Bhindi Chorchori / Chochochori - Ladies finger curry in mustard paste

Summer in Bangalore is in full swing and my favorite sabjis, Brinjal and Cauliflower are vanishing from the market. In fact they do appear but they are not so fresh now. My readers already know that I am mad about the healthy food. So I am now left with fewer options – lauki and Bhindi/ Okra/ Ladies finger. There are few recipes already present in my blog aboutlauki. So I chose bhindi this time. This preparation is a traditional Bengali recipe with Bhindi and mustard. I explained in one of the earlier post that chorchori or chochochori are Bengali preparation with vegetable and mustard paste.

But before coming to the preparation let me give you some idea about the benefits of Ladies finger. Lady finger (Okra) has been a part of Indian cuisine for ages. Its rich fiber content is what mainly contributes to its benefits. Doctors always suggest this vegetable for its effect in losing weight, heart disease and controlling blood sugar levels. It also improves digestion and constipation. 

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 30 min

Servings: - 3~4 persons

Ingredients:-

1. 25 pieces of Bhindi/ Ladies finger
   
2. 1 tsp Panchforon (Bengali 5 spices) / Black cumin (Nigella seeds). I prefer panchforon for this preparation.
3. ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
4. 2 tsp Mustard paste
5. 1 big size onion chopped 
6. 2 green chili slit horizontally
7. Little bit of water
8. Salt to taste
9. Sugar to taste (optional)
10. 7~8 tbsp mustard oil ( I used Mustard oil and this makes it authentic Bengali style but you can use vegetable oil also)

Preparation:-

1. Wash the ladies fingers thoroughly. In Bangalore if you buy from supermarket you need to wash every vegetable really well for hygiene purpose. Cut the tip of Bhindi and slice it vertically into two parts.
   
2. Chop the onion and keep aside.
3. Grind the mustard seeds into smooth paste. If you have acidity or gastric issue you can use Sunrise mustard powder which is the peeled version of mustard seeds and hence healthier. Keep the paste aside.
4. Take a Kadai and pour the oil. Heat in high flame and add panchforon and a green chili.
   
5. When it splutters add onion. Stir and fry on a medium-low heat until they turn light brown.
   
6. Now add Bhindis - Stir intermittently and fry for 5~6 minutes.
   
7. Now add salt, turmeric powder and the other green chili. Cover the lid and cook for about 10~12 minutes
8. Remove the lid and check if the bhindis are tender or not. Generally ladies fingers have lot of water and it will be released to aid boiling. But some old okras may not yield so much water. In that case you may need to sprinkle little bit of water on them and continue cooking. Then the cooking time will be more.
9. Add the mustard paste. Stir to mix well with the preparation. Boil for 5 minutes.
   
10. Bring to a simmer and add sugar if you are sweet tooth like most Bengalis.Mix well and sauté for couple of minutes.
11. Switch of the flame and your delicious dish is ready.
    

This one is a side dish for mainly rice. You can eat with roti too.

Please note:-

1.      We can remove the seeds from bhindi by cutting the tips of it and then slitting vertically. This also reduces the slipperiness of it. My child does not like the slipperiness and hence I remove it. It reduces the uric acid content also – good for elder people.

2.      The taste of this preparation can be enhanced if you increase the content of mustard in the preparation. I kept it low as I do not consider mustard seeds to be very healthy.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.