Masala Bhindi Fry
Crispy, spicy okra with onions & tomatoes
A delicious, easy bhindi fry — also known as masala bhindi or okra fry — made with onions, tomatoes, green chillies and aromatic spices, then cooked on low heat for a flavourful finish.
Ingredients
- 1 kg bhindi (okra), washed, dried and cut
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 3 green chillies, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- Oil, as needed for frying
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp crushed cumin
- ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
Nutrition is an estimate per serving.
Method
- Wash the bhindi thoroughly and dry it completely before cutting.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions lightly until golden — don't over-brown.
- Add the green chillies and sauté briefly, then add the tomatoes and cook lightly.
- Add salt, red chilli, turmeric, crushed cumin, crushed coriander seeds, coriander powder and ajwain.
- In a separate pan, heat a little oil and lightly fry the chopped bhindi.
- Add the fried bhindi to the masala and combine gently. Cook together a few minutes.
- Cover and cook on low heat (dum) for about 10 minutes, stirring gently now and then.
- Garnish with fresh green chillies. Serve with roti, chapati, paratha, naan or kulcha.
Watch it made
Notes on this recipe
Dry the okra completely, then cut
This is the entire recipe in one instruction. Okra releases a mucilage when cut that turns slimy on contact with water, and washing it after cutting guarantees the problem. Wash it whole, dry it thoroughly — a clean tea towel and then air for twenty minutes if you have time — and only then cut. Wet okra will go slimy no matter what you do afterwards. There are a few more tricks for the same problem.
Two pans is not an accident
Frying the bhindi separately from the masala keeps it that way. Cooked in the sauce from the start, it sits in liquid and the mucilage leaches out into everything. Fried alone first, the surface seals and the slime stays put, and the pieces hold their shape when they meet the masala. It costs one extra pan and it is the difference between the dish working and not.
Onions golden, not brown
The same restraint as any masala built on fresh flavours. Lightly golden onions support the spices; dark brown ones take over and push the dish towards a heavier, sweeter curry. Ajwain is worth seeking out rather than skipping — its slightly bitter, thyme-like note is characteristic of the dish and nothing else quite replaces it.
Fold at the end, do not stir
Once the fried bhindi joins the masala, handle it as little as possible. Stirring breaks the pieces and releases what the frying sealed in. Fold gently, cook a few minutes to let the flavours meet, and serve. Best eaten fresh; it keeps two days but the texture softens and some sliminess returns on reheating.
