Lady's Finger Stir fry/ Vendakka Mezhukupuratti / Okra Stir Fry (Indian style)

I have seen many people hating Lady's finger for their mushy or gooey texture. Frankly, I too hate it for the same. But if cooked in a way that they stay separate and not clinging onto each other with those gooey texture, I love them. It would be one veggie that I would so love to have and so does my family. 

Now, how to get that perfectly done lady's finger is not rocket science. You could refer to tips section to know how. BTW, have you noticed, that the way you cut your lady's finger, decides its taste. I usually go by cutting them vertical, thin and long. I find it more tastier than the horizontal, disc shaped ones. Am I sounding weird or have you too noticed it? Before, I confuse you or make myself sound like one idiotic person to you, let me put a full stop to this conversation and move on to the recipe for the day.

Ingredients

1. 1 kg of Lady's finger/ Okra, sliced
2. 1 medium sized onion, sliced
3. 2 green chillies
4. 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
5. 3/4 tsp of red chilly powder
6. Salt to taste
7. 2 tbsp of cooking oil or more to add if you feel it to be sticking to the bottom of the pan

Method

• Heat a non stick pan and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onion and green chillies. Saute it untill the onions turn tender.
• Add the turmeric powder and stir it well. Now, add the sliced lady's finger/ okra. Give it a mix. Turn down the heat to low. Cover it and let it cook untill its 3/4th done, which would take about 12-15 minutes. 
• Now open the pan, sprinkle the red chilly powder and give it a stir gently. It may look a little moist and gooey. Don't panic or get disappointed.
• Here on, continue to cook it open on low flame. Stir it only when its absolutely needed (i.e. to avoid any burning or sticking). In couple of minutes, the stickiness should disappear and the lady's finger/ okra pieces should not be sticking on to each other. Turn down the heat and do not cover it immediately but wait for it to cool down a bit.
• Serve it with rice and Moru Kachiyathu. 

Tips

1. To avoid the lady's finger from turning gooey, couple of things should be followed. Wash and pat dry the lady's finger to avoid any excess moisture. Also, do not stir the lady's finger often. Since you wouldn't be stirring often there are chances of it getting stick to the bottom of the pan. So, use a non stick pan and turn it down to low flame as soon as the lady's finger starts to cook covered. Other than non stick pans, you could use thick bottom pan/kadai, but you may need to add additional oil to prevent it getting stick to the bottom. Once it is 3/4th cooked, continue cooking it open on low flame, stirring when absolutely needed to avoid burning or sticking at the bottom of the pan.
2. Adding an inch long of kokum to the stir fry, also prevents the stir fry from becoming gooey. 
3. I believe the cut of the okra really decides the taste of this dish. I feel, the long and thin cut okra taste better than the disc shaped okras. It is my personal experience :).