Okra Coconut Curry

These days whenever I find, fresh looking okra in the grocery store, I start filling up my bag. I have begun to love this dish. This dish is very easy to prepare, and goes very well with rice, or paratta.

Ingredients:

1. Okra (aka lady finger), 1.5 pounds, cut into 1inch pieces.
2. Onion, 1 medium, thinly sliced
3. Cardamon-3, cloves-4, peppercorns-5, Cinnamon- 2inch stick
4. Coconut milk, 1 can
5. Tomatoes, 2, chopped
6. Tomato paste, 2 tbspn
7. Coriander powder, 2tbspn
8. Turmeric powder, ½ tspn

Method:

1. Heat oil in a vessel, and add the chopped okra, and fry it. This step prevents the dish from getting too sticky, by keeping the okra intact.
2. Spoon out the fried okra, then in the remaining oil, add everything given in ingredient list step3.
3. Then add the sliced onion pieces, and saute till light brown. Add the turmeric, coriander powders, fried okra, and the tomato paste. Let it cook for few minutes.
4.  Add the thinner part in the coconut milk, and chopped tomatoes. Let the curry cook for 5-10mins.
5. And in the end, add the thick part of coconut milk, and cook it at low flame but do not let it boil.

Ground Turkey Mushroom Masala

 

I make this dish often, since it is a tasty filling for a sandwich. But also goes very well, with rice, or paratta.  

Ingredient:

1. Ground meat, 2.5 pounds. I used lean turkey breast.
2. Onions, 2 medium, finely chopped
3. Green pepper (capsicum), 1 medium, chopped
4. Mushroom, 16oz, finely chopped
5. Garlic, 4 cloves, minced
6. Tomatoes, 3, chopped
7. Pepper powder, 2 tspn
8. Coriander powder, 2 tbpsn
9. Turmeric powder – ½ tspn
10. Oil, 2 tbspn
11. Mustard seeds – 1 tspn
12. Cilantro leaves, 1 bunch, cleaned, chopped after removing stem.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a vessel, then add mustard seeds. After they splutter, add the chopped onion, and garlic.
2. Sauté the onion till it is brown. Then add the mushrooms, cook it till most of the water released from the mushrooms have evaporated. Then add the green pepper.
3. Cook the mixture for 2-3 more minutes. Now add the ground turkey, and cook it till there is no pink color in the meat.
4. Add turmeric, and coriander powder, to the cooked ground meat.   
5. Add chopped tomatoes, and let it cook till all the water from the tomatoes seeps out. Add pepper powder, and stir it into the ground turkey mix, and let it cook.
6. At this point, I add a little oil, and fry the meat a little; it gives the dish an extra punch!
7. Towards the end, add the chopped cilantro leaves.