Bendekayi Hashi | Karnataka Havyaka style Okra Raitha

Bendekayi Hashi ಬೆಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ ಹಶಿ is a Karnataka – Havyaka style yogurt based side dish, delicious yet unassumingly simple to put together.

While both are yogurt (curd) based side dishes and are summer specials, and small eats (meant to be eaten in few morsels), the difference between Thambuli ತಂಬುಳಿ and Hashi ಹಶಿ is that in Hashi, we get to add vegetables like Bendekayi here.

Daalimbe Sippe Thambuli and Agase Hoovina Thambuli are super delicious and are great for health.

One may never guess that Bendekayi is ever suited to be paired with yogurt. But after you make this dish, you’ll see why is it such a great idea.

If there is one vegetable that my kids never fuss about, it is Bendekayi / Okra / Bhindi / Ladies finger.
If you’ve never been a fan of the sliminess of the Okra, did you know that the very same sliminess is good remedy for IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) and protects from stomach ulcers by lubricating the colon?
It is also great to pacify both Vaatha and Pittha doshas per Ayurveda

Growing up, we were always also told by the elders at home that Bendekayi is great for the brain, to boost memory.
Bendekayi can be cooked in so many different ways to make it appealing as well as healthy. This Hashi is definitely a favorite way to eat our dose of Okra.

Some recipes are more than recipes. They are nuggets of nostalgia tucked deep inside us.

When we make those recipes, we get to time travel back to the place and people and relive those moments in the present.

It is not merely for the taste nor for the nutritional aspects but sometimes we’d love to make them time and again because of what they remind us of.

This Bendekayi Hashi is one such recipe that takes me back to good times in Houston, to my dear friend Sowmi whose house I could walk into anytime without appointments and stay over for a meal that would sometimes turn itself into a sleepover.

She made some of the simplest meals I’ve eaten, the most underestimated ones. The ones that not just make your belly full, but fill your soul for a long time to come.

Simplicity is the beauty of Havyaka recipes I think. Bendekayi Hashi is a crispy crunchy ode to summer and to friendship, for me.

I’ve made it a gazillion times now. It has surprised people with its sheer plainness.

I’m sure once you make it, you’ll return to its comfort again and again. There’s nothing to beat simple soulful food.

Best time to eat Hashi as well as Thambuli is always lunchtime.

It is a great addition to any everyday meal.

I love to use Homemade Yogurt for Hashi and Thambuli recipes at all times. You can make thick scoopable homemade Yogurt too.