Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Monday, December 8, 2025

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 small cup onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 small green bell pepper, minced (about 1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/4 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1/2 pound fresh okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups cooked white rice

Accompaniments:

Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

About 2 teaspoons filé powder

Preparation

1. Step 1

   In 4-quart heavy stock pot over moderately high heat, heat oil. Reduce heat to moderately low and whisk in flour. Cook, stirring frequently with wooden spoon or heatproof silicone spatula, until mixture becomes dark brown and has intensely nutty aroma, 10 to 15 minutes.

   Step 2

   Stir in onion, pepper, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock. Raise heat to moderate and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

   Step 3

   Add bay leaves, shrimp, sausage, and okra and simmer, uncovered, until okra is tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and stir in salt, cayenne, and black pepper.

   Step 4

   Divide rice among 4 large bowls. Ladle gumbo over, and serve with hot sauce and filé powder for sprinkling on top.

Dahi Wali Bhindi (Okra) | Adraki Bhindi

Dahi Wali Bhindi (Okra) | Adraki Bhindi

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

 The dahi wali bhindi is richer and can be served as a standalone subzi for your dinner chapati , I never tried it with rice but many of you might find it good with rice too. I can eat this subzi on it's own too ...I do that with many vegetables anyways :-)

ingredients...

Bhindi / okra 250 gm (tipped and cut into inch long pieces)
fresh curds 1 cup

fennel powder 2 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp
tomatoes chopped lengthwise 1 cup
green chillies slit lengthwise 2-3 nos.
2 cloves
2-3 petals of star anise
1 small black cardamom or half a fat one

salt to taste
mustard oil 1 tbsp

procedure..

Heat the oil in a kadai or pan and tip in the whole spices , wait till they crackle and then tip in the chopped ginger and green chillies .

Wait for a few seconds till the chillies change color and the ginger is fried , throw in the cut bhindi ( okra ) and fry till the bhindi pieces are slightly browned in the corners..

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste and fry till the tomatoes wilt ..

Whip the curds ( at room temperature ) with powdered spices ( fennel and pepper powders ) and some red chilly powder if you like it hot . Pour this mixture over the cooking bhindi , mix well and allow a gentle boil .

Take off heat and keep covered for a couple of minutes for the flavors to blend.

Serve hot with chapatis or as a side dish ...

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adraki bhindi or ginger okra stir fried...


ingredients...
okra cut in two pieces and slit lengthwise taking care not to slit all the way 400 gm
ginger julienne 2-3 tbsp or more if you like ginger the way I do
5-6 garlic cloves peeled and slit into two halves
turmeric powder 1 tsp (optional)
black pepper powder 2 tsp or more if you like
amchoor powder 1/2 tsp or to taste
salt to taste
mustard oil or any other oil of your choice 2 tbsp

There are no chillies in the recipe as the heat from ginger and black pepper is quite high, you can throw in a few slit green chillies if you like. Sometimes I use the less hot varieties of green chillies for this stir fry as the flavor of the green chillies enhances the overall taste.

procedure...


Heat oil in  a kadai and tip in the ginger and garlic first. Let the ginger get a little cooked and almost caremalised , the garlic is cut in bigger chunks so it doesn't get browned before the ginger cooks. The ginger just needs to release some flavor in the oil and get fried.

Add the cut okra and toss to fry . Cooking is done on high heat in this case and you have to keep tossing or stirring with a spatula. Do not brown the okra, just a few brownish specks here and there and about 3/4th done okra is what we are aiming for.

Sprinkle the salt and turmeric powder if using, mix in to cook then sprinkle the black pepper powder and toss well to mix. In these 2 minutes the okra cooks some more. Take off heat.

Sprinkle the amchoor powder , mix well and serve hot. You can choose to sprinkle some chaat masala over it  if you like. Its a hot tangy dish and makes a nice side dish for traditional Indian lunch or dinner.

For me it can be a salad too ...Yes, I told you I do that :-)

Bhindi/Okra - Ghee Fried | Kashmiri Masala

Bhindi/Okra - Ghee Fried | Kashmiri Masala

Kashmiri masale wali sookhi bhindi is a very simple and quick preparation. The spice mix is not very authentic Kashmiri but somehow in our family it was know as Kashmiri as it is inspired by Kashmiri masala.

To prepare this Kashmiri masale ki sookhi bhindi, just wash and cut the okras (400 gm) in half, pat dry and keep aside. Heat mustard oil 1 tsp in a deep pan and throw in few whole red chillies and let them change colour. Now add the okras with salt to taste and stir fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 tsp of powdered kashmiri masala*, fry till the okra takes a golden hue and it is ready to serve. It may take some 10 minutes to cook this way if using minimal oil like this recipe.

The okra pieces should just be cooked and not browned, it is good this way to preserve the mucilage of okra too as I mentioned above.


to make powdered kashmiri masala*

fennel seeds 1 tbsp
black pepper corns 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
cloves 5 nos.
fenugreek 1/2 tsp
cinnamon 1 inch stick
whole red chillies to taste (you can skip these and add chillies separately to stir fries)

Dry roast all these spices and make a powder along with 8-10 whole red chillies, 1 tbsp dry ginger powder and 1 tbsp of amchoor (dry mango) powder and a pinch of asafoetida. Keep in a airtight container for later use. Just 2 tsp of this powder makes any stir fry hot, spicy and flavorful.

I stock powders of all these spices so I mix the powders and use for convenience. You can do that too if you stock powders of all these spices.

Kashmiri masalae ki sookhi bhindi is one stir fry that can make a meal for me if served with a little grilled chicken or even paneer.

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GHEE FRIED PEPPERY OKRA / BHINDI

tender baby okra is always cooked quickly in my kitchen. This ghee fried peppery okra is the most common and is cooked almost everyday when there is okra growing in the garden. And yet we don;t get bored of it.

We like with either chapatis or daal chawal. It is just fried quickly in ghee, without any tempering on low flame and once the okra pieces look translucent you add the salt and pepper, toss a little bit and serve right away.

Recipe of this ghee fried peppery okra is the quickest...

1 tbsp of ghee for 500 gm bhindi is all cooking fat you need. 
Frying on low flame ensures better frying if using less ghee.
You can always use more ghee and fry quickly on high flame.
Just as the okra gets lightly browned or half cooked, add salt and lots of pepper.
Give it a good toss and it is ready..

I believe some of the best recipes are the most simple ones where the essence and flavor of the main ingredient is preserved. Here it is enhanced by ghee. Try it I am sure you'd love it.

In most north Indian homes bhindi is fried till completely browned. It is not the right way to cook bhindi. The mucilage in okra is good for the digestive gut and should not be destroyed by overcooking it.

Cooking it quickly over high flame with a bit more ghee or on low flame slowly with very little ghee ensures the mucilage is not destroyed and the okra stays good for health, or is not killed by over cooking as I say.

You can use baby okra whole for this ghee fried peppery okra. Just remove the cap and give it a slit if you wish, or chop the okra in small bits if you have long but tender okra.