It has been too long since I’ve made any Indian vegetables! Peas, channa dal, chole, but no subjis. So tonight I made us dahi bhindi which is okra in a yogurt gravy. I started out making a dry bhindi masala, but it didn’t look like enough for two of us, so Tejas suggested making a gravy. I was a little hesitant because I have always loved dry okra, and the one time I tried an okra with a tamarind gravy, it was a flop. But I remembered seeing a few okra with yogurt recipes online a while back which sounded pretty good so I decided to try it. I was inspired by this recipe for bhindi masala in yogurt gravy on Cilantro’s blog. I skipped the cashews this time to make it a little lighter. I read on Monsoon Spice (this is another okra recipe I want to try sometime!) that the cashews are what helps keep the yogurt creamy, so the yogurt separated, but it was still good!

2 teaspoons oil
3-4 cups okra (bhindi) sliced crosswise into little chunks
2 more teaspoons oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion sliced
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 tomato chopped
Salt
Cilantro

1. Heat oil in a wok and cook okra and a little salt over high heat stirring constantly until the okra is tender and a little browned.
2. Remove okra and wash pan (or just use another one) and heat the rest of the oil.
3. Add the cumin seeds and once they start to brown, add the onions.
4. Cook onions until brown and soft.
5. Add the tumeric, chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala, and cook for a minute or so.
6. Whisk in the yogurt, then add the bhindi, tomato, and salt and cook for a few minutes.
7. Garnish with cilantro and service with roti, rice, onion and papad.