Simple Okra/Bhindi With Paanch Puran

SrilathaIndian, Sides Leave a Comment

This is a simple dry side dish that comes together pretty quickly, and needs simple ingredients. This is inspired by the Bengali dish chorchori or churchuri which is made with a mix of vegetables such as pumpkin, eggplant, potatoes, and almost always spinach, but all I had was okra/bhindi, and I decided to make it with what I have. It turned out really good! The original Bengali dish uses the mix of whole spices called Paanch phoron/paanch puran which is readily available in Indian grocery stores (paanch meaning five in Hindi). The original recipe also uses the spices whole, but I modified it slightly by powdering them coarsely, and adding it at the end instead of in the initial tempering.

Tomato Rice

SrilathaMain Dish, South Indian Leave a Comment

This is a simple, one-pot dish that comes together in about 20 minutes. Add an onion/cucumber raita (grated, finely chopped onions and cucumbers in yogurt, and seasoned simply with salt, pepper) and you get a satisfying meal in under 30 minutes. Rough equivalent of the Mexican rice!