Coconut Stuffed Bhindi Recipe | Stuffed Lady Finger Recipe

Bhindi is one of those lucky vegetables that I don't hate 😜 I remember once when I started cooking one day my said "today you'll make some stuffed bhindi for today's dinner. Choose if you want to make it with tilkoot (I will share later, what it is.) Or chow (grated Coconut)." I was just so confused and scared to make something for the dawat dinner that night but then mom taught me how to make these lip-smacking stuffed bhindi. Everyone liked it and I received so much love and praise from all the aunties. Since then I have made numerous times. It's a superb dish to present as simple meal or it can be that dish that goes on dawat table along with other rich and heavy dishes. It is best served with roti or rice bhakri. Or as a side dish with rice and mutton or chicken korma.

Coconut Stuffed Bhindi Recipe | Stuffed Lady Finger Recipe

Ingredients:

500 gms okra
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 large onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Method:

1. Wash okra and remove heads and just a little portion from the pointed end and slit them from that end but take that 2 parts shouldn't get separated. Keep them aside.
2. Now slice the onions finely, add crushed galic, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, sugar and coriander leaves and mix well. As it starts leaving juices add grated coconut. The filling is ready.
3. Take bhindi and fill the above prepared mixture in slits.
4. Take oil in a cooking pan and arrange the stuffed bhindi in a single layer. Cover the pan and cook on very low flame for 30-35 minutes. The bhindi will get cooked through in steam. You don't need to flip the bhindi.

How to make Coconut Rice

Posting this recipe on demand :D people have been asking me what's coconut rice? And was like what! You don't know? But then I realised not everybody follows same cooking style and then thought to post this recipe. Here in kokan rice are prepared in many different ways like coconut rice, baghara rice, plain cooked rice, golden pink rice, khichdi, pulao and biryani. There are also sweets preparations of rice. I will try to post all the recipes. In sha Allah! So here is,

How to make Coconut Rice:

1 cup rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon or as per taste salt

Cooking Directions:

1. Wash rice well and take into the cooking pot or rice cooker.
2. Add coconut milk and water and salt. Stir and let it cook on high flame, when all the liquid is almost absorbed place the lid and and cook on very slow flame. Check after 5 minutes if therequired is no mixture at and all and rice ate done well then turn of the flame ando serve.

Drumsticks Curry Recipe

Drumsticks curry is a mildly spiced slightly sweet onion based curry. It can be served with plain cooked rice or rice bhakri with some spicy seafood. Drumsticks have many health benefits and widely available in the market. Fresh coconut milk adds to the goodness of this curry.

Photo Courtesy: Asma Dhanshe

Drumsticks curry recipe:

Ingredients:
3-4 drumsticks
2 medium sized onions
1-1/2 teaspoon fennel seed powder
A pinch of turmeric
Salt as per taste
1 teaspoon pure ghee
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/2 cup water
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup thin coconut milk

Method:
1. Clean and cut drumsticks into long pieces. Boil these for 3-5 minutes or till the drumsticks are tender but take care that they don't break or open.
2. Peel, wash and grind the onion to a fine paste using water.
3. Heat a heavy bottomed pot and add onion paste after it has become almost dry add ghee and sauté well. 4. Meanwhile add fennel powder, turmeric powder and salt then add boiled drumsticks and let them cook covered for some time.
4. Lastly add coconut milk and bring to boil. Sprinkle some fresh coriander and serve.

Fried Fish Recipe

Here in kokan we have many recipes for frying fish like green masala fish fry, rava fried fish, besan fried, black pepper fish fry etc. But I'm sharing the one authentic recipe that's universal and famous in almost every kokni household. Fish fried this way goes just perfect with any daal or Kadhi along with rice and makes a perfect combo with fried coconut chutney, sabzi and chawal ki roti or you can just roll it in plain roti with salad and gobble gobble while on the go.
You can fry any kind of fish with this method. The measurements in this recipe are approximate you can increase or lower the spices as per your preference.

Yeah yeah! I know it's making you drool, ain't it? 😋😉
Photo Courtesy: Saima Miqdad

Ingredients:

1/2 kg fish

5-6 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (or as per taste)

1 tablespoon chopped coriander

Juice from half a lemon

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Method:

1. Clean and wash the fish and pat dry to remove excess water.
2. Take metal bow and crush garlic cloves then add all the masala powder, salt and lemon juice and mix well. Apply this mixture to fish and let it marinate for 5-10 minutes. (You can fry it right away though)
3. Heat a non stick pan. Pour oil and turn off the flame and arrange fish in the pan. Turn on the flame and cook on medium low flame for 5 minutes then again turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit. After the sizzling sound has stopped and oil is settled turn the fish and cook the same way on other side. Serve with lemon slices.

Kadhi Pakoda Recipe | Kadi Pakora Recipe

Kadhi Pakora with coconut rice and Fried Fish or prawns masala is an amazing lunch combo. It's a hit all over kokan. Kadhi is a simple gravy made from curd and chickpea flour and then made thin with coconut milk followed by curry leaves and mustard
seeds tempering which gives amazing tempting aroma to the dish. Kadhi is usually served with coconut rice but you can have it with plain rice as well. The pakoras served with Kadhi are called "goad bhajji" as they are mild in taste and made fluffy and somewhat soft than the usual pakoras so that they can absorb kadhi.

Kadhi, Pakora and Fried Fish served with Coconut Rice.

Ingredients:

For Kadhi:

1 cup thick curd
2 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)
1 green chili
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 garlic cloves
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt as per taste
1cup thick coconut milk
1 cup thin coconut milk
1 cup water

For tempering:

8-10 curry leaves
1 dried red chili
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon cooking oil

For Pakoras:

2 large onions
1/3 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1/4th teaspoon red chili powder
Salt as per taste
A pinch of baking soda (absolutely optional, I avoid this thing)
Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Make paste of green chili, cumin seeds and garlic using just a little water.
2.Take a cooking pot add curd and masala paste, salt and turmeric powder. Slowly mix in the besan taking care no lumps are formed then add water to make it thin and then cook with continous stirring till it form thick custard like texture. After it cools down a bit add coconut milk. First ad thick milk and stir well then adjust consistency as per your liking with thin milk. Bring the kadhi to boil and then remove from stove.
3. Heat oil in tadka pan and add all the ingredients for tempering. Heat them till a bit smoky and a nice aroma arises and then give tadka to prepared kadhi and cover it immediately. TaDa! Your kadhi is ready!

Now proceed with pakoras.

4. Peel, wash and finely slice the onions and take into a mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients for pakoras and mix well. Add a little water to make mixture light.
5. Now heat oil in deep frying pan and deep fry the pakoras till nice golden in colour.
6. While serving, dip a few pakoras in kadhi and serve the rest dry. Serve kadhi Pakora with coconut rice and fried or masala fish or prawns masala.