try. My husband’s grandmother tosses whole okra in some seasoned flour and fries them. It reminded me of veggie pakoras, so I may try and make “okra pakoras”…not sure how the okra & chickpea flour combo will taste, but I’ll let you know if it’s any good.

    Comment by payal — October 17, 2006 @ 8:29 pm

  27. Hi Indira-
    I found your link on another site that i visit often…I have been a great fan of all things Indian since I was a child, and have been cooking various dishes since that time- you might say that I am one of Madhur Jaffrey’s students!! 🙂
    I have a recipe called “Gulabi Pulao” that is made with beets as well and comes out to be this colour…and it is odd because I just made it on sunday for the first time!
    I love your pics and your cooking philosophy very much…it is like when i lose myself when pounding ingredients with my mortar-and-pestle…BTW I tried your yoghurt chillis recipe and they are fantastic! thanks!

    Comment by pelicano — October 17, 2006 @ 11:40 pm

  28. indira, such a colorful combination. I love the flavor combination…

    Comment by mandira — October 18, 2006 @ 7:44 am

  29. Dear Indira,
    Your blog is very wonderful.I have a passion for cooking & I havebeen cooking for 8 yrs right from my school.I am a dentist & currently reside in melbourne.You recipes are very excellent.You help a lot of people who would like to try different recipes.My wishes & prayers for you to continue this work.Thank you very much.
    friendly,gayathree

    Comment by gayathree alagiriswamy — November 12, 2006 @ 10:29 pm

  30. Dear indira,
    Also I would like to learn a lot from you.Your site is very very superb.Have a wonderful time.Thank you very much for helping me learn a lot.
    friendly,
    gayathree

    Comment by gayathree alagiriswamy — November 12, 2006 @ 10:35 pm

  31. I tried ur recipe in Okra in Yogurt Sauce but
    there’s no yogurt sauce in ur picture. Will u cook it till it dries up? Pls clear my doubt. I cooked it and it sinks in the yogurt sauce, but I dont know whether I do correctly or not.

    Pls help….

    Comment by Rajee — April 2, 2007 @ 11:50 am

  32. Hi Indira,

    I know you’ve never called yourself an expert, but from the recipes I’ve tried from your blog (and I’ve tried a LOT of them), I would consider you one. Not one dish has been anything less than spectacular. My hubby is Telugu and very discerning/demanding and he LOVES every recipe you’ve blogged. Thanks for making mealtimes at our home such a happy experience! And thanks for the time and effort you put into this.

    Comment by Maliny — June 21, 2007 @ 2:38 am

  33. Dear Indira, I have tried your okra in yogurt gravy. loved it ! Simply awesome. It’s very different from what we do at home. something different for us yesterday. Too good!

    Regards,
    Veda

    Veda, congratulations on your new blog. Good to know that you tried and liked this recipe. Thanks for taking time to letting me know.
    -Indira

    Comment by Veda — May 12, 2008 @ 10:01 pm

  34. Dear Indira,

    Made this last week and it turned out so tasty. I never like making okra using frozen packets – but end up buying since I long for okra. I added fresh zucchini ( without peeling ) by cutting it very fine and some frozen peas. Since I had only 1 packet of okra and my best friend was coming for dinner.

    Thanks for your very different ideas. So far my husband has loved all your recipies. Esp the “green capsicum” with “chana flour” – quick and tasty.

    Comment by Tejaswini — February 3, 2009 @ 1:10 pm

  35. hi indira,
    i tried your okra in yogurt curry.It is simply superb.
    I hav started learning cooking.i could make this curry so easily and quickly
    It tasted really good.My husband also liked it very much and he appreciated me bcoz it was the first curry i made it so nicely.
    Thank u so much

    Comment by shilpa — September 9, 2009 @ 10:33 am

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