Vendakkai Morkuzhambu (Okra in yogurt gravy)

Category:  Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Mor Kuzhambu or buttermilk kuzhambu is a south Indian gravy made from Indian buttermilk or slightly sour curd / yogurt and goes very well as an accompaniment with rice.

 

Vendakkai Morkuzhambu

We can add vegetables like Okra, white pumpkin / ash gourd or even vadai :) If we run out of veggies, we can prepare this even without any veggies. It will still be very good.

I had already posted a recipe using Ash gourd here - Ash-Gourd Morkuzhambu. This is slightly different from that one posted earlier.

Ingredients:

• Vendakkai / Okra / Lady's finger - 6-8
• Butter milk  - 2 1/2 cups (I used 1 cup of thick curd & 1 1/2 cup of water)
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp

To Grind:

• Toor Dhal - 1 Tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Green chilly - 2-3, adjust as per spice level

Vendakkai Sadham (Okra/Lady'sfinger Rice)

Category: Rice Varieties
Preparation Time: 15 mins  
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Servings: 2 servings

Vendakkai Sadham

Vendakkai Sadham / Okra rice is a healthy variety rice and perfect for lunch box. Kids will really love the crispy Okra along with roasted nuts in this rice. 

Vendakkai Sadham with Tomato & Roasted Peanuts

We can prepare this with or without tomato. In the step by step recipe, I haven't used tomato. 

To make it more rich, we can use ghee roasted cashews or roast the peanuts in oil and add to it at the end.

Vendakkai Sadham (without Tomato)

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Lady's finger / Okra - around 20-25 nos
• Peanuts, Roasted & halved - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Onion, finely chopped - 1 no
• Green chilly - 1 nos (Optional)
• Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Masala powder - 1 tsp* (I used home made Pav bhaji Masala powder and little Garam Masala powder)
• Lemon juice - from 1/2 lemon**

*Masala Powder: We can use Sambhar Powder or Pav Bhaji Masala Powder or a mix of coriander powder, chilli powder and Garam Masala powder; Quantity can be adjusted as per taste and spice level

**We can also use Tomato instead of lemon while using Sambhar powder; In that case we can saute it well before adding okra 

Method:

1. Wash and soak 1 cup of rice for atleast 30 mins and then cook as usual in such a way the grains are separate. Once its done, spread it in a plate and allow it to cool
2. Wash the Okra and wipe off any moisture on them, trim off the ends and chop them into 1/2 inch pieces

Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu - Home Style (Kongu Special Recipes)

Category:  Kuzhambu Varieties / Lunch

Preparation Time: 10 mins  

Cooking Time: 30 mins 

Servings: 3-4 servings

Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu is my one of my favourite recipe from childhood:) and I love the ones which my grandma and my mom prepares. We love to have with hot rice and it also tastes yummy with curd rice:) and even with dosa. This recipe doesnot involve any spice powders and we just use roasted and powdered Urad dhal with vendhayam for thickening and additional flavour.

As far the Kongu nadu special recipes are considered, Small onions are the important ingredients for the authentic flavour and taste and we wont get the same taste while using shallots / big onions. So for this recipe, Small onions are the must and if we dont want we can skip garlic.

Vendakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Lady's finger /Okra - 20-25 nos
• Small Onions - 10-15 nos, peeled and halved
• Garlic- 6-10 nos, peeled and roughly chopped 
• Tamarind - lemon sized
• Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
• Split Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1-2 springs
• Red Chillies - 2-4 nos (adjust as per spice level)
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water - as required

To Roast and Grind: 

• Urad Dhal (Whole White) - 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek Seeds / Vendhayam - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak Tamarind in warm water and extract juice
2. Heat a pan and dry roast the urad dhal and fenugreek seeds till they turn golden brown and gives out nice aroma. Switch it off and allow to cool and then powder it and keep it ready
3. Wash the Lady's finger / Okra and wipe dry without any moisture
4. Trim off the ends and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5. In a pan (prefereably non-stick  so less oil can be used), heat 1 tsp of oil and add the Okra pieces and saute for 6-8 mins until the stickiness gone and keep aside
   
6. Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a pan, once it gets heated up add the mustard seeds, followed by Channa dhal, Urad dhal, Curry leaves and red chillies. Fry for a min till the dhals turn golden brown 
   
7. Add the halved onions and then roughly chopped garlic pieces and saute for 2-3 mins til the onions turn transparent
   
8. Add the tamarind extract with enough water (as per required Kuzhambu consistency) along with required salt and turmeric powder, mix well and bring to boil
   
9. Once it started to boil, add the sauted okra pieces and allow to cook covered in low-medium flame for 10 mins
   
10. Check for salt and now add the Urad dhal - fenugreek powder to it and simmer for another 5-6 mins
    
11. Now the kuzhambu gets thickened and reached the desired consistency
    
12. Switch it off and serve hot with rice!
    

Crispy Okra Fry (Vendakkai Fry)

Category: Snacks / Sidedish
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Marination Time: 20-40 mins  
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Crispy Okra Fry!

Ingredients:

• Lady's Finger / Okra  - 20-25 nos
• Besan / Kadalai Maavu - 2 tbsp
• Rice flour - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
• Amchur / Dry mango powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chaat Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - as required

*Notes: For South Indian flavour, we can replace chaat Masala and Amchur powder with Coriander and Cumin powder. 

Method:

1. Wash and dry the Okra completely, there should not be any moisture on it
   
2. Trim off the edges and cut vertically into 4 pieces
   
3. In a small bowl, add the Turmeric, Amchur, Red chilly, Chaat Masala and Garam Masala powders along with required salt; mix well
   
4. Sprinkle the masala mix over the okra pieces and gently mix to coat them
   
5. Then sprinkle the Besan and Rice flour over it and mix so that all the okra pieces get evenly coated with Besan
   
6. Marinate it for atleast 20 mins or even up to an hour
7. In a frying pan, heat up oil (We can either deep fry or shallow fry as per our preference)
   
8. Once it becomes hot, add few okra pieces without crowding and fry them till they become golden brown and turn crispy (The oil should be Hot otherwise the okra pieces will soak up oil and will become soggy)
9. Drain excess oil in kitchen towel
   
10. Serve hot as snacks or with Sambar/ Curd Rice!
    

Vendakkai Sambhar (Lady's Finger / Okra Sambhar)

Category:  Lunch
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Servings: 3-4 persons

Vendakkai Sambhar

 Ingredients:

• Toor Dhal - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Castor Oil - few drops 
• Small onions - 12-15 nos / Big Onion, chopped- 1 no
• Tomato, roughly chopped  - 1 no.
• Vendakkai / Lady's finger / Okra - 10-15 nos
• Tamarind - lemon sized (I used 1/2 tsp of tamarind concentrate)
• Sambhar powder (Home made / Store bought) -1 - 1 1/2 tsp
• Cooking Oil -2 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) - a generous pinch
• Curry leaves - few
• Water - as required
• Coriander leaves - 3-4 tbsp
• Salt-  to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook Dhal with required water, turmeric, few drops of castor oil for 3 whistles in medium flame
2. Wash the Lady's finger and wipe dry with paper / kitchen towel; trim the ends and cut into 1 inch pieces
   
3. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and saute the lady's finger pieces well till it starts to brown and without any stickiness
   
4. Once it gets sauted, remove from the pan and set aside
   
5. In the same pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil and add the chopped onion along with pinch of salt; saute well for 1-2 mins
   
6. Add the tomato pieces and saute for another 1-2 mins till it turns mushy
   
7. Add the sauted lady's finger pieces to it and mix well
   
8. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, Sambhar powder and little salt, saute for a min
   
9. Add the tamarind extract with 1/2 cup of water and allow the vegetable to cook well
   
10. When the veg gets cooked, add the cooked dhal and mix well
    
11. Check for salt and adjust the water consistency as per requirement
12. Allow the sambhar to boil for few mins in low / medium flame
13. In another pan, prepare tadka by heating 1/2 tsp oil and 1 tsp of ghee, once it gets hot add the mustard seeds, followed by asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves
14. Add the tadka / tempering to the boiling sambar and switch it off
    
15. Garnish with coriander leaves
    
16. Serve hot with Rice / Idly / Dosa / Pongal