Rishi Panchami Bhaji

Rishichi Bhaji in marathi

Serves: 4 persons (1 medium bowl for each)
Times: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 cup Pieces of Okra (Bhindi) (1" pieces)
4 Patra Leaves (Aluchi Pane) (See tips)
1/2 cup Snake Gourd slices
200 gram Red Pumpkin cubes, medium (peeled)
1/4 cup Green peas (I used Frozen)
1/4 cup Surti Beans (I used Frozen)
1/4 cup Corn Kernels
5 to 6 Baby Corn (Cut into 1" pieces)
2 tbsp Peanuts (Soaked for 3 hours)
2 tsp Tamarind (Add 1/4 cup water, crush with fingers and make juice)
1 green chili
1/2 cup fresh coconut, scraped
1 tsp ghee
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Wash Patra leaves and cut the stem. Peel the stem and cut into small pieces. Keep them aside.
2) Chop the patra leaves. Pressure cook them (only leaves) upto 1 wistle. After that, grind them to fine paste. Add green chili while grinding.
3) Heat the pressure cooker pan. Add ghee and cumin seeds. Let the cumin splutter. Then add all the vegetables along with Patra stems. Saute a little and add paste of patra leaves.
4) Add tamarind juice, salt to taste and little water (if required) to cook the vegetables.
5) Close the pressure cooker with its lid and let the vegetables cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat. Let the pressure release on its own. Then open the pressure cooker, add coconut and boil for a few minutes.
Serve this healthy curry with Chapati or Bhakari (Rice flat bread). However, it also tastes wonderful as a one dish meal.

Tips:
1) I dint get all the vegetables which are usually used to make this Bhaji (curry). Addition to the above vegetables, following vegetables can be used as per the availability -
Leafy vegetables - Lal Math (red chard), Chawali, Ambadi (Gongura leaves). DO NOT USE Spinach, Methi leaves (Fenugreek), Shepu (Dill leaves) as they have strong smell and flavor which ruin the taste of the dish.
Yam - Suran (Elephant foot Yam), Potato, Sweet potato, Arbi
Other vegetables - Cumumber, Ridge gourd, Tindli (Ivy gourd)
2) If you are using Ambadi leaves (gongura leaves), skip the tamarind or use in very less quantity.
3) I pressure cooked and ground the patra leaves. It is completely optional. You can just chop them finely and cook with the other vegetables.
4) For sour taste, 1/2 cup of buttermilk can be used to substitute tamarind and Gongura leaves.
5) It is ok to skip the tempering. Just skip the tempering part from the above recipe and follow the other steps.
6) There is no exact proportion for the vegetables. You can change the proportion as per your choice.

Bhindi Stir Fry

Bhindi Stir fry in Marathi

Serves: 3 persons
Time: approx 35 mins

Ingredients:
1/2 kg Okra (lady finger, bhindi)
2 tbsp Oil
1/8 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds, pinch of Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 2 curry leaves
2 to 3 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2 to 3 Kokum
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

Method:
1) Wash Okra thoroughly. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut off stems and slice into 1 cm round pieces.
2) Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric, red chili powder and curry leaves. Add cut okra and stir nicely.
3) Stir fry Okra over low heat. After couple of minutes Okra will become sticky. To remove this stickiness, add kokum and keep stirring.
4) Do not add salt beforehand. Okra tend to shrink after cooking and okra sabzi may become salty. Therefore, let the okra cook nicely.
5) Stir fry Okra, uncovered over low heat. Once it is almost done, add salt and pinch of sugar. Add fresh coconut when okra sabzi gets cooked completely.
Serve Bhindi stir fry with chapati.

Other recipes of Okra
Okra curry in Tamarind Juice
Crispy Bhendi
Bharwa Bhindi

Tips:
1) You can replace red chili powder by green chilies.
2) Chopped onion can be added in tempering according to your choice.
3) If you don't have Kokum, you can use 1 tbsp lemon juice or 2 to 3 pinches of Amchoor powder. Sour ingredient helps to remove the stickiness.
4) Use dry grated coconut instead of fresh coconut.
5) Do not cover the pan to cook the okra faster. The steam will make the okra sticky and very mushy.

Chinch-Gulachi Bhendi (Sweet sour Okra curry)

Sweet and sour Okra Curry in Marathi

Time: approx 35 minutes
serves: 3 to 4 people

Ingredients:
1/4 kg Okra
1 tbsp Oil
For tempering: 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp Red chili powder, 4 to 5 curry leaves
2 tbsp fresh scraped coconut
1 tbsp Jaggery or to taste
1 tbsp Peanuts powder
2 tsp Goda masala
salt to taste
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Wash Okra thoroughly. Pat dry and cut into rings.
2) Soak tamarind into warm water. after 15 minutes crush with finger and squeeze.
3) Heat a deep medium pan. Add oil and let it heat up. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric, red chili powder and curry leaves. Then add coconut and saute for few seconds.
4) Add Okra slices and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add tamarind juice, salt and little water if needed. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until okra cooks nicely. Add water if needed.
5) Once Okra is cooked, add jaggery, Goda masala, and Peanuts powder. bring the curry to boil for couple of minutes.
Garnish with Cilantro, Serve hot with rice or Chapati.

Note:
1) Instead of pan cooking, you can pressure cook okra to save time. However, pan cooked okra taste way better than pressure cooked okra.

Crispy Bhindi

Crispy Okra in Marathi

Serves: 1 Plate (2 persons)

Ingredients:
15 no. Okra, medium
2 tbsp Gram flour
1 tbsp Rice flour
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tsp red Chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying (Note 1)
Chat Masala to taste

Method:
1) Wash and pat dry Okra. Cut off both the tips of each Okra. Slice each Okra lengthwise and make very thin strips
2) In a small bowl. Mix Gram flour, Rice flour, red Chili powder, Turmeric powder, Cumin powder, Chat masala and salt to taste. Transfer Okra stripes to a mixing bowl. Add ginger garlic paste and stir gently with a spoon. Do not stir vigorously. Now add the flour mixture. Gently mix all the ingredients with the spoon and coat Okra stripes with flour mixture. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
3) Heat Oil in a wok. Divide bhendi stripes into 4 batches so that it will not get overcrowded in the oil. Once oil is hot, add first batch, try to separate okra stripes while dropping in the oil. It will cook the Okra evenly. Deep fry until crispy. Drain and again repeat the process.
4) Put drained Okra on a paper towel to remove excessive oil. Now transfer fried Okra to serving plate. Sprinkle little lemon juice or chat masala, red chili powder. Serve this crispy Okra as a starter.

Note:
1) Since the batter for this recipe is dry, it does not stick to bhendi while frying. To avoid waste of cooking oil, use less oil, just enough to fry the bhendies. And fry it in 3-4 small batches.

Bharwa Bhindi [stuffed Okra]

Bharli Bhendi in Marathi


Ingredients:
25 No. Baby Okra
1/2 cup Onion, sliced lenthwise
1 tbsp Cumin Powder, 1 tbsp Coriander Powder, 1 tsp Amchoor Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
salt to taste
::::To Temper::::
3 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 4-5 Curry leaves
Chopped Cilantro for Garnishing

Method:
1) Wash and clean Okra with water. Dry with paper towel. Cut the tips off on both the sides. Slit each Okra from one side. Do not cut into two pieces while slitting.
2) In a bowl add Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, Amchoor Powder and little salt. Mix all the spices well. Stuff this mixture in each Okra, also dust okra in this mixture. Reserve remaining Spice blend for later use.
3) Heat a nonstick pan. Add 3 tbsp Oil and wait until heated. Then add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Asafoetida powder, Turmeric Powder and Curry leaves. saute for 5 seconds and add sliced onion.
4) Once Onion is half done, add stuffed Okra and saute gently, without spilling stuffed masala out. Stir well and lets Oil spread evenly over each okra. Turn the heat on Low. Cover with lid and let the Okra cook. Give a nice stir after 3 to 4 minutes which will avoid burning Okra at the bottom.
5) When Okra is almost cooked, sprinkle reserved Spice blend according to your taste. Also add little salt if needed.
Serve Stuffed Okra with Chappati

Labels:
Bharwa Bhindi Masala, Bhindi Fry