Cooking Through AAPI Heritage Month: My Mother’s Bhindi Masala Recipe
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with a personal journey through Indian cuisine in New Hampshire, complete with a family recipe and top restaurant recommendations.
“Have you eaten yet?”
Growing up, I heard those words more than “I love you.”
My fondest memories from childhood with my family all revolved around food—being served a bowl of freshly cut fruit as I finished my homework, being given dal (Indian-style lentil soup) with an extra dollop of ghee (clarified butter) floating on it, or enjoying my favorite platter of food every birthday.
In most Asian cultures, food is a love language. Our parents rarely say they’re proud of us; they simply feed us delicacies to fill our stomachs and hearts. When we leave home to live abroad, our parents don’t say that they will miss us; instead, they heavily stuff tuck boxes and jars with sweetmeats and homemade snacks, often making us pay extra for carrying overweight luggage.
Cooking Indian food in New Hampshire
Two years ago, when I moved to New Hampshire—after having spent almost seven years in New York City and Chicago—I taught myself how to cook my favorite Indian recipes. It was the easiest and most affordable way to find a piece of my home in a place that lacked the diversity and easy accessibility (Nashua is a great pit stop to try out Indian food or buy groceries in bulk, but can be a bit of a drive for many) to ethnic food that I had in the big cities.
While downtown Manchester and several other parts of the state are replete with Indian restaurants (there are over a billion Indians in the world—there isn’t a corner of this planet where you cannot find a piping hot cup of chai and generously greased chicken curry along with naan), there are still limited options to grab an Indian bite on the go at a small eatery or purchase Indian snacks at a neighborhood Indian grocery store, like classic brands of chips, cookies, and candies.
Indian restaurants in America do a decent job of serving a standard list of dishes that are quite palatable to American taste buds. A staple North Indian diet comprises lots of dal, sabzi (pan-fried vegetables cooked in spices), kebabs, and chicken curries—all served with rice, roti (no, we don’t always eat naan—that’s a delicacy), and salad. But nothing takes one down memory lane or provides more comfort than home-cooked food.
Home-cooked food evokes a new level of nostalgia. It’s how many of us feel at home away from home. And while I’ve gotten quite dexterous at cooking my favorite recipes from childhood, nothing beats the flavor in my mother’s hands.
Fortuitously, her visit from India overlapped with AAPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month, celebrated in the United States every May. Since her trip began, I have been overjoyed with cherished flavors and memories from childhood.
I wanted to share my mother’s Bhindi Masala (or pan-fried okra) recipe, which she cooked for me last week.
Indian-style okra not only bursts with flavor but is also rich in fiber and vitamins. It also makes for a great option for vegans. Let’s make my mother’s bhindi masala together!
My mother’s recipe for Bhindi Masala
Ingredients
- 250 g okra
- Two medium-sized potatoes
- One medium-sized onion
- Cooking oil
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
- Turmeric
- Coriander powder
- Red chilli powder
- Dried mango powder (you can replace this with freshly squeezed lemon juice)
Preparation (Time: 15 minutes)
Step 1: Rinse and dry the okra with a towel or paper napkin.
Step 2: Chop off the ends of the okra and cut it into 4-5 smaller pieces.
Step 3: Peel the potato and cut it into small cubes.
Step 4: Peel and rinse the onion. Cut it into thin crescent-shaped slices.
Cooking (Time: 25 minutes)
Step 1: Add some oil to a non-stick pan and sauteé the okra on a medium flame for 8-9 minutes, or until the stickiness goes away.
Step 2: Transfer to a plate. Add a little more oil and sauteé the potatoes in the same pan until crispy and golden-brown.
Step 3: In a wok (or larger pan), add some more oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
Step 4: Add in the sliced onion and sauteé for 4-5 minutes, regularly stirring to avoid the onion from sticking to the bottom of the wok.
Step 5: Add turmeric, coriander powder, and red chilli powder. Let them cook for a few seconds so the pungency goes down slightly.
Step 6: Add the okra and potatoes. It’s best to add salt now and stir thoroughly so it evenly spreads across the vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Step 7: Add dried mango powder or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Step 8: Serve hot with bread of your choice. I usually do whole wheat roti. White rice is an unconventional option with Indian-style okra, but a solid option nevertheless.
Tips
- Remember to not leave any trace of moisture on the okra, as it interferes with cooking.
- Don’t fear adding more oil to the recipe. Grease helps reduce stickiness in the okra.
- If you’re a bit more health-conscious, you can air fry the okra and potatoes. (They won’t taste the same, though!)
- If you’re trying to prepare a couple of hours before cooking, soak the potatoes in water to avoid oxidation.
Where to find some of the best Indian food in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is seeing a rising diversity index—it went up from 54.9% in 2010 to 61.1% in 2020—with the Asian population making up 6% of the state population in the 2020 census, up from 3.2% in 2010. Of course, this demographic shift is also seen in food choices that Granite Staters prefer—after all, who wouldn’t enjoy a deep-fried crispy samosa or a thoroughly baked naan with chicken tikka masala?
Enjoy India’s rich flavor, culture, and history at some of these personal favorite restaurants in New Hampshire!
1. Taj India in Manchester
Taj India is a casual Indian eatery on Elm Street in downtown Manchester. It serves an eclectic mix of traditional North and South Indian appetizers and entreés. Designed to prioritize comfort and affordability for customers, Taj offers glorious all-you-can-eat vegetarian and non-vegetarian specials on weekends.
2. Curry Leaf in Concord
A family-run restaurant located on 6 Pleasant Street offers hearty Indian food, including classic dishes such as vegetable samosa, dal, butter chicken, and bhindi. You can enjoy a nicely curated menu of traditional Indian desserts and beverages here.
3. Shalimar India in Portsmouth
A cozy North Indian restaurant, Shalimar has been in the business since 1992. This restaurant brings out royal recipes from the courts of Mughal emperors to the Seacoast.
4. Chowrastha in Nashua
This self-service eatery offers snack items and classic recipes from every corner of India—East, West, North, and South. Hence the name “Chowrastha,” or the meeting of four roads.
5. Curry Indian and Pakistani Restaurant in Keene
Owned by a Pakistani Granite Stater, Mohammed Ali, Curry Indian and Pakistani Restaurant serves 100% Halal recipes. The recipes taste so close to home that Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai ate at this restaurant in 2023 while on a visit to the state.
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