Ladies finger pachadi

Pachadi / kichadi is always a bone of contention in Kerala.
Pachadi, according to me and many others is the sweet + savory dish served in a sadya while Kichadi is the one containing curd.
Ladies finger pachadi is an awesome tasty dish and very easy to make. This recipe is from the new entrant to my family - Mrs. Deepthi Ajay. She shared her maternal grandmother's recipe with me and the way she described it and seeing her want to eat it, I had to make it. Her maternal grandmother is from Palakkad, so this is a palakkadan pachadi.
Serve with spicy sambar.

Ingredients:
Ladies finger / okra - 10, cut into 1 inch pieces
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp , preferably coconut oil
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 inch ball soaked in 1 cup warm water
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chilly - 2
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Red chilly -2, broken
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:
Saute the ladies finger on a low flame in 1 tbsp oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the tamarind juice, salt and turmeric powder.
Boil on high flame till almost all the water evaporates, but cooks the ladies finger.
Grind the coconut, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and green chilly to a fine paste.

Add this paste to the nearly dry ladies finger.
Reduce flame and add in the jaggery.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Splutter 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, red chilly, methi seeds (optional) and curry leaf in the remaining 1 tbsp oil.
Add this to the curry.
Serve at room temperature.