This healthy yet flavorful bhindi masala is super easy to make. This dry sabzi recipe is made with okra and few Indian spice powders. It goes well with phulka roti or as a side with dal-rice.
For non-Indian readers, Bhindi is a Hindi term for Okra. Here masala refers to spice powders added.
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❤️You’ll Love This Recipe
- You’ll need only 10 ingredients (plus, salt).
- It gets ready in 30 minutes only (10 minutes of prep time + 20 minutes of cook time).
- Perfect to pack in the lunchbox: This bhindi masala makes a filling lunch when packed with roti and kachumber salad .
- It’s vegan and naturally gluten-free.
- This bhindi masala is no onion no garlic recipe.
- It is medium spicy (adjustable) with a hint of sweetness and sourness.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make bhindi masala recipe.
- Okra (bhindi): I always prefer to buy desi okra from Indian grocery stores. These are long and thin with fewer seeds. The one you get in American stores has thick skin and has bigger size seeds which I do not prefer.
When you buy okra keep in mind that they should be long, fresh-looking and dark green in color. Don’t buy those who have blemishes, cut or leaked internal juice. Try to buy those who have fewer seeds in them.
- Red chili powder: The mentioned amount will give a medium spicy taste. You can reduce or increase the amount as per your liking spice level.
- Roasted cumin powder: how to make it at home - dry roast the cumin seeds on medium-low heat in a wide pan. When you get a nice aroma of roasted cumin seeds and you notice the color change, remove it to a plate and let them cool down completely. Then make a powder into your spice grinder or mortar pestle.
- Chaat masala: I use the store-bought chaat masala which has salt added to it. So be careful while adding salt to the recipe.
- Fennel powder: Just grind the fennel seeds into the spice grinder. If making a small quantity then just use mortar and pestle. This provides a hint of sweetness to bhindi masala sabzi.
- Amchur (dried mango powder): It adds sourness to the bhindi masala sabzi.
- Oil: Whenever it comes to the okra dish, you’ll need a good amount of fat (oil). So please do not reduce the oil amount here.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Cleaning And Slicing Okra:
- Wash or rinse the okra well.
- Let it air dry completely, it may take several hours. (if you have planned ahead go for this route). If in rush then wipe it dry using a towel.
- Before start chopping, make sure to have your knife, chopping board and okra are completely dry (free of moisture) to keep the sliminess to a minimum.
- Cut and discard the head and tail part of the okra. Then cut into half vertically. If the okra is too long then you can cut it into two parts from the center. Keep wiping the knife with a paper towel at intervals or as soon as it becomes sticky.
Preparation:
1) Take all the spice powders on a plate.
2) Mix it well.
3) Add this spice mix to the sliced bhindi.
4) Toss well so all the spices are coated well to okra pieces.
Making Bhindi Masala:
5) Heat the oil in a pan or kadai on medium heat. Once hot add spices coated okra and salt. Toss or mix so oil is coated well but do not overmix otherwise okra may get slimy.
6) Cover the pan with a lid and cook until they are soft and tender.
7) Do stir in between (every 5 minutes) to make sure that okra is not sticking to the pan. Once cooked, they get shrink and become darker in color.
💭Expert Tips
Avoid sliminess of okra:
- Okra should be dry before you chop them.
- While chopping keep cleaning the knife as soon as it gets sticky.
- While cooking okra stir only 2 or 3 times only. If you stir too many times, it gets more slimy.
- Make sure the water that is collected under the lid doesn’t go into the pan when you open the lid. Water makes the okra slimy.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Bhindi masala goes well phulka roti. Roti-sabzi is the comfort food combo for many Indians.
- This pairs well with your choice of dal and rice. (in the pic, I have served with goan varan bhaat).
FAQs
We are using a good amount of spice powders in this bhindi masala recipe. If we add them to the pan after adding okra then we need to stir so many times in order to get them mix and coat properly. If you stir the okra frequently while cooking it will become slimy and sticky. So to avoid this issue we have added and mixed the spice powders ahead of time.
When okra gets cooked, you’ll notice they get darker in color and shrink in size. Try poking with a knife or fork, it should feel soft and easily cut through. Once they are cooked perfectly they will not be slimy anymore.
PS Tried this bhindi masala recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback! Plus, Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for all the latest updates.
📋 Recipe Card
Bhindi Masala recipe (Bhindi fry)
Ingredients
- 250 grams or ½ lb or 3 cups Okra (Bhindi) sliced
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Amchur powder (Dried mango powder)
- 1 teaspoon Roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Cleaning And Slicing Okra:
- Wash or rinse the okra well.
- Let it air dry completely, it may take several hours. (if you have planned ahead go for this route). If in rush then wipe it dry using a towel.
- Before start chopping, make sure to have your knife, chopping board and okra are completely dry (free of moisture) to keep the sliminess to a minimum.
- Cut and discard the head and tail part of the okra. Then cut into half vertically. If the okra is too long then you can cut it into two parts from the center. Keep wiping the knife with a paper towel at intervals or as soon as it becomes sticky.
Making Bhindi Masala:
- Take all the spice powders on a plate. Mix it well.
- Add this spice mix to the sliced bhindi and toss well so all the spices are coated well to okra pieces.
- Heat the oil in a pan or kadai on medium heat. Once hot add spices coated okra and salt. Toss or mix so oil is coated well but do not overmix otherwise okra may get slimy.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook until they are soft and tender.
- Do stir in between (every 5 minutes) to make sure that okra is not sticking to the pan. Once cooked, they get shrink and become darker in color.
Every time I ate the bhindi masala in a restaurant, I thought why I can't make it at home. I googled the receipe, and found your receipe, and I can't tell you how much praise I got this receipe.
I used this spatula for mixing my bhindi and masala. I really loved how the whole receipe turned out.
Thank you for sharing this one.
Very glad that bhindi came out good.
Thank you for the feedback.