A typical South Canara dish made from coconut and okra, Bendekai Kairasa is known for its unique taste, resembling neither sambar nor its nearest cousin, Menaskai. Its taste is in between both these, giving it the uniqueness. Urad dal and mustard seeds contribute to this characteristic taste.
Easy to prepare, mouth watering and a healthy quick dish – Bendekai Kairasa!!!
Total Time: 20 minutes
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Okra / Bendekai: About 15 to 20
Grated coconut: 0.5cup
Kashmiri Chilli: 2 to 3
Tamarind: ½ lemon sized
Jaggery: 1 lemon sized
Urad dal: 1 tsp.
Coriander seeds: 0.25 tsp.
Mustard seeds: 0.5 tsp.
Ghee / Coconut oil : for tadka
Salt to taste
Method:
· Soak tamarind in warm water
· Fry the red chillis in ghee or coconut oil. Let the chillies soak in oil. Next, add urad dal. When the urad dal turns light golden, add mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds spurt, remove from heat. Keep it aside and let it cool
· Extract the tamarind pulp (Or you may directly use tamarind paste)
· Add about a cup of water to the extracted pulp. Add jaggery and salt. Bring it to boil
· Now, to this tamarind jaggery mixture, add the cut okra and cook for a few minutes under medium heat
· Meanwhile, in a mixer jar, add the fresh grated coconut and from the fried spices, add only the red chillies first. Grind coarsely. Next, add the remaining spices and grind to a smooth paste
· Once the okra is rightly cooked (which might approximately take 5 to max. 10 minutes), add the ground paste, salt and mix well. Bring it to boil
Bendekai Kairasa is ready to serve. Simple to prepare, great to taste and healthy too. I enjoy eating the curry as is, at times!!! This curry with a little thick yogurt, tastes out of the world!!
Simple handy tips with Okra :
The main challenge in cooking Okra is to get slime free dishes !!! I am sure you agree with me. Yes, now how can we avoid it ? Here are few tips,specific to the preparation of today’s dish :
· After washing okra, towel dry it and keep it open to let it dry completely. Don’t cut the okra immediately after washing it
· Cooking with tamarind – The acid in the tamarind nullifies the sliminess in okra, thus making the dishes slime free !
Bendekai Kairasa Stories:
Mom used to prepare this dish often. And I always love the food she cooks, and this dish is no different! I once happened to get a similar taste, at my in-laws place. And I was surprised when told that it was not my mother-in-law, but my father-in-law who had prepared it. When it comes to kairasa, my mother-in-law gives my father-in-law the chance to take over the kitchen. This is one of his signature dishes among few others. He entered the kitchen, at a time when it was largely considered a women’s territory, only with the intention of helping out my mother-in-law. Even now, when it comes to few things like the simple chai or the piping hot “Goli Baje” – he does the best !!!
I can see the passion in his eyes for the measurements, numbers and the details, which he has taken care of professionally all through his life, in his cooking as well. The veggies that he chops, are so uniform and neatly done. He has to cut the vegetables himself, as he is not happy with the outcome, if any of us do it !!! Quite like my mom !!!
With both my dad and father-in-law defying the traditional belief that kitchen is an only women’s territory, kitchen for us was never a restricted area, but rather a family zone, where each person contributed in his / her own way. May be that’s one reason that we, as kids, were never forced to learn the art of cooking, rather we nurtured the interest in it over a period of time and now, we love doing it !!!
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