I love cooking (and eating!) and this has always made me explore many cuisines besides my own Konkani cuisine. Being an Indian, as others, I love spicy foods and Andhra cuisine (from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India) has always fascinated and drawn me towards it as it is mainly a spice infused cuisine with chilies and pepper in most dishes! As part of this month’s challenge in our Face Book gourmet group “A to Z Challenge”, where we choose a letter of the alphabet every month to make and this month’s letter being “L”, my contribution is Lady’s Finger Pulusu or Bhindi/Okra Andhra style curry. Do check out my last month’s contribution to the letter “K” to the group – Kale Parathas and click the link below to find out what dishes my fellow bloggers have conjured up in their kitchen this month!
Now, let’s get to the dish shall we?
WHAT IS “PULUSU”?
“Pulusu” is a telugu word (the language spoken in Andhra Pradesh) which means “sour curry” and tamarind is the main ingredient which lends the sour element in any pulusu. If you explore that cuisine, you will find a variation of dishes or pulusus using lentils, veggies, meat, fish, chicken etc.
HOW DO YOU MAKE LADY’S FINGER/OKRA PULUSU?
Everyone is I hope familiar with the vegetable lady’s finger or okra as we call it (or ‘bhindi’ or “bendakayi”). It is a not so popular veggie as it has a slimy texture to it. But lo and behold, like we have heard from our grandmothers and mothers, tamarind is one ingredient which can not only add a sour and tangy element to this dish but also prevents the vegetable from getting slimy and icky which most of us do not like! My cuisine (Konkani cuisine) too has a dish with the combination of okra and tamarind – Bhindi Huli where huli means sour! Do check it out! Now, to the dish; just wash and cut lady’s finger and cook in a tamarind based gravy with some simple spices like coriander and chili powder along with onions and tomatoes. Jaggery can be added if you like it a tad sweet (sweet and sour, get it?) but our family, especially my husband abhors sweet curries; hence no jaggery in mine!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Like any curry, this Andhra okra pulusu can be served as a side dish with rice and dal or to dunk flat breads like rotis, parathas or puris in this spicy, lip smacking and delicious Lady’s Finger Pulusu or Bhindi Pulusu! So, the next time you get hold of some fresh and tender okra/lady’s fingers, do give this spicy curry a try and if you are a fan of okra, then yippee!; you can try some of these other dishes too, already on my blog:
Bhindi Kurkuri Bhindi Huli
Or ,if you are into more Andhra cuisine, then do try: Andhra Style Mirchi Pakoras; spicy and mouthwatering chili fritters! Or even a rice dish using the quintessential Andhra leafy vegetable Gongura or Sorrel leaves: Achaari Gongura Rice
Now, let us check out how I made Lady’s Finger Pulusu:
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE LADY’S FINGER/OKRA/BHINDI PULUSU:
If using fresh tamarind, soak in ¼ cup hot water for at least 15 minutes and then squeeze the tamarind to get tamarind juice. Discard the pulp. Cook Time: 15 minutes
2 cups lady’s finger/bhindi/okra 1 medium red onion 1 medium tomato, finely chopped 1 tsp mustard 5 to 6 methi seeds/dry fenugreek seeds Few curry leaves 1 tsp kashmiri chlli powder ½ tsp haldi 2 tbsp coriander powder 1 tsp tamarind paste (or small marble sized fresh tamarind) Salt to taste Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions Wash lady fingers/bhindi/okra in plenty of water, drain and let dry until most of the moisture is gone. Chop okra into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Chop tomatoes and onions into small pieces.
TO MAKE BHINDI/OKRA/LADY’S FINGER PULUSU:
Heat oil in a large kadai or deep saucepan and once hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds pop and crackle, add methi seeds and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds to aromatize the oil. Tip in the chopped onions and saute on medium heat until they are slightly soft. Add chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook again until they turn a bit soft.
Stir in dry spice powders; give it a good stir on fry on medium heat for a minute. At this stage, add the chopped lady’s fingers and salt to taste; mix well.
Pour in the tamarind water (if using fresh tamarind) or tamarind paste and required water needed (not too much!) to cook the vegetable.
Mix well and cook on medium heat until the vegetable is cooked well and flavors have blended to form a thick and tasty curry! Adjust the amount of tamarind and spices according to personal taste.
Remove from heat and serve hot with rice and dal or even as a side dish with chapattis, rotis, puris etc.!
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