½teaspoonKasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)Crush lightly before adding
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped okra and sprinkle salt.
Mix well and let it cook until bhindi is tender. Do stir in between for even cooking. Okra will shrink and gets darker as it cooks. Remove it to a plate and keep it aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and dried chili (forgot to add here). Let the seeds sizzle a bit.
Add chopped onion, ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili. Mix and saute until onion becomes light brown in color and there will be no raw smell of ginger garlic.
Add tomatoes, mix and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. While stirring, do mash tomatoes using the back of the spoon.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and remaining salt. Mix and cook for a minute or until the fat starts to ooze out from the sides.
Add water and let the gravy comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Now make sure that heat is the lowest possible. Add whisked yogurt by one hand and keep stirring into the gravy using another hand to avoid curdling.
Once the yogurt is mixed you can make the heat back to medium.
Add garam masala and crushed kasoori methi, mix well.
Add cooked okra and mix. Let it simmer for 2 minutes only and dahi bhindi is ready, turn off the stove. Do not simmer for longer otherwise okra gets too soft and mushy.
Notes
Buying Okra: They should be long, fresh-looking and dark green in color. Don’t buy those who have blemishes, cut or leaked internal juice. Try to buy those who have fewer seeds in them.
How to avoid the sliminess – 1) Okra should be dry before you chop them. 2) keep cleaning the knife as soon as it gets sticky. 3) While cooking okra stir only 2 or 3 times only. If you stir too many times, it gets slimy. 4) cook them uncovered.
While cooking the bhindi, make sure that okra is soft yet it has a bite. It should hold the shape. It should not be mushy
You need to be careful while adding yogurt. Make sure to lower the heat. And stir immediately after adding yogurt. Otherwise, yogurt will curdle. Curdled yogurt will not taste and look pleasant in dahi bhindi recipe.
Do not cook longer after adding cooked okra into the gravy otherwise, okra will get overcooked and becomes mushy and flavorless.