Tender pieces of red pumpkin & okra in a creamy yoghurt based gravy. A classic Odia favourite that’s a combination of complex flavours.
I know I might have said it's a classic Odia dish, but trust me when I say it's peculiarly for this dish. Odia cuisine is known for being prepared with very simple flavours, less spices, less oil and natural flavouring. Also known as Ambila which means sour or tangy. The sour flavour is derived from a variety of natural ingredients like fermented rice water, tamarind, lemon and curd, hence there are many versions to this simple dish. Out of all of these, my personal favourite is the curd / yoghurt based Kaanji.
Though you can use any kind of vegetables in this dish, the most common vegetables are yellow pumpkin and okra. So today we are making Boitalu bhendi dahi kaanji (red pumpkin and okra yoghurt based gravy). So let’s get started.
Prep time | 10-15 mins
Cooking time | 30 mins
Difficulty level | Beginner - Intermediate
Ingredients
Yoghurt, 1 cup
Besan/ Gram flour, 2 tbsp
Pumpkin, 3/4th cup, diced
Okra/ Ladies finger, 1 cup, large pieces
Green Chilly, 2 pieces
Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp
Salt, 1 tsp
Mustard Oil, 2 tsp
Water 4 ½ cup (approximate)
Tempering ingredients
Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
Dried Red Chilly, 3 pieces
Curry Leaves, 10-15 pieces
Garlic, 10-15 cloves, medium sized
Mustard Oil, 2 tsp
Take the yoghurt & besan in a bowl and stir until it turns into a creamy paste without lumps. Add 1/4th cup of water to it and beat again until it comes together.
Gently crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle and keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp of oil into a kadhai and add the okra pieces. Fry them on all sides until they turn brown. Once done keep it aside.
Place the same kadhai on a high flame and add 4 cups of water. Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of salt. Once it comes to a boil, add the pumpkin & cover the lid until fully cooked.
Now lower the flame, add the okra and yoghurt mixture to the kadhai. Stir the mixture until it starts to boil.
Keeping the flame on low lowers the chance of the yoghurt from splitting. Stirring the gravy vigorously does the same too.
Once it starts boiling, cover the lid and let it boil for 5 mins. Now you can add some water in case the gravy is too thick. Add the green chillies and boil for another 2-3 mins. Remove the Kaanji from the Kadhai and keep it aside.
Now heat another 2 tsp of Oil in the same Kadhai for tempting. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Let it splutter, them add dried red chilies and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds and add the roughly crushed garlic. Let them fry for a minute or until the aroma comes through. Now Add the kaanji to this Tadka/ tempering and mix it well. Remove it from the flame.
Your dahi Kaanji is ready to serve. It goes well with hot steamed rice and side dishes.
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