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Masala Bhindi (Okra)

Indian bhindi masala
Hey everyone! Hope all is well!
My Indian grocery haul is incomplete without okra. Our local store has fresh Bhendi most weekends. This week I made Bhendi Masala with Chapati for our weekday lunch.

Ingredients:
Okra/Lady's Finger/Bhindi - 350 gm
Onion - 1 large
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Coriander Seeds/Dhania - 1 1/2 tbsp
Fennel Seeds/Saunf - 1 tsp
White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder/Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp
Aamchur or Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil

How to cook Indian Bhindi Masala:
  • Wash okra and pat them dry. Let the okra dry for 4 - 5 hours. Cut the head and tail parts of okra. Dice each one into 2 or 3 pieces. Finely chop onions.
  • Grind coriander seeds, fennel seeds and sesame seeds to a fine powder. Puree the tomatoes and ginger.
  • Heat 2 - 3 tbsp oil in a pan and add diced okra. Sauté okra till they turn slightly brown. Save them for later.
  • In the same pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds. After few seconds, add chopped onions, little salt and turmeric. Sauté till onions turn tender.
  • Now add tomato puree, coriander fennel sesame powder, cayenne pepper and chat masala. Add garam masala or your favorite spice mix as well. Sauté till moisture is lost, about 7 minutes at low flame.
  • Lastly, add fried okra and salt. (Add salt keeping in mind salt was added earlier while frying onions.) Mix gently and cook for 3 - 5 minutes at low flame.
Garnish with cilantro and serve Bhendi Masala with roti or rice.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Sayantani Mahapatra MudiJanuary 17, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    my fav and love your use of spices.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lakshmi ...Rasoi ki Malkin..northern and southern spicesJanuary 17, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    Love bhendi subji in any form,it looks very tasty..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Priya dharshiniJanuary 17, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    tempting bhindi,uma..nice click

    ReplyDelete
  4. Priya SureshJanuary 17, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    Slurp,fingerlicking bhindi masala..

    ReplyDelete
  5. DoriJanuary 17, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Oh YUMMY! That looks and sounds absolutely delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Suja ManojJanuary 17, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    Bindi masala looks so yummy..spicy and delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love2cook MalaysiaJanuary 17, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    Okra looks spicy...my favourite! :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Indian KhanaJanuary 17, 2011 at 10:54 PM

    This looks real gud ...

    ReplyDelete
  9. PiaJanuary 17, 2011 at 11:00 PM

    I love bhindi in any form. Loved your version


    Cook Healthy

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2011 at 4:14 AM

    Yummy okra curry! Love okras and I too, have just posted one okra recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rekha shobanJanuary 18, 2011 at 4:52 AM

    interesting and healthy one...perfect with chapathi!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aruna ManikandanJanuary 18, 2011 at 7:03 AM

    wow....
    looks delicious dear :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. PremaJanuary 18, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    wow thats really delicious,luks very tempting!

    ReplyDelete
  14. hamaarethoughts.comJanuary 19, 2011 at 5:04 PM

    very nice..I will try this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. tonyAugust 28, 2011 at 6:19 AM

    I like this idea of frying it up first. No wonder I can never manage to prepare this without the Okra all broken up :-)
    Much like you do with bitter guard.
    Only downside is that, it takes a lot more oil than Normal, don't you think? I don't like to be using too much oil.

    Also I like Okra fritters with a thin batter.

    My Recipes

    ReplyDelete
  16. UmaAugust 28, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Hi Tony,

    I agree frying requires more oil, but okra doesnt taste good without frying. I use olive oil for frying which reduces some calories.

    ReplyDelete

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