I grew up in a colony where boys and girls hardly every interacted with each other. We went to different schools, played different games and other than a few stolen glances there was very little interaction between us. We talked about the girls endlessly but I don’t remember if I ever actually spoke to one. And now decades later I find myself sharing recipes with them. How does your bhendi masala look so good, one of them asked when I posted a photo of the dish on Facebook. The trick I replied was to microwave the cut bhendi for four or five minutes, which was immediately met with like and love emojis. My heart fluttered a few times.
Bhendi or Okra or Lady’s Finger is a flowering plant from the mallow family with edible green seed pods that has a disputed geographical origin. Oh Wikipedia. I love you. But for people unfamiliar with it, it’s that green vegetable you’ll occasionally see in the grocery store that looks like a fat, fuzzy jalapeño. The trick to picking up good bhendi is to try and break the tip. If it breaks off easily you know it’s tender, but if it just bends then it’s going to be tough to cook, with bitter seeds that you won’t be able to digest and might find floating in the toilet bowl the next day.
I hardly see okra in any dishes served in the US. Maybe in southern cooking, in a gumbo or deep fried with batter, but it never does justice to the unique flavor and texture of the vegetable. Bhendi Masala, on the other hand, now that’s a dish worthy of this magnificent vegetable.
Rinse the bhendi in water and pat it try. Then cut it evenly into bite size pieces and microwave it in a single layer for about three to four minutes with a paper towel covering the plate. I am not exactly sure how or why this works but my mother says it will make the bhendi less slimy when it’s cooked and I’ve learnt not to question these tips. Meanwhile slice an onion and some chili and stir fry them in a couple of table spoons of oil. Once the onions turn translucent add some coriander, cumin and turmeric powder and fry that mixture for a bit. Then dump in the okra and stir fry for it for a few minutes and finally add some chopped tomatoes and salt. Lower the heat, cover the pan and let the flavors blend together and do their magic.