Okra ( bhende ) is one of the most loved vegetables at my home. Every time I see fresh okra at our Indian store, I buy it. I have tried many different recipes in last few days, which are very simple and delicious.
This recipe was sent to me by my friend Aruna . She said this is her mother’s recipe with some of her own twists. In Konkani, we call kokum as sol . So we called this dish sola bhende . Very simple and tasty.
Ingredients: 2 cups chopped okra( bhindi/bhende ) 2-3 pieces kokum 1 tea spn chilli powder 1/2 tea spn jaggery or brown sugar A pinch turmeric 1/2 tea spn coriander powder 1/2 tea spn cumin powder 1/2 tea spn garam masala Oil Salt
Method: In a thick bottomed pan, take oil and add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala , kokum, brown sugar (or jaggery), salt. Heat it on medium heat and add okra. The spices are added to oil before heating it to stop them from burning. Add the okra, cover and cook on low flame. Serve hot.
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 20mins
Many of the readers requested for this recipe. So finally here it is. Though I love paneer, I use it very rarely in my cooking. Recently I bought it to make ‘butter paneer masala’ for a small get together at home. The next day, I made this mater paneer – green peas with paneer, with naan .
I have noticed that, frying paneer for few minutes before adding it to any gravy, makes it very tasty. So that is what I followed for this recipe too. Another thing I am following these days is, making fresh spice powders. That makes the dish very fragrant.
Ingredients: 2 tomatoes (blanched and pureed) 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (fry in little oil and puree) or 2 tbl spn cashews (blanched and pureed) 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds 1 bay leaf 1 cup green peas(fresh/frozen) 1 cup paneer cubes Butter/Oil/ Ghee 1 tea spn ginger-garlic paste (freshly made) 3-4 strands coriander leaves Salt
Spice powder – 1 tea spn chilli powder 3 cloves 1″ cinnamon 3/4 tea spn coriander seeds 3/4 tea spn cumin seeds
Method: Heat ghee/butter/oil and shallow fry paneer cubes till they turn golden brown. Take them on a clean paper towel. Now add bay leaf, cumin seeds to the remaining oil. When cumin seeds start popping, add ginger-garlic paste and fry for few minutes. Now add peas and fry for few minutes. Add the tomato and onion(or cashew) puree, spice powder, salt and let it cook till the peas are done. Now add paneer and cook for 2-3 mins (do not mix a lot, the paneer gets crumbled). Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Serves : 2 Preparation time : 20mins
