Doi Dharosh (Bengali Okra in Yogurt gravy)

BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines 
Week 1: Bengali Cuisine 
Day 4: D for Doi Dharosh (Bengali Okra in Yogurt gravy)
D for Dharosh or Dhyarosh in Bengali has 2 meanings, one is our beloved okra/ bhindi/ ladies finger and the other not-so-nice meaning is someone who's lazy and clumsy. But I am only talking about D for Okra/ bhindi today.

Doi in bengali means yogurt and in this dish okra is cooked in a spicy yogurt sauce. I was planning to make it when my husband was traveling, so I don't have to make him eat a yogurt based dish. But alas I had to make it when he was around and I made sure that he had something else to eat. I didn't tell him that this dish had yogurt in it and was surprised that he served himself a second serving. I kept quiet and didn't tell him about the secret ingredient :-)

So this dish is sure to be a hit with everyone except for those who don't like okra. It tastes great with rice. Like most of my Bengali recipes, this one is also from Sandeepa's blog.

Recipe from Sandeepa's Bongmom Cookbook:

Doi Dharosh

Ingredients:

• 18~20 Okra/ Bhindi/ Dharosh, washed, dried and chopped into big pieces
• 1 Small Onion, coarsely chopped
• 2~3 Green Chilies
• 2tbsp Yogurt
• 8 Cashews
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cardamom pods
• 2 Cloves
• 1" Cinnamon stick
• ¼tsp Turmeric
• ½~1tsp Kashmiri Red Chili powder
• To taste Salt

Method:

1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan; add the okra and saute until tender. Sprinkle with turmeric and salt. Mix well and remove onto a plate.
2. In the meantime, grind the onion, green chilies, cashews and yogurt into a smooth paste.
3. In the same pan that the okra were fried, heat 1tbsp oil and add bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Once the spices turn fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the ground paste, turmeric, chili powder and cook on low heat for 5~6 minutes, stirring occasionally or until it doesn't smell raw anymore.
4. Next add the sauteed okra and mix well with the masala. Add some water if the curry looks too dry. Cook for another 2~3 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Season with salt and simmer for 1 more minute. The gravy should be thick by this time. Turn off the heat.
5. Serve with rice or roti and Enjoy!!

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