Bhinda ni Kadhi

You will find many gujrati dishes on this blog, and if there is no mention of bhinda ni kadhi then something is missing.

I started cooking ever since I was in school. I started by making chapatis first and then gradually moved over to other stuff. Boring as it was then, I would always try to get out of the kitchen but pulled back in by her.

It began with making chapatis and then standing next to her just stirring the spoon in whatever she was making. Theory lessons would go on in the background as a running commentary which whould be everyhting from what different types of dals are used for, to what goes in first while tempering and why.

Gujju food is famous for its long endless preparations and hence that was the next lesson. Standing next to her in the kitchen and helping to make masalas, chop the vegetables, stuff them if required and the likes.

I would enjoy stuffing! Now that I think back, I don’t really understand what’s so fascinating about that mundane task, but I used to enjoy it then and I even do it now. 

For Bhinda ni Kadhi:

serves 2

10-12 small to medium sized lady’s finger, washed, dried, remove the corners and slit it along its length

1 cup stuffing masala – same as that for Sambharyu Shaak.

1 cup yogurt

2 tsp besan

2-3 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hind / asafoetida

salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

Fill the stuffing masala in the lady’s finger and keep it aside.

In a kadai, heat 2-3 tbsp oil, add mustard seeds, once they start to pop add cumin. Let it brown and then add hing.

Throw in the stuffed lady’s fingers, stir, cover and let it cook till they are half cooked.

In the mean time, mix besan with yogurt and add salt to taste. Add this to the kadai once the lady’s fingers are half cooked. Mix it well.

Give it a good boil. Some of the masala will spill out into the kadhi. Add one tsp sugar and garnish with chopped coriander.

Enjoy with khichdi or just plain rice.