This recipe is a very simple kadi or kadhi made with buttermilk, fried okra and spices.
Bhendachi Kadi is a cooling, refreshing and excellent summer dish popularly prepared in the state of Maharashtra. Kadi is cooked in various ways giving amazing dimensions to a simple, delicious, mildly spiced dish. It is also prepared in other states of India but named by different names such as Morekozhambu in Tamil Nadu, Bhinda ni kadhi in Gujarat, etc. Bhendachi kadi is a very simple dish made with buttermilk, blended with fried okra and spices. Buttermilk nicely mixed with some chickpea flour (free of lumps), mildly spiced with little green chillies, cloves, flavoured with cinnamon and seasoned with mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and fresh curry leaves.
A little sugar is also added to give a nice sweetness to the dish. This dish is a blend of sweet and savoury flavours. This wonderful recipe is a medley spicy, sour, sweet flavour and is a refreshing and cooling summer food. Tastes excellently well with steamed rice! In southern India, vegetables like ladies finger (okra), ash gourd (winter melon), bottle gourd or egg plants can also added to the kadi. Sometimes even ripe mangoes (ripe mango morekootan) are added when available in abundance in summer that adds sweetness to the dish making it super delicious. The amalgamation of sweet and sour is a superb bliss to the palate and gives an appetizing feel to eat more.
Ladies finger is a versatile veggie that is available round the year in India. It is also added to various vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Some of the authentic recipes with Ladies finger (Okra) are Bharvan Bhindi, Bhindi Prawns pulusu, Kadhai bhindi, Bhindi bhaji, Bhindi masala, Bhendi Jaipuri, Bhendi Gosht etc. Ladies finger is widely used in Gujarati cuisine, made into many dry as well as gravy dishes. Ladies finger (Okra, bhindi) is usually cooked with lots of onions without covering it with a lid to avoid making it soggy as raw bhindi has slime or glue like substance in it. Hence it is generally fried in little oil until cooked as crisp and then added to sambhar, kadhi or various other gravy recipes.
To prepare this incredible and soothing Bhendachi Kadhi, firstly in a bowl, add 1 tbsp besan atta and add little buttermilk and mix well till it is free of lumps. Add this besan mixture to 2 cups of buttermilk, mix well and keep aside. Add 1 tbsp oil in pan and when the oil in hot, add okra pieces and fry until slightly browned.
In another pan, add 1 tbsp oil, when the oil gets hots, add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add cumin seeds and very little fenugreek seeds. When the fenugreek seeds get slightly coloured, add few pieces of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, green chillies, and curry leaves. Add turmeric powder, pinch of hing and besan batter.
Reduce the flame and let it simmer for few minutes. Add salt to taste and pinch of sugar. When the kadi gets slightly thicker, add in the fried okra and mix. Bring this mixture to a boil and switch off the flame. Serve with rice, roti or have it like a thick soup.
Tip: You can also add fried sliced eggplant instead of okra or make it plain too without any veggies. Ladies finger or Okra is a storehouse of many health benefits and usually cooked over low flame to retain its properties. It is an ideal vegetable for weight loss, is an excellent laxative treats irritable bowels, heals ulcers and soothes the gastrointestinal track. This is an appetizing, appreciating and adored veggie by most kids.
Do try this recipe and the kids would also love eating it with rice. Click below to view the making this recipe:
https://www.vahrehvah.com/bhendachi-kadi-okra-in-butter-milk-curry
Buttermilk is another incredible ingredient that is a rich summer drink will keep you feeling refreshed and superb as well as healthy. Buttermilk is a sought after healthy, cooling summer drink available in every home in India. It is rich in lactic acid much more beneficial than skim milk. It also improves immunity as it contains lactic acid. One of the best health benefits of buttermilk is that, after a heavy meal, this summer speciality drinks aids in good digestion. Buttermilk is lower in fat than regular milk, because the fat has been removed to make butter. It is also high in potassium, vitamin B12, calcium, and riboflavin as well as a good source of phosphorus. So, set yourself in making an excellent and healthy dish good for the whole family.
Enjoy Cooking!
