Okra, Ladies Finger, Bhendi, Dheros, (scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus)…no matter what you call it, Okra is one of the common vegetable in South Asia! In Bangladesh, we call it Dherosh (ঢেঁড়স), in some areas, its called Bhendi (ভেন্ডি)। I really like to know who came up with the name “Ladies Finger.” Is it because its long and thin structure? I find it very eccentric!

You can make many delicious recipes with Okra or Dherosh. However, my favourite is stir fry recipe, which is very quick to make and very tasty to eat!

You need only Okras, onion, garlic, chili, salt, turmeric powder and oil! I am not sure if I can remember any Bangladeshi recipe with the lowest amount of ingredients. However, I promise this will be the most delicious recipe of Okra you will ever taste!

You can cut okra in any shape you want. But for this recipe, I have decided to cut them in small ‘Julianne’. Cut them in longitudinally first, then in one fourth and finally in small pieces, around 2cm. This way, the stir fry looks so pretty!
However, what you don’t see in the picture is, when you cut Okra, there’s some slippery, greasy substances comes out of okras. So always be very careful with knife while cutting them and always always wash BEFORE you cut okra. Also don’t be afraid to see the seeds inside, they are soft to eat and you don’t need to clean them.

Slice onion, garlic and chili too. Since this is a very fast to cook recipe, you probably want to prepare the veggies first and then start cooking.

Start sauteing garlic in a pan. You can use any white vegetable oil or mustard oil. Saute garlic until they start to be golden.

When garlic is ready, add sliced onion and cook them until golden brown. You can add chili in this step too.

So, the onion and garlic are golden by now, add sliced okra, salt and turmeric. I know adding turmeric may sound pretty weird here, but we Bangladeshis love to add turmeric in everything. We love to live and eat colourful!

Mix and stir fry everything very well. Its up to you now, how crispy or green you would like to eat them. I like them pretty crispy, so I will cook them for about 10 minutes in medium low heat!

You can take off the Okra stir fry from the heat by now, when it looks like above. Its already cooked and ready to eat!

I have cooked them for 5 more minutes in medium low heat. I did not cover the pan or add any extra water to the dish.

My Dheros Bhaji is ready to eat! The best to pair with is rice of course, but you are free to eat with ruti, tortilla or as it is!

Recipe: 2-3 Servings Prepping time: 8-10 minutes, Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 250g Okra/Ladies Finger/Dherosh/Bhendi Spice and Condiments: 60ml Vegetable Oil (Olive/Mustard/Coconut oil, anything will do) 1 medium Onion 1tbs fine Salt 1tsp Turmeric powder 2-3 Cloves Garlic 2-3 Chili (optional)

Instruction: 1. Slice onion and garlic. Wash and cut Okra into thin, long pieces. 2. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic. When garlic turns golden, add onion and chili. Cook until golden over medium low heat. 3. Add sliced okra, turmeric powder and salt to pan. Mix everything. Keep stirring frequently to ensure the okra does not get burnt. Do not let the okra turn brown. 4. Turn off the heat once the okra is cooked and the oil separates out. Serve with rice or flat bread or tortilla!