Homestyle Bhindi Sabzi | Okra Masala and A Book Review - The Cafe Spice Cookbook #review #home

Call it Okra or Lady's finger , we are in deep love with those sexy looking  vegetable lady's finger.  Not until 10 year's back , I was familiar with this word Okra. When I landed into this foreign land a decade ago , names looked different from what I was familiar. I was in dilemma for a while if English  taught in our country is different to British English ? Or due to my poor exposure or interest , I wasn't aware of these ? My first trip to Grocer was extremely interesting and had tons to take back. Okra is Lady's finger , Aubergine is Brinjal , Cilantro is coriander leaves , Capsicum is Green Pepper and so forth.

Way back in India, there is hardly any necessity to use English names for our veggies. Instead, every regional state have their colloquial term for them. Okra is Bhindi , Onion is Kanda ,Pumpkin is called Bhopla in Mumbai but when you travel across to the North , Onion is referred to as Pyaz ... In Tamil Nadu , Okra is Vendakai !  Isn't it amazing to have so much of diversity in our language in India ?? 

For just the recipe, skip my banters and review and scroll right through the bottom.

 Bhindi Bhaji or Okra Masala it is ! I decided to cook up a simple homestyle Bhindi ki Subzi to go along with Dal and some steamed Pulav Rice.
 Some recipes that we create at home are just to suit our palettes and how we enjoy them at home .Bhindi Sabji is one of them . I didn't have any standard measurements for them but all approximate. Flipping through The Cafe Spice Cookbook, I decided to try the recipe to 'T". Since much needed ingredients for the recipe were missing , I did some substitutions. Still Okra masala tasted just simple, subtle, neat in flavours and loved by all in the family.

It was week's ago , when I did my first tutorial post on How to do shoot on White Background? And that received some fantabulous response and support from my readers and fellow bloggers. I am really glad it has been aiding a lot of people in getting the pictures right. One such blogger is Preeti from Simply Tadka ! She casually pinged me with a few queries and I was happy to message back to her , with whatever little knowledge I know. Two day's later, Preeti was kind enough to ask me for my shipping address to send me this book as a token of appreciation - The Cafe Spice Cookbook by Hari Nayak.  Bless such good souls and friends , I have made in this blogging fraternity !
The book reached my Bangalore address safe , but it took nearly a month long in the right hands to reach me to London  - right on time for my Birthday. My joy knew no bound opening presents that day .. And this book was one of them along with a beautiful handwritten note.

'The Cafe Spice Cookbook' by Hari Nayak is a collection of 84 quick and easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals targeting American audience. Indian food only looks difficult, but with this cookbook handy and Chef Hari's easy to follow recipes , one can prepare exotic and bistro kind of meal that is light and healthy, just at home.

This book is carefully anatomised with clear explanation on Cooking techniques , Cooking tools, an Introduction to Indian ingredients and Recipes. Most of the Recipes are accompanied with candid images.The Recipes are further sectioned into Chutney and Accompaniments, Starters and Salads, Soups and Dals, Vegetables and Cheese, Fish and Seafood, Poultry and Meat, Bread and Rice and Desserts and Drinks.
 There are a lot of recipes to suit the vegan and vegetarian diet. Some of them worth mentioning are Pav Bhaji, Paneer Bhurji, Bhindi Sabji, Fresh Pineapple Curry ,Homestyle Dal variations, Sambar ,Peanut and Garlic Chutney,Spinach and Tomato Raitha and Gajar ka Halwa Also a few recipes to classic meat and poultry can be altered with Potato or Paneer like Pork Vindaloo and Tandoori Spiced Roast Chicken.

If you are looking for an Indian cookbook, where you want to recreate some simple homestyle and restaurant style food in less than an hour , then this is the One ! Friends and family are sure to rave about these dishes and extend a second helping with the recipes from the book . I am sure to share this book with my lovely English neighbour , who loves Samosa's.

About the Author - Hari Nayak 

 Hari Nayak is an integral part of the Cafe Spice team.  Professionally trained at The Culinary Institute of America, Hari is one of the most celebrated chefs in North America, followed for his unique cooking style and South Asian flare.His other best selling books include -  Modern Indian Cooking and My Indian Kitchen. He has managed to provide a new modern outlook to Indian Cuisine to the audience at home and abroad.

Bhindi Sabji | Okra masala Preparation – 15 Min | Cooking time 15 -20 Minutes | Serves 3 -4 INGREDIENTS: 500gm of Okra 1 Tblspn of Oil 1 Large Red Onion,  sliced thin 1 Medium Tomato , chopped into chunks ½ Tsp Red Chilli Powder ¼ Tsp Turmeric Powder ½ Tsp Cumin Powder ½ Tsp Coriander Powder ( optional) ½ - 1 Tsp Salt ( to suit your taste) ½- ¾  Tsp Garam Masala ¼ Tsp Amchur ( Mango ) Powder 1 Tsp Cumin seeds 2 tsp of Chopped coriander leaves DIRECTIONS: Wash the Okra and pat them dry with a towel, else they will end up slimy and sticky. Trim the ends and chop into approximately ½ inch long . Heat oil in a kadai/ pan ,add cumin seeds. They should sizzle right away in contact with oil. Add onions along with a pinch of salt . Saute for a couple of quick minutes about 3 -4 minutes ,over medium flame. At this stage, add the Okra along with the spice powders and saute for about 10 minutes. Make sure the okra doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Now add the chunky tomato pieces and cook for a few more minutes. The water from the tomato will add a bit of moisture to the curry. Add lemon juice ( optional) at this stage.Since I had run of them, add some Amchur powder.Garnish with some coriander leaves. Enjoy them hot with some warm pulav rice and dal ! NOTES: The recipe called for Coriander powder . Since I had run out at that point, added some garam masala powder. You could also omit the red chilli powder , if you are cooking for kids. I tend to divide the curry into two portions after cooking and then add the heat element – chilli powder.

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Labels: Bhindi, Bhindi Bhaji, Bhindi sabji, cookbook review, home style, no garlic, no ginger, Okra, okra masala, Review, sabzi, subzi, Vendakai