Here’s an easy-peasy recipe made with okra that you can pair up as a delicious side dish with your Indian flatbreads or a dal-rice or a sambar-rice at home. This is an easy to prepare spiced North Indian or Punjabi-style Bhindi Fry recipe, which is also gluten-free and vegan. With just your regular spices, onions, tomatoes and green chilies along with okra, you can prepare this simple yet lovely dish in no time.
About Bhindi Fry Recipe
While when you look at the name of this recipe, it appears as the okra pods or the other ingredients are being fried. But that is not the case here. The okra is sautéed with the remaining ingredients and not deep fried or shallow fried.
The word “fry” in the Indian lingo usually refers to the method of sautéing and hence the name of this recipe; where ‘Bhindi’ stands for Okra and ‘Fry’ implies the sautéed masala base.
If you are looking for an actual fried bhindi variant, where the okra pods are really fried, do check this super tasty recipe of crispy Kurkuri Bhindi.
In the vibrant kitchens of North India, where spices and flavors are expertly woven into everyday meals, the Bhindi Fry emerges as a beloved dish that transforms simple okra into a flavorful delight.
This recipe is a loved one as a side dish with chapatis or with dal at my home. The sabzi is a dry recipe with a base of onion, tomatoes and regular spices. Bhindi fry also makes for a good tiffin box lunch with roti.
In a hot pan, oil sizzles with thinly sliced onions, turning golden and caramelized, their sweetness creating a beautiful base for the Bhindi Fry. Next, the rest of the ingredients along with the okra and spices are added.
A blend of traditional North Indian spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder balance the flavors in the dish.
As the bhindi fries to crispy perfection, a final touch of dried mango powder (amchur) and crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) is added, lending a tangy brightness and earthy notes that elevates the dish.
There is a difference between make of this Bhindi Fry and Bhindi Masala. Here, you cook everything together in one pan. The slightly caramelized taste of the onions and the tang of the tomatoes go very well with the few okra pieces that turn golden and crisp.
Points To Remember While Cooking Bhindi
You do not get slimy or mushy bhindi, if you rinse and wipe dry the okra very well. Before chopping, there should not be any moisture on the okra.
If the rinsed okra pods are not thoroughly dried, you will end up with a mushy and sticky okra preparation.
The sour ingredients in this recipe like tomatoes and dried mango powder also minimize the sliminess.
Served hot, Bhindi Fry is a versatile dish that pairs beautifully with warm roti or soft chapati or phulka or fluffy rice, or as a flavorful side to any Indian meal.
Each bite is a harmonious blend of textures and spices, capturing the essence of North Indian cuisine in its savory glory.
How to make Bhindi Fry
Preparation
1. Rinse 250 grams okra (bhindi) in water. Then, wipe them dry with a kitchen towel or just allow them to dry naturally on a plate.
2. Slice off the crown and base tip of each bhindi. Then, vertically slice them as shown in the picture below. The slices can range between 0.25 to 0.5 cm in thickness.
3. Slice 1 medium onion, chop 1 large tomato and slit 2 green chilies.
Sauté Aromatics
4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a shallow thick-bottomed frying pan. Add the sliced onions.
5. Sauté until the onions start turning light golden.
6. Now, add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and slit green chilies.
7. Sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
Sauté Tomatoes
8. Now, add the chopped tomatoes.
9. Stir and mix well.
10. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder and ½ teaspoon cumin powder.
11. Mix the spices with the onion-tomato mixture. Sauté until the tomatoes turn pulpy and you see oil releasing from the sides.
Make Bhindi Fry
12. Now, add the sliced okra.
13. Season with salt.
14. Stir and mix very well.
15. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook Bhindi Fry on sim or low heat.
16. Cook on low heat until the chopped okra are tender and softened.
You will have to check after every 4 to 5 minutes so that the okra does not get too browned or burnt. Stir every time, when you check the dish.
If the okra starts turning too browned, sprinkle about 1 to 1½ tablespoons water all over. Stir, cover and continue to cook Bhindi Fry on low heat.
17. Here, after first 5 minutes, I added ½ teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder). Simply because I forgot to add it before. Stir and mix very well.
18. Once done, add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). Mix very well.
19. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Stir and mix.
20. Serve Bhindi Fry hot or warm with chapati or as a side dish with dal-rice.
More Bhindi Recipes To Try!
Okra Recipes
Okra Recipes
Okra Recipes
Okra Recipes
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Bhindi Fry
Ingredients
- 250 grams bhindi (okra or lady finger)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- ⅓ cup onions – sliced thinly
- ½ cup tomato – chopped
- 2 green chilies – slit
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 small to medium garlic cloves, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves – crushed, (kasuri methi)
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves – chopped, (cilantro)
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the bhindi (okra pods) in water. Then wipe dry them with a kitchen towel or just allow to dry them naturally in a plate.
- Slice off the crown and base tip of each bhindi. Then vertically slice them keeping a width of 0.25 to 0.5 cm in thickness.
- Also slice 1 medium onion. Chop 1 medium to large tomato and slit 2 green chilies. Crush the ginger and garlic in a mortar-pestle.
Making bhindi fry
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a thick bottomed shallow frying pan or sauté pan. Add the sliced onions.
- Sauté them till they start turning light golden.
- Now add the ginger-garlic paste and the green chilies.
- Sauté until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic fades away.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and dry mango powder.
- Mix the ground spices with the rest of the onion-tomato masala base. Sauté this mixture till the tomatoes become pulpy and you see oil releasing from the sides.
- Now add the chopped bhindi/okra. Season with salt. Stir and mix very well.
- Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook on a low heat.
- Do check after 4 to 5 minutes a couple of times. Cook the bhindi fry on a low flame till the bhindi is done.
- You will have to check after every 4 to 5 minutes so that the bhindi does not get too browned or burnt. Do stir every time when you check the bhindi.
- If the bhindi is becoming too browned or getting burnt, then sprinkle 1 to 1.5 tablespoons water all over. Stir, cover and continue to cook bhindi sabzi.
- Once the bhindi fry is tender and softened, add the garam masala powder and kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), crushed. Stir and mix well.
- Lastly add the chopped coriander leaves. Mix again.
- Serve Bhindi Fry hot or warm with chapati or as a side dish with dal-rice.
Notes
- You can increase or decrease the amount of spices as per your taste.
- The recipe can be scaled up to make for more servings.
- Make sure that the okra pods are green, fresh and tender.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Bhindi Fry from the archives first published in July 2015 has been updated and republished on June 2024.
