Low Fat Crunchy Okra In Yogurt (Raita) / Vendakka Thair Pachidi

Okra is one of my favorite vegetables. There are only two groups of people out there, one who love okra and the other who cannot stand it. Most people do not like it because, if it is not cooked well it can get all slimy and gooey and the texture is a big turn off. But on the other hand if you roast it well then you are left with very tasty okra. To get the slimy thing out of the equation I always broil the okra. It can be roasted to become so crunchy and can easily pass off as garnish or in raita. On the other hand it can be toasted enough to be used in preparation of bindi masala. This raita is very common to south Indian cuisine. Original recipe uses the stove top to roast the okra which requires a lot of oil. I thought it would be great to post this recipe because of the broiled low fat crunchy texture and taste of okra. It is super simple to make and makes life easy. Apart from all that, I thought the pictures were very interesting and unique. They were clicked by my husband with the help of the in house food stylists my daughter and niece. 

Gadgets:

Cutting Board

Knife

Baking Tray

Measuring cups and spoons

Bowls

Whisk

Wok

Spatula

Ingredients:

Okra - 1 cups sliced into less than 1 cm disks

Salt

Oil - 1 tbsp

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp 

Yogurt - 1 cups

Asafoetida - a few shakes 

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - a few

Dry chilli - 1

Preparation:

1.Turn the oven to broil . Coat the baking tray and okra with 2 tsp of oil, salt, chilli powder and broil for  20- 25 minutes making sure to turn the okra every now and then.

2. Add 1 tsp of oil to the wok. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilli and once the mustard seed pops remove from flame and add to yogurt. 

3. Add the crunchy okra to the yogurt and serve.