ghee fried peppery okra / bhindi

Baby okra or all the okra or bhindi that we grow in the garden which is tender always, should be cooked in minimum possible seasoning. Once you have the freshest of vegetables you would not want to drown them into spices and seasonings. It is better to retain the natural bite and flavours so you get the taste of the vegetables better.

So tender baby okra is always cooked quickly in my kitchen. This ghee fried peppery okra is the most common and is cooked almost everyday when there is okra growing in the garden. And yet we don;t get bored of it.

We like with either chapatis or daal chawal. It is just fried quickly in ghee, without any tempering on low flame and once the okra pieces look translucent you add the salt and pepper, toss a little bit and serve right away.

Recipe of this ghee fried peppery okra is the quickest...

1 tbsp of ghee for 500 gm bhindi is all cooking fat you need. 
Frying on low flame ensures better frying if using less ghee.
You can always use more ghee and fry quickly on high flame.
Just as the okra gets lightly browned or half cooked, add salt and lots of pepper.
Give it a good toss and it is ready..

I believe some of the best recipes are the most simple ones where the essence and flavor of the main ingredient is preserved. Here it is enhanced by ghee. Try it I am sure you'd love it.

In most north Indian homes bhindi is fried till completely browned. It is not the right way to cook bhindi. The mucilage in okra is good for the digestive gut and should not be destroyed by overcooking it.

Cooking it quickly over high flame with a bit more ghee or on low flame slowly with very little ghee ensures the mucilage is not destroyed and the okra stays good for health, or is not killed by over cooking as I say.

You can use baby okra whole for this ghee fried peppery okra. Just remove the cap and give it a slit if you wish, or chop the okra in small bits if you have long but tender okra.