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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sindhi curry

What is it that makes people spit out of their vehicle windows, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green? Is there some kind of saliva reflex that kicks in as soon as they see a red light? People traveling by bus are the worst....they have no concern for the poor bike rider who may be waiting at an unlucky spot just outside their window. Trains are no better...if you happen to sit near an open window, and the breeze is blowing in your direction, there's no telling what you might be coated with by the time you get off the train. Today, I saw a person spit out paan no less than three times while waiting at a signal. If that statement made you go Ewwwww....I don't blame you. Why is it that our people who can't stop exclaiming how clean Singapore is, seem to develop 'dog-sees-tree-and-lifts-its leg' instincts as soon as they see a bare wall? Will things ever change?
I have a little notebook at home where I jot down recipes from TV shows, library books and any other thing that catches my fancy. This curry is from that little notebook and there's a little note on it to tell me that it is from a TV show. It is called Sindhi curry....though I have no idea if it is of Sindhi origin. It is probably like "Indian" curry powder that is sold abroad. However, it is extremely simple to make and tastes quite good. It is quite healthy too, considering that only a tsp of oil is used, and lots of veggies go into it.

What you need:
Ladies finger - 6-8, chopped into longish pieces
Carrot - 2, diced
Potato - 1, peeled and diced
Tamarind - a lemon sized amount soaked in warm water
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds/jeera - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - 1/4 tsp
Besan/gram flour - 4 heaped tsp
Water - 3-4 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 1
Ginger - a fairly large piece, peeled and cut fine
Curry leaves - a few
Red chilli powder - as required

Cook carrot and potatoes and keep aside. Cook ladies finger in thick tamarind extract until soft.
Heat a tsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds sputter, add the besan, reduce the heat and stir fry until it starts turning brown and gives out a good smell. Slowly add water, stirring all the while so that no lumps are formed. If you do see lumps, break them by pressing against the side of the pan using your ladle. Add the green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt and let this boil for 3-4 minutes. If needed, add some red chilli powder. Add the cooked vegetables and let it boil until the curry thickens.
I had this for lunch with rotis and then again for dinner, with wheat rava idli.

17 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Curry looks super delicious, very interesting dish..

jayasree said...

Ladies finger is generally not found in these kind of potato, onion curries. Guess its the veggies combo that makes this dish different.

Shifa AbduRehman said...

yummy kadhi :)

Satya said...

curry looks delicious ,nice combination of ingredients ...will try this sure ,adding ladies finger is very new to me

Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

Mythreyee said...

I second Jayasree, not heard of okra in curries with onions and tamarind etc. got to try this one. Thanks for the recipe.

Unknown said...

Jay I don't think people will change, specially in India. The same people when go outside country, they behave, but within India they think they can dirty it anyway they want it to.

Your curry looks absolutely delish :)

Unknown said...

Sindhi curry has a typical taste; either besan ot tamato is used, tamarind not really, with all d vegs u mentioned. Is had typically wd rice and sweet boondhi. And yes during marriages, there is a special kadi - chawal shagun

Unknown said...

i love the colour..looks creamy and yumm,,

Jayashree said...

Thank you all.....

Priya dharshini said...

Spitting out is silly...Can't do anything other than giving a stare look...I luv sindhi food..The recipe and the pics is more tempting and inviting..

Suganya said...

Looks perfect. Nice recipe dear.... YUM!

sra said...

As long as it's not our house, anything is okay. I've seen children being made to pee in train compartments amidst other travellers and even defecate inside temples because they are too lazy to find the bathroom.

I know people who believe spit/ cough/other emissions should not be stopped just because there's no loo/hanky/wash basin around.

Jayashree said...

Priya, you won't believe how thick skinned people are....staring does nothing to stop them.
Sra, thankfully(?) I've not yet come across children peeing inside compartments and temples. It's so gross to even imagine that.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

This is somewhat like Sindhi kadhi? Except for the yogurt?
I have had that, but this sounds interesting.

Hamsi said...

Very interesting dish. Looks too yummy.

Divya Kudua said...

I agree with you..people seem to have no concern for fellow passengers on bus or train when they decided to spit.

On another note..the curry looks delicious!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

The curry looks very appetizing and yummy!!! very comforting and has loads of veggies in it!!!