A very happy new year to all of you folks!. Finally I am done with all the sweets and the desserts! How about we go back to some simple, comfort foods for the next whole month? Sounds great doesn’t it? And this bhindi coconut curry with some plain rice is just what I need.! 🙂
I had never heard of the word ‘Okra’ until I came to the US. In India we referred to it (lovingly I guess!) as ‘lady’s finger’.  Many folks dislike okra because of the sticky, slimy feel. But if cooked properly, it can be really delicious.  I love to make it as a side sautéed with Indian spices and or cooked (pan fried) till crispy on the outside.  Another favorite of mine is ‘Vendakka curry’ where it is sautéed with onions, tomatoes and spices and cooked in coconut milk.  Simple, unassuming dish yet with so much flavor and the texture of the bhindi – slightly crisp in the coconut milk curry makes it just perfect. Yum!
By the way okra is really packed with a lot of vitamins and nutrients – Vitamin C and folate especially and has a high fiber content and hence recommended for those suffering from constipation. Another thing to remember when you pick fresh okra from the produce section is to make sure they are tender – you can check for that by snapping the tips to see if they break off. if they don’t then it means they are overripe and will have lot of tough fibers and therefore those are not great for cooking.
Here is the recipe which I learnt from my dad. Fennel is an important ingredient in this recipe and gives it its unique flavor.
Step wise pictures:
- 18-20 pieces of fresh tender bhindi (okra), slit length wise (or fresh frozen okra - see note below)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp fennel powder (freshly ground)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ of med onion, sliced thinly
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- 2 green chillies, slit length wise (optional)
- 4-5 fresh curry leaves
- 2 tbsp water
- 1½ cups thick coconut milk (fresh* or canned)
- 1 small tomato, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen that has been thawed)
- 2 cups warm water (divided)
- Slit the bhindi (okra) length wise and dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. In a medium size bowl, add the red chili, turmeric,coriander,fennel and salt. Mix the okra pieces in it gently to uniformly coat them with the spices. Keep aside.
- Take a deep wide frying pan or any flat bottomed pot and heat the coconut oil in it. When hot, turn heat to low and add the mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the fennel seeds. Wait for about 30 seconds and then add the sliced onions, ginger, green chillies (if adding) and curry leaves. Saute on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes and then add the marinated okra pieces too and continue sautéing on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. (Make sure you gently sauté and take care not to mush up the okra pieces). Then turn heat to low and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes or so until the okra pieces are cooked.
- Now add the coconut milk and the tomato pieces and again cover and cook for about 4 minutes or so until the tomato pieces are soft/cooked. Turn heat off. Serve with cooked plain white rice or with rotis.
- Blend the grated coconut with 1 cup warm water in a blender (large size jar) for about 1 minute and strain the whole mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth into another large bowl. Take the meat back from the strainer and add to the blender with the rest of the warm water and blend again. Strain once again thru strainer into the bowl with the coconut milk. You will get about 2½ cups of coconut milk. Discard the coconut meat.
Use freshly ground fennel for maximum flavor
If you are doing AIP and looking for nightshade free curries, you need to check out my cookbook ‘AIP INDIAN FUSION’. It has 114 AIP compliant recipes with Indian flavors!
[…] Coconut milk based Ladies finger curry […]
Thanks for the curry leaves link. I’m trying again the rating.
thank you. It did come through now! I appreciate it!
Thank you for clarifying. I just rated the recipe. What about curry leaves? I cand not find them where I live. Any powdered form or spice?
Hi there! Do you have an indian grocery store where you live? That’s the best place to buy fresh curry leaves. If not, I saw good reviews of this seller on amazon. You can check it out. I have not personally ordered through here but it looks good.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T5MMYY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004T5MMYY&linkCode=as2&tag=indus087-20&linkId=19bd460602d76e81cf47b02ced30ff73
Btw, your rating did not come through. Not sure what happened. You need to ‘post comment’ while doing so. thanks again
I made today your dish and I did like it very much! Thank you for the recipe. Still I am a little bit confused because I don’t know when the coconut (meat?) is added. Also, could you please suggest what would be a good substitute for curry leaves?
Thanks!
Hello there! thank you for your comments! I am glad you liked the recipe! And thanks for asking the question about the coconut meat. I realized that I had meant to show how to make homemade coconut milk but forgot to include that step. I have now updated and corrected the recipe. Hope its clearer now and thanks so much for pointing out! If you don’t mind, could you also please rate the recipe? The rating button is right below the comment button. Many thanks!
I Love Okra. Never had it in any gravy though. Your recipe looks yummy!
HI Archana , yeah this is my dad’s special recipe. I love this curry – it is very good with both rice and chapati.
Just tried out your recipe with slight variations. Adding ground coconut gives a more wholesome flavour and thats what I did! Thanks for sharing 😀 and also do check out my newly started blog where I’m trying to share recipes too 🙂
sure will check your blog out! Thanks for letting me know that you tried the recipe. I am so glad you liked it. ! yeah using fresh coconut milk by grinding coconut or using ground coconut as is, is much better than using canned coconut milk.!
I love coconut. I would like to try this.
yes you should definitely try this then. I am sure you will love it!
had a can of coconut milk.. Now I know what to do with it 😉
-Do check out my new post on ‘by the window’ strawberry shake @ https://noodles4thoughts.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/by-the-window-strawberry-shake/ if you would like to.
All the delicious right here. 🙂 Love me a curry, shall add yours to my dinner eats menu for sure. Had to ask the google what okra was, turns out in all the years Ive been eating them, I didn’t actually know what they were called. #facepalm So thank ya for that! 🙂
ha ha that’s funny, Anna! I am glad I educated you! And hope you do try making it! 🙂
I’m absolutely ready for comfort food recipes at Fiesta Friday, especially with the cold weather abound. This okra with coconut milk looks like a dish to warm my heart. Thank you so much for bringing it to the party! Happy 2015 too!
thanks Kaila. Yes exactly something warm will be nice in this frigid arctic blast weather!!! Happy New Year to you too and thanks for co-hosting! 🙂
[…] Indu […]
Love okra, love coconut milk…so I love this recipe!
Sridevi you should definitely give this a try then! 🙂
They were always ladies fingers to me too, i had no idea what this ‘okra’ was!!!
yes after a few years here I have now realized that americans just like to make up their own names for things! LOL!
Mouth watering . Yumm……?
thanks. yes it is really yummy 🙂
Aah my husbamd loves okra! N this curry with coconut milk would be a super hit here.
Sadia then you should surely give this a try! 🙂
that looks delicious! I would happily take a bowl of that! thanks for sharing at FF49!
thanks Mr Fitz. Yes please help yourself to some! 🙂
thank you!
We do a similar gravy of Okra with tamarind pulp that goes well only with steamed rice,but this one seems to be different with coconut milk …will try this soon…..
Swapna have you posted that bhindi recipe with tamarind? that sounds yummy too! thanks! 🙂
No i havent done that post yet..will do it soon,Indu…
Anything with Coconut Milk is always welcome. Happy New Year, Indu! 🙂
thanks Aruna. Happy New Year to you too!