I had some Ladies Fingers or Okra going bad and so wanted to make something with them. I wanted to make a gravy dish, but was bored of making a tomato gravy, so tried something different this time. The dish was super yummy and is a definite keeper for sure! I made this for lunch with Sweet Corn and Peas Pulao yesterday.

The recipe is slightly labour intensive, but very tasty and will be a keeper in your repertoire. It also uses more oil than I am wholly comfortable with, but is still ok as an occasional treat.

Tamatar Dahi wale Bhindi or Okra in a Tomato Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg ladies fingers or okra
• 1 pod garlic
• 1.5 inch piece of ginger
• 4 medium sized onions
• 4 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 4-5 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 10 pieces of cashew nuts
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1-2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Wash and dry the ladies fingers throughly. Top and tail them and cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Keep aside.
• Peel the garlic, peel and chop the ginger, slice the onions and tomatoes separately and keep everything aside.
• Heat about 2 tsp of oil and when the oil heats up, put in the garlic and ginger in it and let it stir for a few minutes.
• Then add the cashew nuts and stir for a couple of minutes.
• When the cashews start to brown add in the sliced onions and sauté till it starts to brown. Then add the tomatoes plus about a teaspoon of salt and cook till the tomatoes are cooked, soft and mushy.
• Let it cool completely and then blend into a smooth paste, using as much water as needed.
• In the same pan, heat around 2-3 tbsp of oil and in batches cook the chopped okra. Sprinkle a pinch of salt each time. The okra should be shiny and dark green with a slight crispy taste to it. Remove the okra and keep aside.
• In the same pan, heat the balance oil and fry the cumin and fennel seeds. When they pop, add the blended paste and cook it till the water evaporates.
• In the meantime, beat the yoghurt well and when the paste becomes thick and oil starts to float in the edges, pour this yoghurt over the paste and stir well.
• Now add the fried okra and stir well. Add water if needed to thin the gravy out.
• Add in the spices now – red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder along with garam masala. You should also check salt and seasoning at this point and add if anything seems less.
• Let it boil on a low to medium flame till it comes to a rolling boil. Crush the kasuri methi in your palms and sprinkle it over the gravy. Let it cook for around five minutes and then switch off the gas.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or an Indian flatbread.

Note: If you make this in advance and are heating it up before serving, you may notice that the gravy has thickened because of the cashew nuts. In that case, thin it with some thinned yoghurt or milk.