Bendekayi kayirasa recipe | Bendekai hasi kayirasa | Ladies finger gravy
By Latha on october 27th, 2015
Bendekayi kayirasa or ladies finger in urad dal gravy recipe explained with step by pictures. Bendekayi kayirasa is a simple yet mouth watering recipe. It tastes very good with rice or chapathi. This type of bendekayi kayirasa is prepared mainly in kundapura and malenadu region of karnataka. Generally green chilies are used in kayirasa but you can also use red chilis. Bendekyi kayirasa should have thick gravy, so be careful while adding the water.
Mangalore side a different version of kayirasa is in practice. In mangalore style bendekayi kayirasa jaggery is used and is boiled at the end. Soon I will post that version also. Bendekayi or ladies finger is very good for health. If you are looking for more Ladies finger recipes, then do check our bendekayi palya (ladies finger curry) and Bendekayi sambar recipes.
This simple and tasty bendekayi kayirasa is totally different from other gravies. We have to just add the ground masala with the cooked vegetables. That final boiling step, after mixing the masala and cooked vegetables is not there in this recipe. In kayirasa the gravy and the cooked vegetables are simply mixed when the cooked vegetables are cool/warm. So this kayirasa is also called by name "hasi kayirasa", where in hasi translates to raw (not boiled) in kannada language. Remember you need to wait till the cooked vegetables are warm. This recipe is popular with bendekayi or ladies finger. But it also tastes good with beans, Long beans and tindora (thondekayi). If you are looking for more Karnataka style gravy recipes then do visit our gravies section.
I have made a video on this recipe with Kannada narration, which I have embedded it below. Kindly have a look.
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 3
Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)
- 250 gms Ladies finger
- 4 tsp urad dal
- 2 green chillies
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 gooseberry sized tamarind
- 1/4 tsp cooking oil
- Salt as per your taste
- 1.5 cups water
Ingredients required for tempering:
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 red chilli
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1 tsp cooking oil
Instructions for making Bendekayi kayirasa:
- Wash and chop the ladies fingers into 2cm length pieces by discarding the ends.
- Soak tamarind in 1 cup of hot water. Transfer the cut ladies fingers into a container. Add in little salt, turmeric powder and tamarind juice. Cook the ladies fingers until soft. Optionally you can fry lady's finger for 2 minutes and then cook.
- Take chilies, urad dal and 1/4 tsp oil in a frying pan. Fry them under low flame till the urad dal turns golden brown.
- Add in grated coconut and fried urad dal into mixie jar and grind it into a smooth paste using half cup of water. At the end add in fried green chilies and grind it again for about 5 seconds.
- Wait until the cooked ladies fingers are warm and then add the ground masala. Add in salt and mix well. Remember in this recipe no boiling also dont mix the ground masala when the vegetables are hot.
- After mixing temper it with oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Serve it with rice or chapathi. This gravy has very less shelf life. So use it before 2-3 hours or keep it in the fridge and make it warm before use.
Here is the image of kayirasa using red chilies. All procedures remain same. 
Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.
Dear Reader,
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