Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala)

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Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala)

Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala) is a traditional Indian recipe for a vegetarian curry of fried okra in a lightly-spiced gravy. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Okra Masala (Bhindi Masala).

prep time

5 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

35 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Curry Vegetarian Recipes Spice Recipes Indian Recipes

I’m not a big fan of okra, unless they’re deep fried as they tend to have an unfortunate effect on my digestion. However, my wife loves them and I always have a few plants growing in the garden. So this traditional Punjabi recipe (taught to me by a friend many years ago) is my culinary gift to her. If you are not a big fan of okra, you can substitute green bell pepper and prepare exactly in the same way.

Ingredients:

225g (2 ¼ cups) okra (bhindi/bendakaya), washed, dried, ends trimmed and pods cut into 3cm (1 in) lengths
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato 1, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp Green chilli paste
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¾ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
¾ tsp ground Coriander
¼ tsp Amchur powder (dried green mango powder)
¼ tsp ground dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)
generous pinch of garam masala
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 ½ tbsp cooking oil
Salt, to taste
Coriander (cilantro) leaves for garnish (optional)

Method:

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a frying pan or wok, add the okra/bhindi and fry over low to medium heat for 8 minutes. Take off the heat, turn onto a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add chopped onions and green chilli paste and fry for 4 minutes. Now stir in the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3 minutes. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, amchur powder and ground fenugreek seeds and stir to mix.

At this point add the chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer, add a lid and fry for 6-7 minutes over low to medium heat. Stir in the okra and mix well. Cook without the lid for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste along with garam masala powder and stir to combine. Take off the heat and turn into a warmed serving bowl. Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Serve warm with rice or rotis.