Vendakkai Poriyal / Lady's Finger Fry / Okra Stir Fry - No Coconut Added

          Vendakkai poriyal / okra (or) lady's finger stir fry is a tasty south Indian side dish and I make often at home. Also this is worldwide used versatile vegetable. I use this vegetable to make sambhar, puli kulambhu , subzi and stir fries. Lady's finger is very good for our health and My mom used to tell that eating raw lady's finger helps us to solve maths problems quickly. But I don't know the scientific reason behind that and here it comes the delicious okra stir fry without coconut,onion and garlic, that goes well with sambhar and rice.



    Ingredients

            15 Lady's Finger / Okra, Medium Size
            2 Tsp of Oil
            1/2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
            1/2 Tsp of Urad Dal
            Few Curry Leaves
            1 Tsp of Sambhar Powder
            Salt to Taste


    Method

• Wash the okra / lady's finger in a cold running tap water. Wipe it dry with a paper towel. Cut the head and tail part and then cut into thin pieces.

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves, after it splutters, add the lady's finger, fry well for a min.
• Add sambhar powder and salt, fry well for 2 mins, sprinkle little water, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-5 mins until it turns soft and reduces in volume. Give a quick stir and turn off the flame.
• Vendakkai poriyal is ready to serve with rice and sambhar.

    Tips

• If you don't have sambhar powder, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of red chilly powder.
• You can add 2 tbsp of chopped red onion while tempering.
• Add grated coconut at the end if you like coconut flavor.
• Always use tender okra for frying, you can check that by bending the tail part,  if it is broken easily, then it is tender in nature.

        
    Health Benefits of Okra/ Lady's finger

• Rich source of vitamin A and Antioxidants.
• Fiber in okra helps to maintain the health of GI tract.
• Ideal vegetable for weight loss and lot of health benefits provided it is cooked in a medium flame to retain its properties.
• Okra has laxative treats irritable bowels and treats ulcers.
• Excellent for feeding the good bacteria(probiotics)
• Protects you from pimples and helps in maintaining beautiful skin. 
• Normalizes blood sugar and cholesterol levels.