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In India, people like to call Okra as Bhindi. It is generally cooked by either chopping it into small pieces or by splitting in half and then stuffing some spices inside each piece of Bhindi before frying it in some vegetable oil. Generally, people like to consume it with some roti or even white rice by adding some gravy to the dish. Although it is pretty simple to cook Bhindi, sometimes it's texture might become too slimy and it might start sticking to the surface.
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In this case, it becomes very difficult for a person to save the Bhindi and it is often thrown away as nobody likes having a sabzi that has a sticky and slimy texture. However, this can be easily avoided by simply following some tips and tricks while making Bhindi at home. Here are some common tips that one can keep in mind while cooking Bhindi at home.
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* Picking The Right Kind Of Bhindi
Choosing the right variety of Bhindi is very important to make sure the dish is cooked perfectly. One of the most important criteria is to make sure that the Bhindi doesn't have a lot of seeds in it before buying it from the market. One can simply ask the vendor to cut open one piece of Bhindi as it is enough to get a basic idea about the quality of the vegetable.
* Dry The Bhindi Properly
Generally, the slimy texture inside Bhindi increases upon direct exposure to water. This is why it is important to make sure that Bhindi is properly dried before being cooked. After washing Bhindi, one should let it dry and clean it with a towel or some clean cloth before using it for cooking. This will ensure that the bhindi doesn't stick to the surface and releases extra slimy juice while being cooked.
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* Adding Curd
Another great idea to control the slimy consistency while cooking Bhindi is to add a little bit of curd while sautéing it with vegetables and some oil. The curd will make sure that the Bhindi doesn't start sticking to the pan and will also give a very nice and thick gravy to the dish. The spices added to the mixture and curd will make a very nice marinade for Bhindi. Adding curd to Bhindi is not at all a new concept and many people like to make this dish by adding a spoonful of curd.
* Adding Flour
Adding some chickpea flour to the Bhindi can also be a great idea to make its consistency right. One has to simply add some chickpea flour inside a pan and roast for some time. Then dry Bhindi has to be put inside the pan and the mixture must be roasted before adding anything else. Since chickpea flour is very dry texture-wise, it will make sure that no extra slime is released and even if it is released, it gets properly absorbed.
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* Vinegar
To control the slimy texture of Bhindi and not make it too sticky, one can simply make a solution of 1 tsp vinegar and ¼ cup of water and mix it in a small container full of water. Then soak Bhindi inside this mixture for at least one hour. After doing this, the Bhindi can be taken out of the mixture and washed in cold water. It should also be properly dried before being cooked. Vinegar helps in reducing the amount of slimy juice that is secreted from bhindi during the process of cooking.
* Not Covering The Pan
Excessive moisture is one of the biggest reasons why Bhindi generally starts sticking to the pan and releases slimy juice. So a great way to tackle this problem is by not covering the pan in which the Bhindi is being cooked. The lid of the pan leads to the building up of a lot of steam that can release moisture in the bhindi inside the pain. So one can simply cook Bhindi in an open pan, without using any lid on the top
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* Adding Salt In The End
Salt can also lead to the release of a lot of moisture in a particular food. But since any savoury dish is incomplete without adding salt, one can simply add it towards the end of the cooking process to avoid the release of extra moisture. The same trick can be used while cooking Bhindi. One must make sure that salt is added towards the end so that the Bhindi doesn't stick to the pan and become extra slimy.
