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Bhindi Masala Recipe. Indian Okra Curry. Lightly spiced Okra in onion tomato curry. Restaurant style Masala Bhindi. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Pin this Recipe.
Okra is cooked in many ways in Indian cuisine. It usually is a veggie side served as a part of a meal, served with dals and curries. It can be served as simple side cooked with just onions, or cooked in a sauces like sesame peanut coconut (book page 71), tamarind coconut(kuzhambu), and many more. Here is another simple curried Okra or a basic bhindi masala. Add more spices or add some coconut milk for creamy curry.
I get Okra from the Indian store and they seem to always have a lot in stock. Get green and young okra and try it in one of these Indian recipes.
More veggie sides from the blog
- Baked Crunchy Popcorn Okra
- Okra in tamarind coconut sauce
- Bhindi Zunka – Okra crusted with chickpea flour and spices.
- Okra and Onion Stir fry
- Pan Roasted Sesame Coconut Brussels Sprouts
Bhindi Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 inch ginger, finley chopped
- 2.5 cups chopped Okra
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp coriander powder
- cayenne as needed
- 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 2 tsp ketchup , or use tomato paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt.
- garam masala and cilantro for garnish.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. when hot, add mustard and cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop or change color.
- Add the onion, chili, garlic, ginger and cook until translucent. 4 mins. I usually use my mini food processor to chop these. Lots of onion garlic chili used in Indian food, so i know i will need more chopped for dals or curries.
- Add okra and pinch of salt., Cook for 10 minutes or until golden on some edges. Stir occasionally. Roasting the okra till the edges dry out a bit will seal in the slime.
- Add spices, tomato, ketchup, salt and water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked. 6 mins Taste and adjust salt and spice. Mash the larger tomato pieces. Sprinkle some garam masala and mix in. Garnish with cilantro. Serve in a bowl with dals, soups or curries and cooked grains or flatbread.
Notes
Add some amchur (dry mango powder) with the tomatoes.
Add in some coconut milk for creamier sauce. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious recipe with so many layers melded well together
Glad you enjoyed this!
Can I use canned okra?
It will be too slimy
This recipe is a winner , tasty and well balanced spices. We like this with tofu scramble for brunch. Our culture didn’t grow up with okra but now we can get it easily in the freezer section of the ordinary supermarket we are digging okra , it’s easy to prepare and a bit different
happy to hear it
I followed the recipe exactly, so not sure where I went wrong, but the dish turned out terrible. I’ve tried a few other recipes from your website that have been amazing so I am so disappointed with this.
Can you add more information to terrible. Like what exactly did it turn out as and what you didnt like, was it too slimy, or the flavor was off? Then i might be able to troubleshoot.
I made this for dinner tonight and served it with rice and urad dal. Such a good dinner! I used frozen okra as it is what I had on hand. This is a a wonderful recipe – thank you for sharing it! My husband really enjoyed it and I did too. I’ve bookmarked this on phone and computer!
Delicious and so simple, thank you! This is my first recipe of yours I’m trying – now I’m off to go try some more 🙂
awesome!
I was looking for a recipe that’s similar to this curry with okura dish I recently had at a restaurant.
I just tried it, and it’s ptetty close if not better..
Loved it, and Ill make it again and again!
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
thanks! the restaurant prob had more oil and spices
Hi Richa, great recipe, in fact my favorite okra recipe.
I found by adding a squeeze of lemon with banish the ‘slime’.
Thanks!
Looks great, could I add chickpeas and serve over cauliflower rice??
Yes, you can add chickpeas and serve it however you like. You might need more salt and spices with the added chickpeas
I have never left a review on a recipe online. This recipe deserves a great review. I hardly ever cook Indian recipes because English versions are so often Americanized and no where close to tasting like what you find at Indian restaurants. This recipe was delicious. So delicious that after I finished eating, I found myself thinking “Mmmm mmmm, that was good!” The garam masala at the end really finished it off perfectly . Thanks and I will come back to your site again!
yay! thats awesome. I am Indian, so i try hard to stay close to traditional and then simplify a bit.
I just made this recipe for the second time but doubled it. (I have lots of okra coming out of my garden and need to use it!) However, it didn’t quite taste the same. Not quite as delicious. Could doubling the recipe mess up the balance of flavors somehow? Did I do something wrong? Any tips for making more servings at one time? Thanks!
Thank you Richa
As an Aussie chick suffering the Paki Wife Woes this has helped me a lot !