Thursday, June 21, 2012

Spicy Bhindi - Dharosh Masala


Bhindi in Bengali is called "Dharosh". Dharosh is also an expression addressed to mean stupid or imbecile. It was my mother's favourite word to describe me when I was growing up. I am sure in Bengal, sometime or the other; every parent might have used this epithet on their wards in reference to a silly mistake. But how the connection between Dharosh and this allusive adjective came into effect is still unknown to me because I don't find bhindi anyway near to stupid looking.


Anyway, this spicy bhindi is my all-time favourite accompaniment with roti or chapati. Besides tasting delectable, it is also a healthy dish full of nutrition.




Ingredients:                                        Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
ü  500 gm dharosh or okra or bhindi or Ladyfinger
ü  1 onion (chopped)
ü  1 tomato (chopped)
ü  1 yellow or red bell pepper or both combined (chopped)
ü  4-5 green chillies (chopped)
ü  1 tsp ginger paste
ü  1 tsp turmeric powder
ü  1 tsp dry red chilli powder
ü  Salt to taste
ü  1 tsp sugar (optional)
ü  1 tsp cumin powder
ü  1 tsp coriander powder
ü  1 tsp garam masala powder
ü  1 tsp panphoron (a mix of five spices including nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and black mustard seeds.)
ü  White oil for cooking
Method:
1) Wash the bhindis properly under running water. Pat them dry. Then cut into 1/2 inch long pieces discarding the head and tail of the bhindis.
2) Heat oil in a wok. When oil becomes piping hot, add panchphoron and allow them to crackle.
3) Toss in the bhindis and shallow fry them. Add onion, green chillies, tomato and bell peppers. Toss them together and fry them lightly.
4) Add ginger paste, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and dry red chilli powder. Mix in.
5) Cook covered on medium flame for few minutes till the vegetables are cooked through. (If any time while cooking, the curry becomes too dry sticking to the bottom of the pan, give a splash of water of keep the moist in.)
6) Add salt, sugar and garam masala powder. Cook for 2 minutes more before switching off the heat.
7) Serve hot with rice or chapati.




3 comments:

  1. my fav veg okra .. and i love any dish made of okra ..thank u so much for sharing ..i will try today

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  2. i m obsessed with "Dharosh' or "bhindi". Can have everyday in every meal. ll try this recipe soon

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  3. Thanks Shilpa and Shabali for liking my post.

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