Bhindi Masala is a North Indian Okra Stir Fry made with tender Okra, onions, tomatoes and Indian spices. Detailed recipe that includes "how to prep okra" to reduce sliminess and tips to cook okra without a ton of oil. Pair this simple sabzi with hot phulkas, roti or plain paratha or as a side with Basmati Rice and dal. The recipe is gluten free and vegan.
Bhindi Masala, Bhindi Sabzi or Okra Stir Fry with Indian spices is a recipe for all Okra lovers. This is a dry Bhindi masala recipe that uses few basic ingredients. Recipe can be made using fresh or frozen okra.
The traditional recipe of Punjabi Bhindi Masala calls for deep frying or shallow frying the bhindi until crisp before it is tossed with onion, tomatoes and spices.
I avoid deep frying unless absolutely necessary and prefer cooking vegetables that are stir fried or air fried as much as possible.
Okra Stir fry makes a perfect weeknight meal with a side of roti or Dal and Rice. It is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan. This is not a spicy sabzi (atleast not by my standards) but feel free to dial down or modify the quantities, if required.
We are a Bhindi loving family - Bhindi Pachadi (Raita) and Kurkuri Bhindi (crispy okra with Indian Spices) are our top favorites.
However, not everyone is a fan of Okra. One of the key reasons - Slime! This blog post addresses the problem of slime by providing lots of tips on cleaning and cooking bhindi the right way. Trust me, you will never complain about slimy okra again - Ever!
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Checkout the Video Recipe
Ingredients
Bhindi / Okra - One of the most important thing to remember when buying fresh Okra is that you need to cook it within the next 1-2 days. Fresh Okra spoils easily, even under refrigeration.
If you are not planning to cook Okra immediately, just clean and chop them, store it in the freezer.
Easiest way is to grab a pack of pre-cut frozen okra from supermarket.
Onions and Tomatoes - Feel free to add ginger-garlic paste to this recipe, which I have skipped.
Spices - Turmeric, Kashmiri Red Chilli, Garam Masala and Amchur (dry Mango). Amchur adds a bit of tang (khatta) to the dish.
Substitute Amchur with Lemon Juice. However, squeeze it just before serving.
How to Make Bhindi Masala - Step-wise Instructions
Cooking or Stir Frying the Okra and the Onion-tomato Masala separately is the key to a good (dry and no slime) Bhindi Masala.
Ensure you use a wide pan for cooking so that the bhindi does not crowd and stick together. Wide or broad pan pretty much helps stir frying with minimal oil.
Step 1 to 4 - Cooking or Stir Frying the Okra.
Salt should be added once the edges brown or crisp up. The Okra should shrink in size and reduce in volume. Do not overcook. Retain the "green" and "crunch"
Once you remove the stir fried okra in a bowl, do not cover. The steam makes the okra soggy.
Step 5 - 8 - Preparing the "Masala" by heating oil and toasting cumin, sautéing onions and tomatoes.
Tip - If you meal prep, this can be done in advance and refrigerated or frozen to prepare curries.
Steps 9 - 11 - Adding spices, seasoning the masala with salt and finishing off by adding the stir fried bhindi and mixing.
Tips to Avoid Slimy Okra
One of the reasons many people hate Okra - Slime!
For the sake of better understanding, I have divided the section in 2 parts - Cleaning and Cooking as both the areas need attention.
If you think you can get away with cleaning the okra correctly, wait till the okra hits the pan and releases the slime. So yes, both the aspects are important when it comes to dry and non-sticky okra.
But before that, here is a little tip - The easiest way to check freshness of Okra, when buying, is to snap or break the tip / ends. If it breaks immediately, it is tender and fresh. Mature ones are hard and take longer to cook.
Cleaning
- Rinse and clean the Okra in a colander. Drain the water completely. Note - This process has to be quick. I don't approve of soaking Okra for cleaning.
- Wipe each Okra with a kitchen towel / cloth.
- Allow the Okra to air dry for some time, until you are ready to cut and cook.
- While cutting, ensure the cutting board and the knife are both dry.
- Keep a paper towel handy to wipe any slime on the knife, cutting board or fingers, while chopping the okra.
- The above steps can be done a day earlier. Just refrigerate the chopped pieces and cook it the next day. If you don't plan to cook it soon, freeze it immediately.
Cooking
- While cooking, use a wide pan so that the okra spreads and does not clump or stick together. This is also a great technique to cook okra using less oil. (refer photo - Instructions above)
- DO NOT COVER AND COOK OKRA - EVER!
- Do not sauté the okra frequently, when stir frying. Maintain even temperature while cooking. Medium heat is perfect.
- Cook Okra and the Onion-tomato base separately. This is the most effective way of cooking the sabzi without slime!
- Add salt only when the okra is slightly crisp. You will notice the edges getting brown. In the recipe, you may note that salt is added to okra and the onion-tomato-spice mix so that when they are mixed together, it doesn't taste bland.
- Cooking time depends on the freshness of okra. Tender ones should cook anywhere between 8 to 10 mins on medium heat.
- If using frozen, pre-cut okra, pat dry with a thick cloth so that some moisture is absorbed and add it straight to the pan with hot oil and sauté. No need to thaw completely.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this dry sabzi with Roti, Phulka, Chapati or Paratha. In winters, we like eating the sabzi with Methi Thepla.
The husband and I love it with Basmati Rice and Dal. You can either choose Red Lentil Dal or Chana Dal.
This packs well in lunch box and stays fresh for long.
More Indian Sabzi Recipes to try
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Bhindi Masala | Indian Okra Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 500 g Bhindi / Okra Refer Notes
- 2 Onions medium, finely chopped OR use 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 Tomato medium, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Kashmiri Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- ¼ tsp Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)
- 2 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds or Jeera
- 2 tbsp Water Read Notes below
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pan (preferably with a wide base), add 1 tbsp oil and once it heats, add the chopped bhindi or okra. Mix well and let it cook / stir fry on medium heat for 8 - 10 mins.
- After 8 - 10 minutes, the okra should appear crispy on the edges, without any slime. Season with salt. Mix well and sauté for 1-2 mins. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the okra into a bowl. Keep aside.
- Bring the pan back on heat, add 1 tbsp oil, cumin seeds.
- Once cumin roasts, add finely chopped onions and sauté until they are translucent.
- Next add finely chopped tomatoes, cover and cook until the tomatoes are mushy. Note - Adding a tbsp of water helps create steam and speeds up cooking.
- Add the spices - Turmeric, Kashmiri Red chilli powder, garam masala, amchur and some salt. Mix well and add a tbsp of water to prevent the spices from burning. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Now add the Bhindi and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the masala coats the bhindi. Switch off heat, serve.
Video
Notes
- Rinse and clean the Okra in a colander. Drain the water completely. Note - This process has to be quick. I don't approve of soaking Okra for cleaning.
- Wipe each Okra with a kitchen towel / cloth.
- Allow the Okra to air dry for some time, until you are ready to cut and cook.
- While cutting, ensure the cutting board and the knife are both dry.
- Keep a paper towel handy to wipe any slime on the knife, cutting board or fingers, while chopping the okra.
- The above steps can be done a day earlier. Just refrigerate the chopped pieces and cook it the next day. If you don't plan to cook it soon, freeze it immediately.
- While cooking, use a wide pan so that the okra spreads and does not clump or stick together. This is also a great technique to cook okra using less oil. (refer photo - Instructions above)
- DO NOT COVER AND COOK OKRA - EVER!
- Do not sauté the okra frequently, when stir frying. Maintain even temperature while cooking. Medium heat is perfect.
- Cook Okra and the Onion-tomato base separately. This is the most effective way of cooking the sabzi without slime!
- Add salt only when the okra is slightly crisp. You will notice the edges getting brown. In the recipe, you may note that salt is added to okra and the onion-tomato-spice mix so that when they are mixed together, it doesn't taste bland.
- Cooking time depends on the freshness of okra. Tender ones should cook anywhere between 8 to 10 mins on medium heat.
- If using frozen, pre-cut okra, pat dry with a thick cloth so that some moisture is absorbed and add it straight to the pan with hot oil and sauté. No need to thaw completely.
- Salt is added at 2 stages - Once while stir frying okra and second, cooking the onion-tomato base. Taste and adjust, if required.
- Water is added (just a splash) while cooking the onion-tomato-spice mix to prevent the spices from burning. Since we are using less oil, this method of creating steam helps in cooking.
- This is not a spicy sabzi (atleast not by my standards) but feel free to dial down or modify the quantities, if required, as per your family's preferences.
- The cooked sabzi stays fresh for a couple of days in refrigerator. It can be frozen and reheated over stove-top or microwave. While testing the recipe, I froze a batch and used it within a week.
- Okra Stir fry makes a perfect weeknight meal with a side of roti or Dal and Rice. It is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan (ensure the spices you use are GF)
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan
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