BENDEKAYI GOJJU RECIPE / BENDEKAI KAYIRASA / KARNATAKA STYLE BHINDI CURRY
Karnataka style Okra curry
Ingredients
- 20-25 nos bhindi / ladys finger
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
- small orange size Jaggery, ( Can + or - this quantity )
- lemon size Tamarind
- 1-2 tsp Oil, for roasting
- Salt as per taste, as per taste
Masala for grinding
- 3/4-1 cup coconut
- 2 tsp Black Gram /Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Bengal Gram /Chana Dal
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds/ Jeera
- 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds/ methi
- 1.5-2 tsp Sesame seeds/ Til, ( Black / white )
- 1-2 pinch Hing /Asafoetida
- 4-8 nos Red Chillies, ( As per your spice level )
- few Curry Leaves
For Tempering :
- 1-2 tbsp Ghee / oil
- 1 tsp Mustard
- a few Curry Leaves
- a pinch Hing /Asafoetida
Instructions
- Wash lady's finger and pat them try using a kitchen towel . Chop them into thin discs as shown in pic .
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water and extract the juice.
- Take a thick kadai / pan . Heat 1-2 tsp oil and add chopped bhindi . Fry for 4-5 mins on medium flame till they are aromatic .
- Now add tamarind extract , jaggery and turmeric to the roasted bhindi . Let it cook till soft . Cooking in tamarind water , helps removing slimyness .
- Meanwhile .. in a small pan add few drops of oil.Add all the ingredients mentioned under masala except coconut and sesame.Roast them in medium low flame till red chillies becomes crisp and dal turns golden color.Add coconut to that and just saute it , may be for 1 min.
- Transfer all the ingredients to a mixer jar.Next,dry roast sesame seeds in the same pan till it turns golden. Add it to the mixer jar containing other roasted masala ingredients. Once its little cooled , add little water and make a very smooth paste.
- Add this ground paste & salt to cooked bhindi and mix well. Add water as required .Cook this in a medium flame till the gravy starts boiling.
- Reduce the flame to sim and allow it to boil for another 4-5 mins. Stir in between.Let the gravy thicken.
- Season with mustard,hing and curry leaves.Switch off .
- Serve Bendekayi gojju hot / warm with plain Rice / chapathi / roti / dosa / Idli .
Video
Notes
- Boil this gravy well in a low flame. The more you boil the more tasty it becomes .The consistency also thickens. Boiling it well also increases its shelf life. It does not spoil for a week if refrigerated and stays good without fridge for 2 days.this also enhances the taste.
- You have to roast sesame seeds very well. if its raw this dish will turn flop.
- Basically this dish will be tangy ,sweet n spicy. So to get the authentic taste add more jaggery ,tamarind n chilli. But you can vary it depending on your pref.
- You can substitute bhindi with raw mango / pineapple /bitter gourd/ dry raisins/ ladies finger/ Capsicum / orange peels.
- Tips to cook Okra perfect without making non slimy :
> Always wash Okra , pat dry nicely to remove moisture and then only cut . > Fry okra with little oil on medium high flame . Till it's fragnant . > Later cook bhindi in tamarind water . The tanginess removes all gooeyness .