Bhindi ki Sabzi | Punjabi Sabji | Stir Fried Okra curry | Ladies finger curry | Cutting and cleaning bhindi

Bhindi AKA Okra is the most favorite curry at home! My love for this green veggie is the talk of our family (& my work places). At my first job, everyday someone or the other would bring bhindi. It was a big office and I virtually knew everybody and everybody knew me!! So every day at lunch hour I would get a call telling me that there is bhindi, "Aavi jao" (Come over)!! My grandma too fanned my love for bhindi by making it everyday during my vacations!!

Thankfully hubby too has a great liking for it. So needless to say, our offspring too takes after us on this matter!! The result - Bhindi every week in the season!! Though the bhinda nu shaak that I grew up on was a little different than the version my hubby grew up on. I make both versions and like them both, when it comes to bhindi I don't discriminate ;) . The one I am sharing today is Punjabi version as my MIL makes it.. It is vegan, gluten free and paleo! Simple, quick and yummy!! Check it out..

Punjabi Bhindi Curry | Okra Stir Fry

Ingredients:

500 gms Bhindi/ okra/ ladies finger, washed, wiped and cut into half inch length

1 big or 2 medium sized onions, peeled and cut into long slices

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (you can adjust according to your taste, we don't eat too spicy/hot food)

1 teaspoon dhania powder/ coriander seeds powder (I use dhania jeera powder/ coriander cumin seeds powder as I normally have this in stock) 

2 tablespoon oil

Method:

1) Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai (wok/pan).

2) Now add onions to it, let them turn translucent. Keep stirring.

3) Once they turn translucent, add cut bhindi/okra to the kadai (wok).

4) Mix well. Let it cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

5) Now add turmeric and salt. mix well and cover. If your kadai/wok/pan is not thick bottomed, keep a tawa/ skillet under it.

6) Let it cook covered for 15 more minutes. Keep stirring in between.

7) Once the bhindi cooks, add dhania jeera powder (coriander cumin seeds powder) and red chili powder.

8) Mix well and cook for 5 more minutes.

I love bhindi with kadhi or dal. Though along with curd and roti they fulfilling and healthy meal.

Notes:

1) It's very important to wipe the okra/bhindi. If you skip this step, it will be slimey and not so appetizing. If planning to make it in the morning then you can wash bhindi at night and cover it with a dry kitchen towel. Next day spread them on another dry towel under fan. They will dry out fast and then you can skip wiping them!

2) While cutting okra/bhindi check for mature (pakat/ gharda) bhindi. You should discard them as they won't get cooked. They are generally big and difficult to cut. To verify further, try to snap it in two by bending it. If it doesn't snap then it is indeed mature and needs to be discarded.

3) Remove the dincha (top) of the bhindi as it won't cook.

Punjabi Bhindi Curry | Okra Stir Fry

Punjabi Bhindi Curry | Okra Stir Fry

+techie ZM 

Capsicum Potato curry | Aalu Shimla Mirch Sabzi | Quick Bell Pepper Curry

This is one more curry that I learnt from my MIL. It's quick, it's easy and it's tasty!! I love it as it's quick to make and is healthy..
It gives such a relief on a busy day when you can just throw in the ingredients in the pan and go about doing your job, while this tasty curry gets cooked in jiffy!! It is vegan and paleo!! With Raita and rotis it makes for a filling meal and of course it's healthy. It can also be used as stuffing in sandwiches!! Yumm...

Capsicum Potato Curry | Alu Shimla Mirch | Quick Capsicum Curry

Capsicum Potato Curry | Alu Simla Mirch | Quick Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:

1 big Capsicum (Bell Pepper/ Shimla Mircha) - cubed

1 big Potato - cubed

1 medium sized tomato -cubed

1 Onion - cut in long slices

1 Tablespoon oil

pinch of jeera (Cumin seeds)

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/5 teaspoon dhania jeera powder (Cumin Corriander seeds powder)

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (you can adjust this according to your taste)

Method:

1) In a thick bottomed kadai/ wok (or in a non stick pan) take oil and heat it. Add jeera (cumin seeds). Once the jeera turnes brown, add onions and saute.

2) Once the onions turn translucent add capsicum (Shimla mirch / bell pepper) and saute for 2 minutes.

3) Now add potatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, dhania jeera powder ( cumin corriander seeds powder) and mix well.

4) Cover and let it cook till potatoes become tender. Keep stirring between to ensure that the curry is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If curry starts sticking then reduce the gas flame and put a tawa (skillet/griddle) under the kadai/ wok.

5) Once potatoes get cooked, add tomatoes to the curry and mix well.

6) cover and cook for 4-5 minutes and your curry is ready...

Capsicum Potato curry | Aalu Shimla Mirch Sabzi | Quick Bell Pepper Curry

Capsicum Potato curry | Aalu Shimla Mirch Sabzi | Quick Bell Pepper Curry

Capsicum Potato curry | Aalu Shimla Mirch Sabzi | Quick Bell Pepper Curry

+techie ZM 

Palak Paneer/ Aalu Palak

Paalak (Spinach) is not very popular otherwise, but transform it into this mouth water dish and suddenly the same old, boring paalak turns very attractive.... The best thing about this healthy curry is that it is a powerhouse of iron, vitamins and protein (if using paneer (cottage cheese) or tofu). And it is extremely flexible, lending itself to vegan version by accommodating tofu in place of paneer (cottage cheese) or paleo version by allowing use of potato in place of paneer.

This is my MIL's version of this curry with little time saving modifications from me. If you want to check out other authentic Indian & Punjabi recipes, check out the recipe Index. Enjoy....

Palak paneer / spinach curry with cottage cheese

Palak paneer / spinach curry with cottage cheese

Ingrediants:

Onions – 2 medium sized

Tomatoes – 2 big

Green chilly - 1

Ginger

Garlic

Palak (Spinach) – 250 gms

Paneer (Cottage Cheese)– 100 gms (For vegan version use tofu, for paleo version use boiled potatoes cut into pieces)

Red chilly powder

Salt

Garam masala/ curry powder

Method:

1) Blanch Palak by putting it in boiling water. Once cooled make paste of palak in mixer (i keep it coarse, you can make fine paste if you like). Don’t throw away the water, use it to make paste.

2) Make paste of Onions, tomatoes, green chilly, garlic and ginger in mixer. Add water if needed. I keep this paste also coarse, you can also make fine paste.

3) Heat oil in a pan, and sauté the onion, tomato, chilly, ginger, garlic paste in it, till the oil separates.

4) Once oil separates, add salt, a little red chilly powder and garam masala. (remember that we already have green chillies to make it spicy, if you don't want it too spicy then you can avoid red chilly completely)

5) add the palak paste to it, cook it for a minute.

6) Now add Paneer/Aalu

            you can either deep fry them

           Or you can shallow fry them on a greased tava.

           Or you can put them as it is by cutting into pieces (This is what i do, it's healthier & less time
           consuming :))

7) Mix well, add water if needed.

8) Cook for 10 mins, or till the extra water evaporates.

You can serve the curry with Fulkas, Tandoori Rotis, Parathas or Rice, use leftover curry to make Palak Paneer Puris :)

Palak paneer / spinach curry with cottage cheese

Palak Paneer[/caption]

+techie ZM