Bhendi Besara | Lady Finger in Mustard Paste

         

a sour and spicy side dish using lady finger aka bhendi in mustard paste from Odia cuisine

Besara is one of the typical odia dish. Basically the word 'besara' is referred to a 'masala paste of mustard seeds'. This is a common dish in odia households using mustard paste. Using any vegetables, we can make besara 😉

For besara, mustad seeds are first soaked in water along with some garlic cloves, whole red chili and few cumin seeds too. Then a paste is prepared using silbata (Sila in odia) which is the the authentic way of making the paste. But in these modern days we all are making the paste in grinder. And yes, in any besara recipe Mustard oil is the must-to-be used. The pungent smell of this oil surely enhances the overall flavor of the dish. No other oil is recommended here.

Well, today's besara recipe is using bhendi / bhindi / okra / lady finger as Bhendi Besara.

Ingredients of this bhendi besara -

Lady finger (okra / bhindi / bhendi)

Potato 

Tomato

Onion

Garlic clove

Mustard seed

Cumin seed

Whole red chili

Turmeric powder

Mustard oil

Dry mango (ambula)

Vadi (sundried lentil dumpling)

Salt

Water

Dietary note :

✔ Vegan

✔ Side dish

✔ Vegan

✔ Odia cuisine

Steps to make this Bhendi Besara -

Make the mustard paste (besara)-

In a bowl soak 2 tbsp mustard seeds, garlic cloves, dry chili and 1 tsp cumin seeds in half a cup of water for at least 15 mins. 

Then in a blender jar make a paste of all the soaked mustard seeds, garlic cloves, dry chilies and cumin seeds by adding a little water. 

Besara masala is ready to use, keep aside.

Make the curry -

After that make a fine paste of onion and 1/2 of the tomato and keep aside. Next 1-2 tbsp of mustard oil is heated in a pan.

All the bhendi are fried till turns light golden in color. After that, similarly all the potato wedges are fried a bit. 

Next in the same pan, rest amount of mustard oil is added. When oil is hot, the vadis are fried till light brown in color and kept aside. Then 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds are added and allow to splutter. After that the onion-tomato paste is added and sautéed for 2-3 minutes. Next turmeric powder is mixed and sautéed for 1 minute more. After that, all the fried bhendi and potato wedges are mixed gently, else the fried okras might break.

Next the mustard paste is added along with tomato wedges. 1 cup of water (adjust as per the consistency desired in the dish) is poured and stirred gently. Everything is allowed to cook over low heat till potato wedges are all done. The ambula pieces (dry mango slices) are added and mixed by a quick stir. After cooking for 1 minute more, heat is turned off. The fried vadis are just roughly crushed and sprinkled on top. The bhendi besara is now ready to serve !

The event related to this post :

Monday is here again and the Foodie Monday Blog Hop team has decided the 273th theme as 'Family Favorite' which is suggested by Priya. Her blog is full of traditional South Indian recipes as well as recipe from around the globe. Check her space, I love the Coffee flavored Coconut burfi.  Well for the theme, here I am with my family 'smost demanded odia vegetarian dish Bhendi Besara and contributed for the theme.

And, yes !!!

If you like the recipe shared here and give a try at your place then do share in INSTAGRAM by tagging #firsttimercook. I would be so happy to see and surely share in my INSTA stories 😊😊

Now let’s go through how to make "Bhendi Besara" at home 👇

: Recipe Card :

Author

Sasmita

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

50 Min

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Bhendi Besara | Lady Finger in Mustard Paste

Sour and spicy side dish using lady finger aka bhendi in mustard paste from Odia cuisine

Ingredients

• Lady finger (okra / bhindi / bhendi) (2 inch size) 1.5 cup
• Potato (wedges) 1/2 cup
• Tomato (large) 1 no.
• Onion (medium) (finely chopped) 1 no.
• Garlic clove 5-6 no.
• Mustard seed 2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seed 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
• Whole red chili 2-3 no.
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Mustard oil 2-3 tbsp
• Dry mango (ambula) 1-2 no.
• Vadi (sundried lentil dumpling) few
• Salt as needed
• Water as needed

Instructions

1. First soak 2 tbsp mustard seeds, garlic cloves, dry chili and 1 tsp cumin seeds in half a cup of water for at least 15 minutes.
2. Then in a blender jar make a paste of all the soaked mustard seeds, garlic cloves, dry chilies and cumin seeds by adding a little water. Keep aside.
3. Also make a fine paste of onion and 1/2 of the tomato.
4. Cut the rest 1/2 part of tomato into wedges and keep aside.
5. Next heat 1-2 tbsp of mustard oil in a pan.
6. Add all the bhendi and fry till turns light golden in color.
7. Strain and transfer to a plate.
8. After that, add the potato wedges and fry a bit. Transfer to the plate.
9. Into the pan, add remaining mustard oil.
10. When oil is hot, fry the vadis and keep aside.
11. Next add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds.
12. After the seeds start to splutter, add the onion-tomato paste.
13. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
14. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
15. Sauté for 1 minute more and then add all the fried bhendi and potato wedges.
16. Gently mix everything, else the fried okras might break.
17. Next add the mustard paste and the tomato wedges.
18. Pour 1 cup of water (adjust as per the consistency desired in the dish).
19. Stir gently and allow to cook over low heat till potato wedges are all done.
20. Add the ambula pieces (dry mango slices) and give a quick stir.
21. Cook for 1 minute more and turn off heat.
22. Roughly break the vadis and sprinkle on top.
23. Serve hot with steamed rice-dal combo !

Notes:

Adjust the spiciness as desired.

The sourness in the dish is usually due to the dry mango slices aka AMBULA. In addition to that, we love the sourness from tomato, so I always add few tomato wedges. But this is optional.

Addition of potato wedges is optional too. 

Without breaking the vadis, one can directly add to the curry. We love the crunchiness, so prefer to add at the end. Else one can add just before turning off the heat, so that vadis can soak the gravy a bit.

Similar Recipes

Chhuin Aloo Besara (Potato and Drumsticks fry in a Mustard Paste Odia Style)

Kakharu Danka Rai | Pumpkin Stem in Mustard paste

Sun-dried Raw Mango Raita | Ambula Rai

Manja Rai | Banana Stem Curry in Mustard Paste

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/11/bhendi-besara-lady-finger-in-mustard-paste.html

Bhindi, Bhendi, Okra, Bhendi besara, mustard paste, mustard oil, ambula, dried mango, side dish

Vegetarian, side dish, Lady finger, Odia Besara, vegan, gluten free

Odia

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Noodle Salad using Hemp Oil & Seeds

          

a healthy, easy to make and much flavorful noodle salad with the touch of hemp oil and hemp seeds

Hemp !!

This is a variety of Cannabis sativa plant which can be served as a wide variety of purposes like fiber (from the plant's stems), protein (from seeds), oils etc. So hemp is used as a food product either in raw seeds or oils. 

Hemp is commonly confused with marijuana. But no, these two are completely different in the chemical composition, cultivation methods and its applications.

Hemp and Marijuana come from the same Cannabis family. But, Marijuana is grown to contain high amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) where as Hemp only contains a trace amount of THC (which is less than 0.3%).

• Hemp seeds have a very mild, nutty flavor mostly like unsalted sunflower seeds, but the texture is not as hard as of the later one. 
• The seeds are cold-pressed to produce one of the most diverse and nutritionally strong oil, Hemp Oil which has a grassy flavor. 
• The seeds are ground up for flour or mixed with water and sweetener to create hemp seed milk.

Well, when India Hemp Organics approached me to review some of their wonderful products, I was quite excited to learn more about this Hemp as for the first time I was going to explore its benefits. 

So today's recipe is a salad using the hemp seed oil and hemp seeds (or commonly known as hemp hearts). In future I am going to share some more recipes using these products too.

Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, roasted or cooked with other foods where as the oil (since its is cold pressed) is recommended to use as raw or if planning to heat then use over very low heat.

For the incorporation of raw stage of both seeds and oil, salad is an amazing idea ! Hence the post is all about a noodle salad using these two hemp products.

Dietary note :

✔ Vegetarian

✔ Easy to make

✔ Healthy salad

✔ Make-ahead recipe

In the salad I have used some juliennes of vegetables like cabbage, carrot and bell pepper. Along with that, some grilled paneer cubes I have added too.

Making procedure of this salad -

First the noodles are cooked till al dante.

Next the paneer cubes are mixed with just salt, pepper powder and grilled for 4-5 minutes until all the paneer cubes get nicely cooked from all the sides with a soft texture inside and a nice crispy outside.

Then in a bowl dressing is prepared by mixing hemp oil, minced garlic, honey, salt.

Finally the assembling part comes. In a large bowl take the noodles, all the juliennes along with grilled paneer cubes. Then the dressing is poured over and tossed to combine well. At last, the hemp seeds are sprinkled on top and the salad is ready to serve !

Like any other salad, this can be served cold or at room temperature. This is quite healthy, easy to make and much flavorful salad.

Can this salad store to use later ?

Yes, one can make the salad ahead of time. Just keep in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator. At the time of need, take out from the refrigerator and serve either cold or at room temperature.

It stays fresh up to 2-3 days.

And, yes !!!

If you like the recipe shared here and give a try at your place then do share in INSTAGRAM by tagging #firsttimercook. I would be so happy to see and surely share in my INSTA stories 😊😊

Now let’s go through how to make "Noodle Salad using Hemp Oil & Seeds" at home 👇

: Recipe Card :

Author

Sasmita

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

15 Min

inactive time

15 Min

Total time

45 Min

Print

Noodle Salad using Hemp Oil & Seeds

a healthy, easy to make and much flavorful noodle salad with the touch of hemp oil and hemp seeds

Ingredients

• Noodle 1 packet
• Cabbage (medium) 1/2 no.
• Carrot (medium) 1 no.
• Bell pepper (medium) 1/2 no.
• Paneer cube 1 cup
• Garlic (minced) 1/2 tsp
• Honey 1/2 tsp
• Salt as desired
• Pepper powder 1/4 tsp
• Hemp oil 1 tbsp
• Hemp seed as desired
• Water as desired

Instructions

1. First make juliennes of cabbage, carrot and bell pepper. Keep aside.

COOK THE NOODLE -

1. In a large pan, boil water with salt.
2. Add the noodles and cook till al Dante.
3. Drain and rinse with regular water to remove the excess starch and stop the cooking.
4. Keep aside in a large bowl.

GRILL THE PANEER -

1. Next in a bowl take paneer cubes, salt, pepper powder and gently mix well to coat the paneer cubes.
2. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 12-15 minutes.
3. Now heat a grill pan ( i have used a nonstick pan, so no need of oil. Else just brush the pan first with little oil) and place all the cubes.
4. Grill for 4-5 minutes, flipping in between or until all the paneer cubes get nicely cooked from all the sides with a soft texture inside and a nice crispy outside.
5. Transfer to a plate and keep aside.

MAKE THE DRESSING -

1. In a bowl take hemp oil, minced garlic, honey, salt and mix well.

ASSEMBLE -

1. Now take the noodle bowl and add all the juliennes along with grilled paneer cubes.
2. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine well.
3. Sprinkle some hemp seeds and serve chilled or at room temperature as desired !

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/11/noodle-salad-using-hemp-oil-seeds.html

Hemp product, cold salad, low oil recipe, healthy salad, paneer, honey, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper

Vegetarian, salad, healthy dish, hemp oil, hemp seed, Noodle salad

International

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INSTANT Milk Powder Ladoo

         

no-cook, extremely rich and melt-in-mouth texture ladoos using milk powder instantly, perfect for any celebration !

Diwali celebration finally comes to an end as today is Bhai Dooj which is the last day of the 5 days long celebration of Diwali. The name "Bhai Dooj" indicates 'Bhai' showcasing 'Brother' and 'Dooj' means 'Second'. This is celebrated every year on Dwitiya Tithi, Shukla Paksha of the Kartik month to mark the bond shared between a brother and a sister. 

'Bhai Dooj' is also known with different names in different regions around India such as Bhai Phonta, Yama Dwitiya, Bhai Tika, Bhai Beej and many more. This is quite similar to the Raksha Bandhan celebration. Still there are some differences -

📌 On Raksha Bandhan the sisters tie a sacred thread on the wrist of brothers where as in Bhai Dooj, aarti and tika play a major part which is done by the sister. 

📌 On Raksha Bandhan the brother vows to protect his sister at all costs and in Bhai Dooj the sister vows to protect her brother. 

📌 Raksha Bandhan is observed in shraban month and Bhai Dooj is in Kartik month of Hindu Calender.

As today is Bhai dooj, so I have prepared a sweet dish Milk Powder Ladoo. 

These ladoos completely fall under No-Cook category and INSTANT too.

Ingredients for these Ladoos -

• Milk powder - This is the major ingredient in the ladoo making process. I have used Amul milk powder.
• Sugar - Just powder the regular sugar and use it. Also adjust the sweetness by adding more powdered sugar or little less. 1/4 cup is perfectly fine for 1.5 cup milk powder at my place.
• Ghee - This gives a nice texture to the ladoos.
• Cardamom powder - It enhances the flavor all over the sweet.
• Dry fruit - Pick any dry fruits of choice, just finely chop and use. I have picked cashew, almond, raisin and pistachio.
• Desiccated coconut - It is used to coat the ladoos. Freshly grated coconut can be opted too.
• Milk - This addition is completely optional. If the ladoos don't take shape easily then only add.

What are the steps to follow ?

In a mixing bowl mix milk powder, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and all the chopped dry fruits using a spoon. Then add ghee and mix to get a breadcrumb texture. Take 1-2 tbsp of mixture at a time and start shaping like ladoo. If it doesn't take the shape, then sprinkle 0.5-1 tbsp of milk all over the mixture and again start shaping. On a plate take desiccated coconut and roll the ladoo to coat well. Keep on a plate and make similarly more ladoos.

Dietary note :

✔ Gluten free

✔ Vegetarian dessert

✔ No-cook recipe

✔ INSTANT sweet

✔ Festive friendly

Ladoos are the most famous sweet dish in all occasions, celebrations not only in Indian culture but also worldwide. The varieties of ladoo in India is just overwhelming. This milk powder ladoo is just like the others. But yes, here no cooking is required. Instantly one can make and have these ladoos. These taste extremely rich and have a melt in the mouth texture with tiny crunch of dry fruits. So whenever in hurry and want to make some sweet, this is the perfect bite size choice.

Can these be prepared ahead of time and stored for later ?

yes, one can make a large batch of these ladoos and simply keep in an air-tight container until serving.

These ladoos stay fresh for 1-2 weeks if store in refrigerator.

And, yes !!!

If you like the recipe shared here and give a try at your place then do share in INSTAGRAM by tagging #firsttimercook. I would be so happy to see and surely share in my INSTA stories 😊😊

Now let’s go through how to make "Baked Spinach Murukku" at home 👇

: Recipe Card :

Author

Sasmita

Prep time

10 Min

Total time

10 Min

Print

INSTANT Milk Powder Ladoo

no-cook, extremely rich and melt-in-mouth texture ladoos using milk powder instantly, perfect for any celebration !

Ingredients

• Milk powder 1.5 cup
• Sugar (powdered) 1/4 cup
• Ghee 5 tbsp
• Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
• Cashew 3 tbsp
• Almond 3 tbsp
• Raisin 3 tbsp
• Pistachio 3 tbsp
• Desiccated coconut for coating
• Milk (optional) 1 tbsp

Instructions

1. First finely chopped all the dry fruits.
2. In a mixing bowl take milk powder, powdered sugar, cardamom powder and all the chopped dry fruits.
3. Mix everything using a spoon.
4. Then add ghee and mix to get a breadcrumb texture.
5. Take 1-2 tbsp of mixture at a time and start shaping like ladoo. If it doesn't take the shape, then sprinkle 0.5-1 tbsp of milk all over the mixture and again start shaping.
6. On a plate take desiccated coconut and roll the ladoo to coat well.
7. Keep on a plate and make similarly more ladoos.
8. Serve it or keep in an airtight container to use later !

Notes:

Pick any dry fruits of choice.

Milk addition is completely optional. If the ladoos don't take shape easily then only add.

Similar Recipes

Leftover Chapati Ladoo | Roti Churma Ladoo

Date Truffles using Oats

Magaja Ladoo | Wheat Flour Ladoo from Chhapan Bhog

Foxnut Coconut Ladoo with Rose Flavor

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/11/instant-milk-powder-ladoo.html

Milk powder, ghee, cardamom, dry fruits, festival sweet, instant dessert, no cook recipe

dessert, ladoo recipe, Milk powder ladoo, Gluten free, vegetarian sweet

Indian

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