Bhenda (Lady's Finger/Okra) Sasam / Morkolambo

"Bhenda (Lady's Finger/ Okra) Sasam/ Morkolambo" ... A mildly spiced traditional curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with Bhendi/ Okra/ Lady's Finger and Curds/ Dahi ... tastes awesome served with rice/ rice- moong dal khichidi or any other mildly spiced rice dishes ... Yummilicious ....

** Here is a delicious yet simple curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine that tastes best when served with hot rice. Bhendi is a vegetable that is highly recommended to be included in our daily diet as it is excellent for the bone being high in calcium and many other nutrients. It is alkaline in nature and in very good in case of a person having high acidic levels. Bhendi is very versatile and it blends well with most of the vegetables in any prepared dishes. It also goes well with Egg, Fish and other Non-Veg. Curries. Do include this veggie into your daily diet and enjoy with your family and friends.

** Here is my simple method of preparing "Bhenda (Lady's Finger/Okra) Sasam / Morkolambo" .... My Style ....

** Wash and wipe 250 gms of bhendi/ lady finger with a dry cloth. Trim off both edges of the bhendi and cut them into 3-4 pieces horizontally depending upon the length of the bhendi. You should get the piece of about 3 inches in length. Keep them ready aside.

** Wash and soak about 2-3 tblsp of chana dal/ bengal gram dal in water for 20- 30 minutes. Drain, wash and keep ready.

** In a mixer grinder add in ½ cup of freshly grated coconut along with 5-6 green chillies, 1 tsp jeera (Roasted) and the drained chana dal to a very fine paste with very little water.

** Add to 2 cups of beaten thick curds/ dahi to the ground masala and mix all to a smooth paste. You can use curds prepared from skimmed milk too if desired to cut down on excess fat. Remove and keep this ready aside.

** Add bhendi cut to pieces in a pan, with a little bit of water and cook covered till 75 % done. Now add in masala- curds, salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and mix well. Add water if necessary to bring to a thick consistency similar to dal. 

** Boil the curry stirring often on medium heat till bubbles appear on surface. Lower the heat and simmer for a while. Do not let the curry curdle or get stuck at the bottom. If you find the curry getting too thick add in a bit of water.

** For tempering/ Seasoning/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat 1 tblsp of coconut oil (optional, you can add any oil) in a small pan, when hot, lower the heat add in ¼ tsp of methi (fenugreek) seeds, 1-2 crushed black pepper (miri, mire), 1 tsp of jeera (cumin seeds), 1 tsp of mustard sees (rai/ sasam), 1-2 dry red chilly cut to pieces (Optional, I have not added to avoid the reddish tinge it spreads, which we do not like), 1 tsp hing (asafoetida) powder, 8-10 curry (kadipatta/ karbevu) leaves and fry for a minute or two.

** Pour the seasoning over the simmering curry, mix well and let simmer for another 5-7 minutes on low heat before you remove from fire. Keep it covered aside for 10-15 minutes and it is ready to be served.

** "Bhenda (Lady's Finger/Okra) Sasam / Morkolambo" is done and ready to be served. Tastes best when served with plain rice or moong dal – Rice khichidi. You can also serve it as side dish with any mildly spiced pulav too. A very simple dish yet tastes great when served with rice and is sure to be loved by young and old alike.

** Note : If you need to serve the dish at later time please keep it in fridge, heat and then serve. This curry is recommended to be served immediately as addition of curds does not give it a good shelf life. My recommendation would be to not at all store it in fridge or otherwise but to be consumed with a maximum of 2 hours on preparation.