Bhindi Do Pyaza

I am an Indian. Did you know that? No, you did not? Why? 'Coz you freakin hardly ever post any Indian recipes!!! Thats why!

Ok. Got it. Point noted.
(Well, that I hardly ever post *any* recipes would not be far from wrong lately, but we'll leave that for another day)

In my conscious effort to prove my 'desi'ness, and my love of Indian food, there will be some posts on Indian food in the coming days.
Bhindi - Okra or lady's fingers(!!) as it is also known, is a vegetable that I have seen many people shy away from. Too slimy, gooey and slightly messy is their reason. And of course some, who do not know what to use it for. I was surprised when at the grocery store where I was painstakingly choosing each okra for purchase, a Swiss women asked me whether it was a type of chili. Well, we Indians do eat spicy food, but I was loading up like a kilo of okra - surely I'd be just plain mad to be using all that amount of "chili" in a recipe!..Bad joke..

Okra is often used as a thickener in soups and stews in different cuisines. In India, it is often one of the vegetables added to Sambhar - a soup made with dal, tamarind and a few vegetables. In the north, it is generally fried with onions, and sometimes tomatoes.

Bhindi do pyaza is the dish on the menu today.
Bhindi = okra
do = 2 or twice
pyaza = onions
Twice the amount of onions that added in any other similar vegetable preparation.

So the vegetables used are just 2 - okra and onions. And the rest are all spices. This is the dish I have eaten okra in all my life. And I love it! It gets a bit slimy while cooking - but I am quite ok with it. Adding a bit of sourness - like lemon juice or vinegar does help cut the sliminess. So here is the recipe.


INGREDIENTS:
25-30 Okras, washed, dried and cut into 1/4" pieces, or slit lengthwise
2 medium Onions, thinly sliced
3+1 tbsp Oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Lime/Lemon Juice(optional)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chilly powder, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
1 and half teaspoon garam masala

RECIPE

- Wash and thoroughly dry the okra
- Cut the tip and a 1/4" from the bottom and discard
- Cut the okra into 1/4" pieces, or slit lengthwise
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan
- Add in the okra and stir fry on high heat for 6-7 minutes
- Transfer to a dry plate
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan
- Add in the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle
- Add the onions and salt and fry them until the become translucent
- Add in the remaining spices and let them cook for a few minutes. Ideally you should see a bit of oil seperating when the spices have cooked
- Mix in the okra and let it all cook for another 2-3 minutes. If it gets too slimy, then add in the lemon juice as well.


TIPS

- Do not be stingy in the amount of oil added
- Keep the heat high while stir frying the okra
- If making okra the first time, you can just try slitting the okra lenghtwise. Chopping into small pieces, while ensures faster cooking, can get a tad messy due to the goo.
- Make sure the okra is completely dry before you get chopping it.
- Only choose the okra that is very fresh, not even slightly wilted. Remember the "painstakingly choosing every okra" reference in the beginning of this post? :) Share

Sunday breakfast With Apple Streusel muffins

So after my doubts on the cupcake vs muffin debate, I decide to make some good ole hearty and nutritous muffins. These are healthy, breakfast muffins with a wonderful texture.

I sometimes carry some muesli bars (granola bars for the Americans) to work for those hunger pangs in the evenings. These muffins are a wonderful, light and delicious replacement for them I must say. Of course I should mention that I made only half a dozen as part of our

Sunday breakfast. But as they were finished in almost no time, I actually made another batch the very next day! I think I could add even more apples to this batter because the moist apples along with all the cake is such a wonderful combination.

Apple Streusel Muffins

1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats ground to a powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1-1/3 cups chopped peeled apples

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the Topping:

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a food processor, add 1/2 a cup of rolled oats, and blitz them so they become a powder. You could use oat bran if you can find it. Or, use the Quaker Oats quick cooking variety if it is available in your country.

Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and milk. Pour over the wet ingredients into the dry, and quickly mix to combine. As always, do not overmix - it should be just enough so it all moistened.

The topping is a wonderful addition to these muffins. They give it a wonderful texture and bite. Try not to miss it. We liked it so much that I even used the same topping for a banana bread I made the other day.
Bake it at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or so.

This makes for a wonderful snack and also for a breakfast on the go. Try it, and let me know how you find it :-)

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DMBLGIT February 2010 Winners

First of all, my apologies for the delay in posting the results. I should have posted them last week itself.

I feel that there were not many entries this time around for the event that were eye-catching and extremely impressive in the first glance. There were those that were heavily photo-shopped and some that had very visible flaws. But of course, as mentioned in the DMBLGIT announcement post, the ratings have been given on the Edibility, Originality and Aesthetics. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed hosting this event, and would love to be a participate in many more of them in the future!

Apart from us at Snacksgiving, the other judges that participated in the event are

Andrew of and Spittoon and SpittoonExtra
Deeba of Passionate About Baking
Hilda of Saffron and Blueberry
Sara of Fior di Frolla

Here are the winners.

1) Overall Winner - 1st place

Kris Ngoei of Bake in Paris Grateful

2) Overall Winner - 2nd place

Nicisme of Cherrapeno Banoffee Macarons

3) Overall Winner - 3rd Place

Vania Samperuru of Our Family Favorite Recipes Christmas Celebrations

4) Winner - Edibility

Claude-Olivier of 1001 Recettes Des nouilles

5) Winner - Originality

Kristen Doyle of Dine & Dish Cake Decorating Woes

6) Winner - Aesthetics

Monika of Sweet Sensation Waldorf Salad with a Twist

Congratulations to all the winners. You would be getting your badges shortly. And thank you all for participating in the event

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