Vendakkai(Okra) Mandi

Mandi is a tangy and spicy stew of vegetables. Traditionally, Mandis are made using water used for washing rice. This water is called arisi (rice) mandi (remnants) and is not normally discarded. Husk of the rice contains an essential  vitamin called Thiamine (Vitamin b1). Washing the rice with water will wash out this vitamin. Hence, it is common practice to not discard the water but reuse it for making Mandis. However, not many reuse washed rice water because nobody knows what chemicals were used to treat that rice. Therefore, the Mandi recipe that I am going to share with you will use a teaspoon of rice flour instead of the washed rice water to get that same authentic Mandi taste. This dish can be kept for more than a day since it uses lots of tamarind. This dish goes very well with yogurt rice.

Ingredients
Okra(Vendakkai) - 1 pound or 1/2 kg
Medium Potato - 1
Motchai (Val lilva beans)  - 1 handful(optional)
Small  onion(preferable) - 7 or medium sized onion - 1
Garlic - 7 pod
Green chillies - 6
Tamarind paste - 1/2 - 3/4 tspn
Rice flour - 1 tspn
Mustard & urad dhal for seasoning

Method
Soak the motchai overnight & cook it  with a teaspoon of salt. Cut the okra & potatoes into cubes. Remove the skin from onion & garlic & cut it into small cubes. Slit the green chillies lengthwise. Heat some oil in a pan & season it with mustard and urad dhal. Saute the onions, garlic & green chillies. Drain them and keep it aside. In the same oil add the okra & saute it till the sticky substance goes off. In the meantime microwave or boil the potatoes till tender. When the okra turns dry ( not mushy anymore) add the sauteed onion mix, potatoes, cooked motchai along with tamarind paste & rice flour mixed with some water. Let it boil till the veggies takes up the flavor & taste. Taste the mandi & adjust the salt & spice. If you want it little more hotter, fry some red chillies & add it to the mandi. This dish is usually in tangy side. So adjust the tamarind as per taste.

Variation:
There is no set rule to make the mandi with just okra. Any veggies can be added. Some of the most commonly used veggies are plantain, mango, eggplant, drumstick & beans like black eyed bean& chick peas.