Bhindi Masala Recipe (Dry Sabzi)

a big bowl of bhindi masala, served with rotis and yogurt on the side

Bhindi Masala Recipe (Dry Sabzi)

step by step recipe to make bhindi masala (indian okra stir fry), shared with pro tips to ensure that bhindi doesn't turn slimy or sticky

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 674kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound bhindi (okra)
3 tablespoon oil divided
½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
10 curry leaves (cadipatta)
1 green chilli chopped
1 teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
¾ cup chopped tomatoes

Instructions

For prepping bhindi (okra) ~ to ensure it doesn't turn slimy

Take 1 pound bhindi, and wipe all of them with a damp towel once to clean them. When done, wipe all of them with a dry towel or paper towel to dry them off. Do not wash the bhindi using water, as they need to be kept as dry as possible to avoid them from getting slimy.
Cut off both the ends of the bhindi and discard them. Then chop the bhindi into small pieces of roughly half an inch or based on your preference. I usually keep a paper towel handy, while chopping bhindi, to wipe off the slime that gets on the knife. You can also coat the blade of the knife with lemon juice - the acid helps control the slime.
Then in a wide bottomed pan (wide enough that all the bhindi touches the bottom), lightly heat up 1½ tablespoon of oil, for about a minute or so, and then add in the chopped bhindi, and mix it in, ensuring to coat all the bhindi with a little oil.
Lightly roast the bhindi for about 10-15 minutes on medium flame, stirring intermittently, till it gets lightly roasted, and develops a slight color on the edges.
When done, turn off the flame, and set it aside. Pre roasting bhindi in a little oil, avoids it from getting slimy later when mixed in the onion tomato masala for making bhindi masala.

For making bhindi masala

In a pan, add 1½ tablespoon of oil, and lightly heat it up for about a minute.
To it add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, and then ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds, and let them roast for a minute or so.
When the mustard seeds start crackling, add 10 curry leaves, 1 chopped green chilli, and 1 teaspoon asafoetida / hing. Mix everything together, and lightly roast them for 30 seconds or so.
Then add 1 cup of chopped onions, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, and saute on medium flame for 7-8 minutes, till the onions turn light brown in color.
When the onions are done, add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, mix it in, and lightly roast it for 1-2 minutes, just until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away.
Then add the spice powders (preferably all together, to avoid them from burning, so best to pre mix them and add) - ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder. Here you can also add a splash of water and lower the flame for a bit to avoid the masalas from getting burnt.
Lightly roast the spices for about 30-60 seconds.
When the spices have been lightly roasted, add in ¾ cup of chopped tomatoes, and saute for 2-3 minutes, till the tomatoes have cooked down a bit.
Now to this add the pre-roasted chopped bhindi, mix it in, and saute for 5 minutes or so, till the bhindi is fully done. Here it is best to not cover the pan while cooking bhindi, so as to not incorporate any additional steam or moisture, which might make the bhindi slimy.
When done, turn off the flame, and serve hot. Bhindi masala goes very well with rotis / chapatis, and even as a side with dal rice.

Video

Notes

Time saving tip: When you start pre-roasting the bhindi in oil, also start making the base of the bhindi masala. Because it will take 10-15 minutes to roast bhindi, and about 15 minutes to make the masala base before you need to add the pre-roasted bhindi. So you can save on time by doing them both simultaneously.

Nutrition