Stir-Fried Okra with Onions - Bhindi Bhaja

Bhindi Bhaja

I love how easy life is in North America if you have an interest in cooking at home rather than eating out. Okra, also known as bhindi in Hindi or dharosh in Bengali, is delicious any which way it's cooked. It is, however, a pain to prep in its fresh form. It needs to be washed first, then each of them needs to be dried with a paper towel before cutting. In North America, okra can be found in the frozen foods section of most supermarkets, already cut into bite-size pieces. I take them straight from the freezer to the frying pan without thawing.

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen okra
1 tsp. amchur (dried mango powder)
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds or shah jeera

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. besan (chickpea flour), roasted

1 Tbsp. white sesame seeds, roasted

1/4 tsp. red chili flakes, roasted

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Grind besan, sesame seeds and chili flakes together and set aside.
2. Toss okra with amchur and set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat and sputter cumin seeds.
4. Add okra and stir-fry until oil resurfaces.
5. Add onions & pepper and stir-fry until onions turn translucent.
6. Adjust salt to taste, add besan mixture and stir well.
7. Cook for a few minutes more and remove from heat.
8. Serve with hot, cooked basmati rice or chapatis.