Bhindi Masala- Restaurant Style Okra Masala

Bhindi masala is a delicious, easy to make simple north Indian dish with okra, onions, tomatoes and basic spices. Vegan and gluten free

This Punjabi semi dry curry is a healthy dish made with ladies finger and tastes wonderful with rice or roti. This post will help you make restaurant style bhindi masala recipe that is delicious, full of flavor, perfectly spiced and not overly hot.

For more Punjabi recipes aloo gobi, kadhi pakora, dal tadka, Punjabi samosa, chole bhature.

Bhindi or okra or ladies finger is one of the most commonly used vegetable in Indian cooking just like potatoes. There are many preparations and delicious Indian food made with okra like okra fry, okra rice, dahi bhindi across the country.

This semi curry or stir fry dish is another delicious restaurant style preparation with ladies finger where pan fried okra are tossed in a delicious masala made of onion, tomatoes and basic spice powders like garam masala powder. It is easy to make and a perfect weeknight curry. Here you go with my detailed recipe.

About This Recipe

Bhindi masala is a simple north Indian Punjabi dish of pan fried bhindi tossed in a masala made of onion, tomatoes and spices. This stir fried Indian okra with spices is a very popular dish in both Indian homes and restaurants.

Bhindi means okra and masala means the base curry made of onion, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and spice powders like red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder etc.

Semi dry curries with onion tomato base are very popular preparation in Indian cooking. You can basically add any vegetable are proteins to this base and make delicious masala. For instance paneer, gobi, mushrooms, potato are some of the commonly used ingredients.

Here in this punjabi bhindi masala recipe chopped bhindi is first sautéed in oil and then tossed in the masala. Sautéing the okra first helps in removing the okra slime to an extent and makes it less soggy and more crispy.

There are many ways to make masala bhindi recipe and this recipe is a keeper one I have been making for more than a decade now.

This simple recipe of bhindi masala is made with everyday pantry ingredients, takes less than 30 minutes and super easy to make. My daughter loves bhindi and I make bhindi recipes very often at home.

Most of the days I make simple ladies finger fry to go with sambar or rasam and this popular north Indian curry to go with jeera rice, phulka etc. We also love bhindi masala in lunch box as it tastes good even at room temperature.

Okra is one of the healthiest vegetables very widely used across the globe and also in Indian cuisine. It is easily available and can be stored for a week in refrigerator which makes it one of the most preferred vegetables.

If fresh okra is unavailable you can use frozen okra for this dish. My friends in the United States say whole foods carry good okra.

If you are bored of regular bhindi fry or sambar, do try out this simple and easy restaurant style bhindi masala recipe, I am sure you will love it 🙂 This dish is

delicious

easy to make

North Indian restaurant style

vegan, gluten free

yummy with rice or roti.

How To Prep Bhindi Or Okra

1. First of all make sure to select fresh and tender okras. They should be relatively small without bruises. The tail of the okra should snap easily.
2. Rinse the okra thoroughly in plenty of water to get rid of any dirt. I mostly use organic bhindi otherwise I soak it water containing a teaspoon vinegar for 15 minutes.
3. Dry the rinsed okra thoroughly before chopping. Also the knife, cutting board should be dry.
4. Next do not rinse the okra after chopping. This will increase the slime factor. To reduce the slime you can chop okra into bigger pieces.
5. While cooking into dry curry or roast you can add a dash of curd or lemon juice to reduce slime.

How To Make Bhindi Masala Recipe

Pick and rinse 300 grams okra or bhindi thoroughly. Cut off the stalk and tail. Cut them into big pieces of about 1 inch pieces as seen. Choose tender okra that snap at ends easily.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil a pan. Once the hot add chopped bhindi okra. Saute in medium flame and fry the okra for 3-4 minutes.

Once the bhindi is crispy and well cooked, remove to plate. While the bhindi is getting cooked keep 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon minced ginger garlic or paste ready.

To the same pan add 1 more tablespoon oil. Once it is hot add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, add cumin seeds, 1 slit green chili and saute for a minute. Next add finely chopped onions, minced ginger and garlic or ginger garlic paste and saute well until onions turn a bit soft in medium heat.

Next add finely chopped tomatoes and mix.

Now add the spice powders- 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Add salt to taste.

Mix well and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and the masala leaves out oil from sides in medium heat.

Now add the fried bhindi.

Mix gently and cook in low flame for 2-3 minutes. Do not cover the pan while cooking okra, it will make okra discolor. Finally add a pinch of amchur or dry mango powder and 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi.

Remove from flame. Add 2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves and mix. Serve bhindi masala hot or warm as side dish.

Serving Suggestions

Bhindi masala tastes wonderful with both rice and roti. You can serve this bhindi dish with steamed basmati rice, dal fry, dal tadka, sambar or rasam. You could add a bowl of curd, some pickle or a salad like kachumber to make it a complete meal.

This bhindi curry also goes well with jeera rice, ghee rice, biryani rice, peas pulao.

You can also serve bhindi masala with roti, butter naan, phulka. Add some onion slices, cucumber and tomatoes or a raita like veg raita, onion raita to round off the meal.

Expert Tips

Here are few tips that will help you make best bhindi masala as well as some common tips for cooking okra.

Choosing okra– Always try to select okra or bhindi that are bright green, slender and small. These are tender okras that tastes delicious as well as less slimy.

Cleaning okra– Okra is one vegetable you should never rinse after chopping as it will greatly increase the okra slime. Always rinse the whole okra and thoroughly wipe off the moisture before chopping.

While chopping bhindi make sure the cutting board, knife are also thoroughly dry. Next do not finely chop the bhindi for any recipe as it will become very sticky. 1 or 3/4 inch pieces are what I prefer.

To retain the green color of bhindi you can add a pinch of sugar while cooking. Do not cover the pan while making bhindi recipes as it will totally change the color of okra.

To reduce okra slime you can add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or yogurt while cooking okra. Do not add more as it will make the dish sour.

You can vary the spice levels in bhindi masala recipe by increasing or decreasing the spice powders.

To make the dish more substantial you can add potatoes to this recipe and make aloo bhindi too.

You can double, triple or halve the recipe. If you want to omit onion garlic you can do so but make sure to increase the volume of okra to 500 grams for 3 servings of bhindi masala recipe.

Health Benefits of Bhindi

Okra is rich in anti oxidants and helps in fighting free radicals.

It is rich source of various nutrients like vitamin A, C, K and B6.

Bhindi is also a good source of natural folate which is very good for pregnant women.

It is rich in fiber so it keeps you full for longer and satiated. Adding okra to your diet may also help in marinating blood sugar and treating diabetes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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