Bhindi which is also known as lady’s finger is a highly available vegetable in Indian markets. But according to regular cooking connoisseurs, there is not much scope in cooking bhindi. They all easily settle down for regular bhindi curries. Just because people have not experimented much with this vegetable, it has remained one of the most underrated vegetable in the culinary area.
But yes, bhindi is something which can be easily cooked, and it also has a lot of healthy benefits. One can make regular curries or besan wali bhindi easily at home. This vegetable is grown well in warm climates, and as India is a tropical country, it is grown in abundance here. This lady’s finger is good for health as it has high amount of magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, anti oxidants and vitamins (A, C and K). It is said that consumption of this vegetable can actually help those who are suffering from constipations and it can ease the regular bowel movements.
This vegetable is also good for maintaining blood sugar level in normal limits in human bodies for those who are suffering from diabetes. Bhindi can also ensure a good skin, strong bines, healthy pregnancy and a better eye sight. If you boil some bhindi/ okra and then mash it to apply on skin, you will get a soft and supple skin in return for sure. This one is also a good conditioner for dry and itchy hair.
When you are buying this vegetable, you have to be very attentive. Buy fresh and greener ones with smaller pods and those which are tender. Do not go for the bigger ones in size as they are not good in taste and not so soft. It is a good idea to cook it the same day or the day after if you buy because bhindi tends to die faster.
Many people do have a problem with the thick slime of this vegetable, but this is good for thickening the gravy and soup. The most popular bhindi dish in India is the Bharwan Bhindi where the vegetable is deseeded and then mixed with Indian spices before frying them well. One can also batter fry it o make it crunchier.
Bhindi Ka Salan is one dish where crispy fried bhindis are served along with gravy, which is creamy, and yogurt based, and it has lively flavours.
There is Bendekaayi Gojju which has its origin in Karnataka. It is a mixture of sweet and spice where the gravy is made using jaggery, coconut, tamarind and mustard seeds along with bhindi.
You can also make a lot of experiments with bhindi. For example, there is Bhindiwala Meat. You must be wondering on how to combine bhindi with meat? It is very simple. You can cook tender meat pieces with okra and use Indian spices in it. It will bring a nice twist in your dish.
Besan Bhindi recipe is something very easy. You just need to batter it and then deep fry in the cooking oil.
