Ashes, What do you mean no Pakistan match until Dec 26, and Beautiful Bhindi (Okra)

Yikes!  Yesterday was a draw between Australia and England.  Seriously, Australia was on fire for the first two days, then they completely fizzled out.  I honestly didn't think England had it in them but what an astronomical score they got in their second innings.   517 runs.  That's the sort of score you'd expect from India!  Well, good on them, but Ricky Ponting has got some explainin' to do.

Play better and eat better, to turn that frown upside-down, Mr. Ponting!

Right now I'm missing the Pakistan team like crazy.  No other team is as exciting to watch.  The Ashes are fun, Aleem Dar is great to watch umpiring, but nothing is as good to see as Mohammed Yousef's devastating sneer,

Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal call this guy Uncle, no joke.

 (he's still recovering from an injury, get better soon Moyo ), Umar Gul's dramatic bowling, Tanvir Ahmed's cool run-up, Younis Khan's batting and Misbah ul-Haq's awesomeness in general.   And they ain't playin' until Dec. 26.  Waaaaah!  What's a girl to do?

Tomorrow there will be a few interesting matches; New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI, Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI, and Sri Lanka vs W. Indies, 3rd Test day 1.  I have yet to watch Bangladesh, the Windies and Zimbabwe, so if there's any insanity, craziness or pandemonium in any of the games, I'll let you know.

Now I'll get to the cooking bit.  Here's a quick review of the pakistani dishes we've learned so far: 

Karahi Chicken
Test Match Machlee (Fish curry)


Misbah ul-Haq, batting for Pilao and Cuchumber

Basic Veggie Salan                                     Aloo Gosht
Aloo Ghobi
Qeema
Qorma
Daal                                          
Nihari
Pilao and Cuchumber
Samosas
Pita Bread
Roti
FriedChilies                                                               
Raita
Kheer
Cake
Fruit Chat
Zeera Biscuits
Gajjar Ka Halwa                      


Our Lovely Lads, with the amazing Mohammed Amir, whom we miss terribly

 So now you've got good basics; you know how to "bhunna", and if you've been cooking these dishes you're probably finding out what combos and proportions of spices work best for you.  Good on ya!  Now today, we're going to step things up a bit.  We'll revisit the Basic Vegetable Salan, and I'm going to show you how to prepare and make Bhindi (Okra), another classic, delicious dish which will make your dinner guests positively weep with delight.

Okra

First of all, review the Basic Vegetable Salan method here:
http://kikiscookinforcricket.blogspot.com/2010/10/theory-and-practical-lesson-basic.html
Okra, also known as ladyfingers, bhindi, or gombos, is a subtly flavoured pod-like vegetable, that when cooked properly, is absolutely delicious.

To make Bhindi, make the basic vegetable salan, but don't add zucchini, just make the tomato, onion, garlic, lal mirch and salt gravy.

You'll need about a half kilo or more of okra.  Cut off the tops, and cut the okra into 1 cm slices.  You'll notice that a slimy, sticky substance comes out.  Don't worry about it.

Now there are two methods for Bhindi salan.  Here is the first.
In a separate frying pan, heat up some oil, and fry the okra slices until they are slightly browned and crispy, and none of the slimy/sticky stuff is left.  Then add the cooked okra slices to the gravy, add a bit of water, and cook until everything is soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Second method (which I prefer, I find it's more flavourful)
Put the raw cut okra directly into the gravy, and add enough water to cover the okra slices.  Cook until the slimy texture goes away, adding more water if necessary, and reduce the liquid until the okra is totally soft and most of the liquid is reduced.  Eat with roti.
Garnish both versions with green chilies and chopped coriander (cilantro).

So there you have it...now that you know the basics, we'll build from there.  Enjoy the Bhindi, enjoy the day, and thank heavens there will be some cricket to watch tomorrow!

Happy Eating, Happy Cricket!