Lady’s Finger Fry Recipe

When I first saw the name Lady’s Finger Fry, I could not wrap my head around what the dish is. I was sure that it is something I have never tasted or even heard of before. But when I asked about the dish, the absolute nonchalant reply I got was ” oh it’s just Dherosh Bhaja.”

My world was shaken after learning this knowledge. Because dherosh bhaja is one of my favorites, and I did not know the English of the dish? I didn’t even know the English of Dherosh.

Lady’s finger fry or Dherosh Bhaja feels very Bangla and homely. I don’t think I have ever had Dherosh Bhaja outside of any household. Not even in any dawat or invitation, only at family settings. So the dish is not very spoken about, it’s just something that is there while you’re having lunch. It is never the star attraction of the meal, Dherosh Bhaja will just be in the shadows. Sometimes even literally since the bowl carrying Dherosh Bhaja is smaller than all of the other bowls. Hence I never learned the English term.

Confidentially, today my mother cooked lady’s finger fry. And I got a fresh reminder that it is the unsung hero of the meal. I got home and asked what’s for lunch, mother replied “Hilsa fish, Niramish Torkari (Mixed vegetable), Lentil soup (daal). Oh and I also made lady finger fry to have with lentil soup.” Yes, my mother who spent almost an hour making the dish forgot to mention she made it at first breath. She only mentioned it because she knows it is one of my favorite sides to have with lentil and rice (dal-bhat).

And now that I know lady’s finger fry is one of my favorite dal-bhat sides, I should know more about it. So I googled and found out that the vegetable/fruit actually has a better name, Okra. Okra fry is a more acceptable name for the dish I like so much. It sounds like a fish but so much better than lady’s finger. Apparently the name Lady’s finger comes from it’s finger like shape. One source added that the tenderness of it gives the name, but that would be so creepy. The less questionable British name for the vegetable/fruit is Sponge fingers.

The second query I had in my mind was whether Okra is a vegetable or a fruit. Botanically it is a fruit since it is a seed bearing plant. But in the market it is a vegetable. But this makes it that Okra fry is basically deep fried fruits. Such a surreal thought. And it’s weird that I am having two huge realizations (first being the name) from just one such familiar dish. This made me wonder if this oh so Bengali dish is from the region or was it exported from somewhere else. Fortunately this time I didn’t have a groundbreaking revolution, Okra did originate in Southeast Asia, along with some other parts of Africa and Asia.

Now about the dish itself, lady’s finger fry or Okra fry is a dish to have with boiled rice (bhaat). But as i already mentioned, my favorite way is to have it as a side dish with rice-lentil soup; especially Masoor Daal. It is a fun combination and to me it is second only to daal with Alu Bhaja (fried potato). This is how I usually eat Okra fry. Even when others are having theirs with just rice, I would save mine to eat with daal. And I still do as it is really delicious. Yet it won’t be anything I go out of my way to mention or have a talk about. Because Dherosh Bhaja will be the unsung heroes of the meal.