Bendekayi Gojju(Spicy and Sour Okra Stew)

Bendekayi gojju is a mouth watering okra stew that has the perfect balance of heat, sourness and sweetness.

What is Bendekayi Gojju?

Bendekayi is okra/lady's finger in Kannada. Gojju is a stew that we make with a base of tamarind, jaggery, red chilis, coconut and spices. This is a very popular dish in my home state of Karnataka. There are different versions of this gojju in other parts of Southern India as well. Similar dishes include kuzhambu in Tamil Nadu or pulusu in Andhra cuisines.

This recipe for gojju does not contain any onion or garlic and is made in the typical Brahmin style. Besides okra, we will also use tomato(es) in the masala paste for some acidity and color. The dish is finally topped off with tempered curry leaves, mustard seeds, chilis and asafetida.

Although this recipe is for okra based gojju, you can easily replace okra with onions, mangoes, orange peel, bitter gourd(melon), pineapple, tomatoes. Pineapple gojju particularly is a very popular side that you will find on the traditional banana leaf meals for auspicious events. Do you have an interesting ingredient that you use to make gojju at home? Let me know below.

Other delicious okra dishes to try - Vendekayi Mor Kuzhambu , Bharwa Bhindi, Achari Dahi Bhindi

How to prepare okra?

I know okra is not a vegetable that is liked by everyone. However, I firmly believe its because they have not eaten well prepared okra 😉. Yes, I am biased because it is my favorite vegetable but I feel once you master handling this veggie, you will keep coming back for more. If you follow these tips, I promise the final dish will not have any of that sliminess.

Pick fresh okra - Always make sure you get fresh okra. It should be bright green and firm in texture.

Wash and pat dry - Always wash the okra whole and pat dry before cutting.

Heat and acidity help cut down the slime - I would always suggest roasting okra in a hot pan with some oil. Acidic ingredients like tamarind, lime juice also help remove the slime.

Ingredients for making bendekayi gojju

I will walk through the main ingredients we will need for the dish here. The complete list along with the quantities is provided in the recipe card below.

Okra - Make sure to pick up fresh okra which are green and firm to touch. I usually look for fresh okra only in Indian stores since I have not found them in regular grocery stores here in the Seattle area.

Tamarind Juice or Paste - If you have access to dry tamarind, soak a small lime sized piece in a little warm water for 10-15 minutes. Remove the tamarind pulp and squeeze out any liquids from it in to the same bowl in which it was soaked. This tamarind water is now ready to be used. You can also use tamarind concentrate or paste.

Water - We will use water as the base of the stew. Once we add water to the roasted okra, we will add the remaining ingredients like the ground masala paste, tamarind etc to cook all of them together. The amount of water will determine the strength of the flavors and the consistency of the gojju.

Turmeric - We will also add turmeric powder to the water. Turmeric is extensively used in traditional southern Indian dishes.

Masala Paste

To make the paste, we will need fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, black or white sesame seeds, red chilis, fresh or frozen coconut, tomato, Bengal gram(split chickpea lentil) and black gram(split black lentils).

The red chilis I used is a variety called Byadgi. It tends to give a beautiful color and is milder. If you have other varieties of red chilis like Guntur etc, you can use those as well. Reduce the quantity based on how spicy you would like the gojju to be since these chilis tend to be hotter. A safe bet would be to start with 3-4 chilis. You can always add more by grinding the additional chilis in to a paste. Both varieties can be found in the local Indian stores if you live outside India. .

Oggarane (Tempering)

We will need black mustard seeds, curry leaves, Hing(asafetida) and red chilis along with some oil/ghee.

Quick process of making the gojju

Grind the ingredients for making the paste - Gently roast all the ingredients needed for the paste. Make sure the heat is kept at low-medium low until you can see the lentils turn golden-brown. Once cool, add all the ingredients, diced/halved tomato and half a cup of water. Grind until smooth. Add the remaining water and grind again. Keep aside.

Roast the okra - Roast the okra in the oil until slightly browned and some of the slime has disappeared. Now we will add the water until all of the okra is entirely submerged. Bring this water to a simmer. Add the tamarind paste/juice, turmeric, jaggery and salt to the water. The tamarind juice will help remove any remaining slime.

Gently pour in the ground masala paste and mix well. Add more water if required. Let this simmer until the okra is fully cooked. Taste and add more salt if required. Take off the heat.

Oggarane (Tempering) - Heat a small pan and add oil/ghee. Once the oil is hot, add hing, black mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilis. Turn off the heat once you see the mustard seeds pop. Add this tempering to the gojju and mix well.

Suggestions for serving, storage and meal prep

Serving suggestions - Bendekayi gojju is served hot with steamed white rice. I highly recommend adding a teaspoon of ellenne(sesame oil) before mixing it in to the rice. Sesame oil goes excellently with gojju of any kind.

For sides, I recommend serving with a side of palya(stir fried vegetables or lentils/beans), happala(papad) which is a rice/lentil/sago based wafers, uppinakayi(Indian pickles), kosambari(lentil based salad) etc.

Storage - Gojju can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for up 3 months. Reheat in a pan over the stove or in the microwave until thoroughly warm. If frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Meal Prepping - You can prepare the masala paste and freeze in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Let it fully thaw overnight before using in the dish. For refrigeration, I would recommend chilling and storing in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days since coconut tends to spoil easily even when refrigerated.

The okra can also be sliced and frozen. Use directly from the freezer since thawing will make it very slimy and difficult to work with.

Let me know what you thought of this bendekayi gojju! Do you have any questions, feedback or comments? Please leave them below in the comments section and I will get back soon. You can also follow along on social media at Facebook or Pinterest.

Recipe