Tag Archives: Okra

Vendikkai Varai

Today’s recipe is a simple and tasty okra dish. For a slightly different version, try okra stir fry.

Vendikkai Varai/ Okra fry

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves 3 – 4

VendikkaiIngredients:

  • Okra/ Vendikkai – 1 cup
  • Onion – 1
  • Malu miris/ banana pepper – 1
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Lime juice – 1 tbsp
  • Crushed chillies – 1 tsp
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Clean the okra and finely chop them. Add some lime juice and salt to the okra and keep aside.
  2. Finely chop the onion, malu miris and curry leaves and fry them for about 5 mins in a tbsp of sesame oil.
  3. Add the finely chopped and seasoned okra slices to the frying pan and continue frying for about 10 mins over medium heat.
  4. Towards the end, add salt and pepper and optionally crushed chillies.
  5. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Okra stir-fry

This is one of my mother’s favourite recipes as she really likes okra.

Okra stir-fry

Time taken: 10 – 15 mins

Serves 4

Okra

Ingredients:

  • Okra – 200g, whole
  • Onion – 1, small and chopped
  • Red chilli – 1, chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
  • Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
  • Salt – ¼ tsp
  • Oil

Method:

  1. Boil some water. When the water comes to a boil, drop the okra prior to chopping, in the boiling water and take them out after a minute and immerse them in a bowl of ice-cold water. This reduces the sliminess of the okra and retains the colour.
  2. Chop the blanched okra into ½ or 1 inch pieces.
  3. Marinate the okra pieces by adding some turmeric, salt and pepper. Mix and keep aside.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onion, red chilli, curry leaves with the fennel seeds for a few minutes.
  5. Add the marinated pieces of okra and combine well. Cover the pan and allow the okra to cook for about 5 mins.
  6. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Source: Raji Thillainathan.