Simple Okra subji

Ladies finger/okra is said to be good for the brain. As a child I remember being told that I would grow up to be super intelligent if i ate plenty of this pretty green veggie. I don't know if I achieved the promised end result, but I did eat plenty of okra as a child and I still do so now as an adult.
This is a simple yet delicious dry curry that goes well with roti/puri.

What you need:
Ladies finger/okra - choose small, tender ones that can be cooked whole.
Onion - minced
Garam masala
Salt
Turmeric powder
Cumin seeds

Wash and wipe dry the okra. Make a small slit upto the middle of each one. Stuff some garam masala into the okra using the back of a spoon or a knife and set aside.
If you do not find baby okra.....use normal okra....just cut it into two halves and then make a slit in each half and proceed.
Heat a little oil/ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sputter, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Now add the okra, turmeric powder, salt and any remaining garam masala. Stir well. Cover and cook until done.
Serve hot with roti, puri or rice.

Who doesn't love a deep fried,crispy,spicy snack on a rainy day???
Did I hear you gasp "Calories"!!!
What if I were to tell you that this snack is made out of a flour packed with nutritional benefits???
Not a rainy day, you say???
Well, I live in hot.....hot....hot Chennai and I still love this any time of the day.

Now if you've run out of excuses, let's move on to the recipe.....

I came to hear of the several health benefits of ragi(millet) only after having a baby. In fact, my little girl's introduction to the world of solid foods was through ragi koozhu (porridge???)
Now I make sure that it is a part of our weekly diet in one form or the other.

Here's a quick snack that can be made using ragi.

What you need:

Ragi flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Fried gram - 1 tsp
Cashew (broken into small pieces) - 1 tsp
Groundnut - 1 tsp
Salt
Red chilli powder
Curry leaves & cilantro - a handful each, chopped fine
Onion - 1, minced
Carrot - 1, chopped into tiny pieces

Mix all the ingredients to a stiff dough adding water a little at a time. Take care not to add too much water. The dough should be a little stiff.
Tear off unevenly shaped bits from the dough and deep fry in hot oil until crisp.
Serve hot.

Recipe source: A cookery show on a TV channel(don't remember which one, though) watched while I was channel surfing....

This is my entry to Hima's new event What's your Favourite Snack.