
Siri is an obsessed foodie, an avid blogger, a passionate…
Okra absorbs all the flavors of the different spices in this delicious and hearty stew.
By Siri Pulipaka
- 10 okra, washed and cut into long pieces
- ½ cup toor dal, washed and drained
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp sambar powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp oil
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp each - cumin seeds, urad dal, mustard seeds
- 2 dry red chillies
- few curry leaves
- a pinch of hing
- In a pressure cooker, add toor dal with 1 cup water and cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Mash the dal.
- Heat ½ tsp oil in a kadai and add onion and tomato. Cook for few mins and then add okra pieces. Saute until soft.
- Add a glass of water, tamarind pulp, turmeric, salt, coriander powder and sambar powder. Mix well, cover and let it simmer for about 10 to 12 mins on low-medium heat. Okra must become tender.
- Add mashed dal and continue to simmer for 10 mins. Adjust salt if necessary. Turn off heat and cover.
- In a separate kadai, add a tsp of oil. Once hot, reduce heat and add urad dal, mustard seeds and cumin seeds along with red chillies, curry leaves and hing.
- Once mustard seeds start to splutter, gently add the tadka mix to sambar. Cover and let it sit for few minutes so that the flavors blend in.
- Serve hot with rice and papad.

Siri is an obsessed foodie, an avid blogger, a passionate photographer and one who yearns for simple pleasures of life. She writes about recipes, her culinary adventures and reviews local restaurants & events on her blog - Cooking With Siri, which she started in summer of 2007 during her stint in the US. She believes in farmer's markets, growing her own food and eating responsibly & locally. She also has a photography blog - 365 Days of Siri, where she shares and documents a slice of her daily life through the camera lens. She currently lives in Hyderabad, India along with her food-loving husband.