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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Vendakka Thoran/poriyal/Okra Stir fry

Today i am going to share with you a very simple vegetarian recipe called Vendakka Thoran/Okra stir fry. I think, Okra (ladies finger) is one of everyones favorite vegetables. I like this vegetable so much but my husband is not a great fan of it. He doen't like its texture. So i am very careful while cooking this vegetable. For avoiding the  mushy (gummy) texture, I always make sure that the okra is completely dry ( free of water) and then shallow fry it before cooking.And also do not add excess water while cooking it. Actually it has its own moisture ..so no need to add more water.
Vendakka mezhukkupiratti and theeyal are very poapular dishes in kerala however the Vendakka thoran is not that popular .Yesterday I thought of preparing the vendakka mezhukkupiratti but ended up with preparing the thoran. It came out really good. When i first tried this,it was completely a disaster.Thoran came out as a kulambu(curried form).
usually i prepared it with the original thoran recipe but this time i made some changes.when i prepared the okra avial i just grinded the green chili with the coconut mix..that  gives a very good taste.so for this thoran i crushed the green chili along with the coconut.it gives a very good flavor.
There is a malayalam movie  called Achuvinte Amma..One of the best comedy scene in the movie is that the amma is telling her daughter about how to prpeare the vendakka curry..it is a very funny scene.she is trying to say the entire preparation in English(but she doesn't know english)...I think most of my mallu friends have seen that film and enjoyed it. while preparing this i was telling that dialogues to my husband..He commented that "u are super than urvasi..bhagyayi sathyan anthikad kanathirunnathu"(If the director get a chance to see my acting he could have chosen me for that role;lucky mallus:))Both actresses: Urvasi and Meera jasmine are awesome performers..
lots of stories right...anyway it is the time to  explain the preparation steps
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Cost of the item: 1.49 usd /Pound
Ingredients
Okra: 15 nos
Onion: 1 medium size
For the paste
Green Chili: 3 nos
Cumin seed : 1 tsp
Grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Salt: to taste
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
garlic: 1 pod(optional)
For Seasoning
Oil: 1tsp
Mustard seed: 1 tsp
Red chili: 2 nos 
Curry Leaves: 1 spring
Preparation
  • Cut the okra into round pieces.place the okra pieces into the kitchen towel to remove the excess water. 
  • Add turmeric powder and salt  into the okra pieces  and mix well
  • Dice the onion into small pieces.
  • Make a coarse paste of green chili, cumin seed,coconut turmeric powder,garlic and salt.use a mortar and pestle for making the paste.

Step1: Heat oil in a pan(just add 1 tbsp of oil).Add the okra pieces into the oil..cook it for sometime..do not stir..
Step2: once the okra get sauted and the oily texture goes off add the onions into it..stir occasionally( be careful do not break the okra pieces)
Step3: once the onions get sauted add the coconut paste  and mix well.Close the pan and let the mix to cook for 5 minutes in medium heat
Step4:Heat oil in another pan,add the mustard seeds,once it get sauted add the red chili and curry leaves..
Step5: Pour this seasoning into the okra thoran
The delicious okara thoran is ready to have..Have it with rice.
Points to ponder
  • Do not add water while cooking the okra..
  • Before cutting just wipe off all the water from the okra by using a kitchen tissue.
  • If u like to make this dish spicy add more green chilies while grinding.

36 comments:

  1. I love Bhindi, Prani, just like you. You really made it colorful.. i must see that movie with english subtitles after reading ur post. Keep sharing such sweet memories.

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  2. Yummy stir-fry! nice clicks too..

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  3. Yummy stir-fry!! Nice clicks too..

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  4. grt dish dear....lokks very healthy and tasty...

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  5. Prani,,vendaikai poriyal looks perfect dear and delicious... its reminding my childhood days,,that time i dont like veggie poriyal my amma use to cook vendaikai poriyal she says its good for the health and u will top in maths all these stuffs,,for each and every veggie she use to tell some story n then try me to hv the poriyal. now am looking for vendaikai but not getting this veggie here...this is too sad for me,,,thanks for sharing dear,,

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  6. Loved ur thoran, never tried okra with coconuts. That film was too good, very touching too.Excellent acting by meera and urvasi.

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  7. Yummy thoran dear...Nice click too...

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  8. uma, yummy team, kamalika,sushma,suhaina,sathya,beena,chitchat,priya,madhura,divya,tina thanks a lot for the comments dear..
    uma if i get the clip sure send u the link
    Sathya really yarr amma used to say some stories for giving food nostalgic..they are always great.
    Chitchat ya,the movie was supeb

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  9. I am not afan of okras for same reasons as your hubby.But your dish is nice and crispy.

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  10. Poriyal looks yum...my fav combo is with rice and rasam :)

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  11. Hey, never tried this before, good one, thanks for sharing.

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  12. Sounds a bit different from my thoran version.Bookmarking your recipe dear!

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  13. Looks simple, delicious bhendi...

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  14. padhu,simply food,gita,priya,malar,shahana panchpakwan thanks for ur lovely comments dear

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  15. yummy this combination of spices looks so good.
    what a simple and tasty stir fry

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  16. Thanks for stopping by at my blog and leaving a note. I appreciate it. U have a wonderful space here. Okra looks perfect.

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  17. maaya,springbird thanks for the comments dear

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  18. Hey Prani,

    You have got a very nice blog here :)
    It's nice too discover it.

    Thanks for dropping by at my blog :)

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  19. lopa
    u r always welcome to our blog.thanks for visiting here
    Sarah
    thanks for the comments dear

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  20. I love okra, i must cook thsi soon. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. your Vendakka thoran looks delicious, I love vendakkas too, any form you do, I love it!!!

    I like urvasi too, let me recommend you for the next movie ok??lol

    I don't know about the movie you're talking about but I'm sure it'd have been funny as Urvasi and meer Jasmine are excellent actresses. I have seen a similar scene where she describes a recipe for a tv program & her expressions are real funny !!! nice post anyway!!!

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  22. Hi Prani...Thank for visiting us friend..We were happy to see your lovely comment too. You too have a wonderful and neat space here...

    Love
    Kairali sisters

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  23. Hi prani, thanks for your lovely comment, i usually use ching's veg noodles, you can use egg noodles if you prefer or any other brand whichever u get over there...buy noodles which are thin, it will look good also...

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  24. I like this recipe of yours, very different from what I make. It looks appetizing.

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  25. Delicious and tasty bhindi curry..soon try it out your version..

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  26. Hey prani, thanks for visiting my blog.. your okra looks yummy and loved reading your story. glad to follow you

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  27. hey thnx for visitng n commenting in my blog...hope 2 c u agn thr...u hv a lovely space with good collection of recipes...nice okra stir fry...u hv gvn nice detailed recipe with gud tips...nice pics...follwing u

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  28. i lov okra..this looks yummy n delicious!

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  29. Sonia,Akal's, Kairalisisters,sushma,RV,Jagruti,PS,sidhi,subhie,krishnaveni thanks for the lovely comments dear.
    Akal's once i get the clip sure will send u.it was an awesome scene yarr..
    Sushma thanks for the quick response anyway i am going to try it on this weekend.PS and Sidhi.u guys are always welcome to our space

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  30. I haven't had okra for a long time - this dish looks great.

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