See Mom, I'm Eating My Greens!

Motherhood is warfare, and C-section scars are just one of the battle wounds inflicted upon us. Don't even get me started on breastfeeding. Seriously. Don't. And then there's the new eating techniques I have to get used to. Where once I was free to savor every bite of whatever came out of my kitchen, leisurely enjoying my meal and chatting away with DH about the day, now I have no choice but to gulp down my meal in 5 mins. Barely getting the time to chew! That's the worst for a foodie, isn't it? One of these days I'd like to get back to eating for pleasure. A girl's got to have goals in life, right?

That's my thought of the day. *Sigh*. It feels so strange talking about "mommy" issues now. I never thought of myself as being very maternal. And I'm still not very good at it, but I find that I rather like being part of this whole new group of special people in the world, i.e., moms!

I'm not afraid to occasionally grumble about the small things with you, dear readers, because you are the soul of discretion and understanding. Plus, there is no guilt because I know how my heart melts when I look at my little guy. Some day I hope I can look back on these first few weeks, and laugh at how paranoid and silly I was about so many things. Like the intense relief I felt when Bashaar's pediatrician informed me yesterday that I was doing a "good job" with him, and that he had gained a good amount of weight. Two weeks ago, I never even thought this would be a concern for me - after all, gaining weight has never been a problem for people living in or visiting my house! It's almost a no-brainer.

But I am trying to control myself when it comes to food these days (oh, the pain!), and I do love my veggies. Hard to believe, I know. But I like 'em cooked, not raw, please. My poor mom (I miss her so!), who was with me during the first few days after my delivery, tried her very best to get me to eat all kinds of nutritious foods. But those early days were really rough for me - nausea, baby blues, you name it - so I did not have an appetite at all. Now though, as time has gone by, I'm definitely feeling hungrier and craving foods that are good for my body and soul. Like this Indian recipe for Okra Curry - hands down my favorite way to eat okra. It might become yours too.

A pretty bouquet of okra.

Okra Curry With Cashews & Yogurt
Serves 4

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 lb okra (preferably fresh)
2 tbsp urad/maash daal (the white lentils)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 small tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 cup yogurt, whisked
Salt to taste
1.5 tbsp grated coconut
1/4 cup cashews
8-10 curry leaves (kadi patha)
Canola oil for frying

Method:
1. Grind the coconut and cashews to a paste; set aside.

2. Remove the base and tip of each piece of okra and cut into thirds. Heat a few tbsp of oil in a pan and shallow-fry the okra for 5-10 mins, till mostly crispy. Remove from pan and drain on kitchen towels.

3. In the same pan with the remaining oil, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, onion and curry leaves. Saute till onions are transparent. Then add in the urad/maash daal and saute for another 30 secs.

4. To this, add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric, cashew-coconut paste and salt. Cook till tomatoes are softened.

5. To the yogurt, add 1 cup of water and mix into the masala. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Now add the fried okra back in, cover the pan and simmer for 10 mins. Serve hot with chapatis or parathas.
Verdict: I always, always lick my plate clean whenever I eat this curry. It's a little sweet from the onions, a little tangy from the yogurt and tomatoes, and has amazing texture because of the cashews - plus frying the okra means they're not at all slimy, so be not afraid. I first made this when I started living on my own oh-so-many years ago, and I feel like it's ingrained into my regular cuisine now. I don't need a side of meat with this. Actually I don't need anything, other than hot chapatis to go with this. Even DH agrees that it's his favorite version of an okra curry. Score!

I'll be submitting this particular favorite recipe of mine to the next Weekend Herb Blogging round-up, hosted by Simona of Briciole.