Okra in Pickle Style Gravy. Vendaikkai Oorugai Kuzhambu. Lady’s Finger in Rich mustard curry.

Ingredients:

Whole Okra/Lady’s Finger – 12 numbers
Green chilies 3 slitted
Garlic 6 cloves – paste
Onion 1 small – made into paste
Tomato puree 1 cup
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Oil for deep frying or pan-frying
Mustard Oil few spoons.

To be Toasted each Seperately and Powdered Togather:

Fennel seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Onion seeds (nigella/kalonji) 1/2 spoon
Kastoori Methi dry 1/2 spoon(dry fenugreek leaves)
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-6.

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Mustard oil few spooons.

Method:

Wash and pat dry the okras. Trim their ends off.

Heat oil for pan-frying/deep frying. Fry okras crisply without any stickness. Leave them over kitchen tissues.

In a seperate pan, heat mustard oil. Add chilies and wait till it crackles.

Then add garlic + onion paste. Add salt too. Fry real good.

When the raw odour leaves, add toamto puree and continue frying.

When oil shows up on sides, add turmeric, chili powder and tamarind paste.

Add 2 cups of water, cover and cook. When the gravy thickens, add the fried okras + powdered spices. Continue to cook over medium heat withour lid.

When it turns aromatic, oil shows up on top. Remove from heat. Transfer to dispaly vessel.

In a seperate pan, heat oil and fry the seasonnig items. Then run this seasonning over the gravy prepared.

Serve warm as a side dish for Indian bread(chappathi, naan) or with plain rice.