Dahiwali Bhindi

Ladies finger, Okra or Bhindi as it is popularly know in India is a very commonly used vegetable in many side dishes. It is usually fried since it tends to be gooey if made into a gravy.

Nevertheless this vegetable is very tasty and is a good source of iron. There are myriads of ways to make Bhindi. But if you want to make it in a different way or if you are in a mood to make Bhindi which is a little semi dry and tangy you can look at this recipe given below.

It comes from the land of Rajasthan and is made with curd i.e yogurt. It is very simple to make and takes less time too. At the same time this is one dish that looks very presentable especially when you have guests and you want to make something that looks very good.

Here goes the recipe:

• Bhindi - 15 to 20
• Onion - 2 Medium, thinly sliced
• Green Chillies - 1 -2
• Gram Flour or Besan - 1-2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Kitchen King Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 4-5 tbsp
• Yoghurt - 2-3 tbsp
• Jeera or Cumin Seeds (You can also use Shahi Jeera for that extra richness :) )

Method:

1. Clean and wipe the Bhindi of any water. Chop both the ends of the Bhindi.


2. Apply half the amount of Haldi, Coriander, Cumin, Garam Masala and salt to taste. Add the entire amount of Gram Flour and mix well.


3. Take a pan and pour half the oil and once the oil is hot enough fry the Bhindi in the oil till almost cooked. Drain out the oil and set it aside.


4. Keep the vessel that you used to mix the bhindi with the masala aside for later use.


5. Pour the rest of the oil and when the oil is hot add the cumin seeds.


6. Once the cumin seeds sputter add the sliced onions and add a pinch of salt. Add the chopped Green Chillies and fry till onions turn golden brown.


7. Add the Haldi, Red Chilli, Cumin, Coriander, Garam masala Powder and fry for some more time.


8. Add the fried Bhindi into the mixture and fry further for some time.


9. Now add the Yogurt into the vessel with the masala (Refer #4). Beat it into a smooth paste.


10. Mix this yogurt mixture into the Bhindi and fry for a couple of minutes.


11. Close the lid and let this cook for 5-6 minutes till done on a slow flame.


12. Once done add the Kitchen King Masala and mix well.


13. Dahiwali Bhindi is ready to serve. Goes well with Roti or Rice served along with any dal.

Moist Orange Loaf

Oranges and baking. Hmm.. I am not sure how many of you out there would think that it is a good idea to mix both of them together..

But this post is a proof that you can bake the most moist and delicious cake using this citrus fruit. I just happened to stumble on this when I was contemplating on baking a lemon loaf. Since Indian lemon is very tangy I thought it is best avoided. I thought of using mandarin oranges instead. The result was fabulous..

This cake takes about an hour and half from start to finish. The end result is really amazing..A word of caution you may need to bake more since this cake disappears quite fast :)

I did share the cake with a few of my friends at office and they loved it too. I have found so many supermarkets selling these artificially flavored orange cakes from various brands calling them "healthy" but most of them do not even come close to the one that you can make in your own kitchen from scratch. Try this recipe and you will not be disappointed.

You will need the following ingredients:

1. Vegetable oil/Butter - 4tbsp
2. Sugar - 1 cup
3. Egg – 1 no.
4. Low fat yogurt - 2 tbsp
5. Milk - 1/2 cup
6. Whole wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup (I use Ashirwad Atta)
7. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
9. Mandarin Orange – 1
10. Rind of 1 Mandarin Orange
    

Procedure:

• To start with extract the juice of the orange and keep it aside.



• Preheat the oven to 175 Deg C.



• Warm the milk and mix the sugar (only 3/4 cup). Ensure that the sugar is well dissolved.



• Add the oil. Using a blender mix it all well.



• Now separate the egg white from the yellow and beat them separately. Carefully add the yellow to the above mixture.



• Now add the yogurt and blend.



• Now add the flour little by little till it blends well into the mixture.



• At this point add the egg white and gently fold it into the mixture. Add the rind of the orange and fold in again.



• Line a loaf pan (small size) with aluminium foil.



• Oil it and dust it with some flour.



• Now just before emptying the content into the pan sift the Baking powder and soda into the mixture and blend one last time.



• Pop it into the oven for 30-45 minutes or till a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.



• While the cake is baking add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar into the orange juice that was extracted and mix till all the sugar has dissolved. The orange glaze is now ready.



• Once the loaf is done take it out of the oven. Let it rest for 3 minutes.



• Poke tiny holes into the loaf using a skewer.



• Pour the glaze slowly over the loaf till all the juice from the glaze is absorbed by the loaf.



• Give it some time before you take the cake out of the pan by pulling the foil gently.



• Let it cool down completely before cutting it. Else it may break since this loaf is extra moist.

Enjoy your orange loaf!

Update: For all the vegetarians out there who do not eat eggs there is a piece of good news. You can make this without that egg. Substitute it with 1-2 teaspoon of cream and voila! the vegetarian version of the cake is ready to be served!!! Try it and let me know how you liked it.