Bhindi (Okra) Masala

Bhindi, also known as ladyfinger or Okra is a beloved vegetable worldwide whose preparations vary from culture to culture. This is a very popular recipe in restaurant menus and I've recreated it to what I believe compares with what you get in those restaurants.

A must have dish for most vegetarian lovers at family gatherings and parties and is also popularly prepared by chopping the bhindis in horizontal 1/2 inch pieces and frying them with salt and turmeric powder.

One thing I must advise you for is on choosing the right bhindis, go with tender, not mature bhindis - a tip for picking the right ones would be to break the tail with your thumb, if it breaks, its tender.

I've used coriander, cumin and amchur powder in it as these really enhance the taste of the bhindi. Always remember not to overcook the bhindis with the masala as they're already fried, and make sure to stir the bhindi masala lightly. Rest assured, you will come up triumphs with this dish.

So lets look at this recipe and start cooking this delicious dish.

1. Wash the bhindi beforehand in a strainer and keep it aside to dry. If you are unable to do this for any reason, wipe the moisture off each bhindi with any cloth - if the moisture remains, te bhindi gets sticky.

2. Marinate the bhindi with a little salt and little turmeric powder.

3. Cut the onions and tomatoes finely.

1. Take a pan and heat oil in it.

2. Fry all the bhindis till they're nearly cooked, then remove and keep aside.

3. In the same pan, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and onion. Fry till it changes its color, then add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Stir till the tomatoes are done.

4. Add 2 tbsp of water, then add turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin powder and salt and stir for a minute. Now, add the amchur powder.

5. At this point, the masala blends properly. Now add the fried bhindi to it, add garam, masala powder and slow the flame. Stir with a light hand, so that the masala blends with the bhindi properly.

6. Cover the pan for a minute or two so that the masala flavor infuses into the bhindi.

7. Open the lid and stir with a light hand for a minute or two.

8. The Bhindi (Okra) Masala is ready.

Here's a variation tor the bhindi masala in which I've prepared a curry from the bhindi masala. For this, refer to steps 1-4 from up above and we'll go from there for the curry.

5. Add a 1/2 cup of water, let it boil for a couple of minutes so that the masala will blends with the water.

6. Now add, the fried bhindi and cook on a slow medium flame till the curry thickens and the masala infuses into the bhindi. This wont take more than 2-3 minutes - don't overcook it otherwise the gravy will become sticky.

7. The Bhindi (Okra) Masala curry is ready.

Yet another variation for the bhindi masala is the Bhindi Masala with potato dish. For this, prepare your potatoes which you would want to add to the bhindi masala,

1. Cut the potatoes as shown in the image below, marinate with a little salt and turmeric powder and fry on a slow medium flame till the pototoes get tender and the color changes to golden brown.

Now if you'be followed the Instructions from above for steps 1-5 for the bhindi masala (not the bhindi masala curry), note that you must add your fried potatoes along with the bhindis as in Step 5 and follow the rest of the steps 6,7 from the bhindi masala instructions.

The Bhindi (Okra) masala with potatoes is ready.

Whichever of the three dishes you are preparing, this is a fantastic dish to have. I love the taste of the bhindis a lot and these are finger licking dishes, I must admit. You can enjoy it with rice, dal, rotis or parathas. So, give it a try to hope you love it too.