Bendakaya Vepudu recipe (Ladies finger)

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 250 grams okra/bhindi or 2 heaped cups of chopped okra/lady finger
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds/rai
• ½ tsp urad dal/split husked black gram
• ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 2 dry red chilies, broken and deseeded
• 8 to 10 curry leaves/kadi patta
• 1 medium onion, ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ turmeric powder/haldi
• ½ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing
• salt as required
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. rinse and wipe dry all the okra with a clean kitchen towel. then slice the bhindi in rounds of 0.5 to 0.75 inches. keep aside.
2. in a shallow frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. lower the flame and add ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds & ½ tsp urad dal (split and husked black gram).
3. saute till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden.
4. next add 2 dry red chilies (broken and deseeded). saute for a second or two till the red chilies change color.
5. then add ½ cup chopped onion. stirand saute the onions till they turn translucent.
6. next add ¼ turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder and a pinch of asafoetida.
7. mix the spice powders with the rest of the ingredients.
8. then add the chopped okra and 8 to 10 curry leaves. mix everything.
9. add salt. stir well again and saute on a low flame without covering the pan with a lid.
10. keep on stirring at intervals of 3 to 4 minutes for uniform cooking.
11. switch off the flame when the bhindi is done and cooked well. this takes about 12 to 14 minutes on a low flame.
12. garnish with coriander leaves and then serve bendakaya vepudu as a side dish with curd-rice, sambar-rice or rasam-rice. you can also serve this andhra style bhindi fry with chapatis.