Bhindi Masala/Lady’s Finger/Okra Gravy

Bhindi Masala is a delicious sabzi prepared using deep fried okra/lady’s finger pieces in an onion and tomato sauce. M is a die-hard fan of okras, be it stir-fries, snacks or as sides for rotis. It is creamy and finger licking good! So here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

Okra/lady’s Finger/Bhindi-1/2 kg, cut into 2 inch length pieces

Onions-3 large, cubed

Tomatoes-2, cubed

Ginger-1 inch piece, crushed

Garlic-4 pods, crushed

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Coriander powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Salt-as needed

Garam Masala powder-1/2 tsp

Kasuri Methi-1 tsp

Aamchur/Anardhana powder-1/4 tsp

Fresh cream-2 tbsp/Milk-1/2 cup

Oil-2 tbsp

To Temper:

Oil-2 tbsp

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Kalonji/onion seeds-1 tsp (optional)

Bay leaves-1

How it Happened:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai, add the cut okra pieces and fry them in medium flame until they turn golden brown. Remove them from flame and set aside.

2. In the same kadai, add 2 tbsp of oil and all ingredients given under the ‘to temper’ list.

3. When they pop, add crushed ginger and garlic and fry until they turn golden brown or until the raw smell goes off.

4. Then add the cubed onions and fry until they turn translucent. Add tomato pieces, mix and cook covered in simmer until the tomatoes are mushy and spits out oil.

5. Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and coriander powder mix well and cook until the raw smell goes off.

6. Add in the fried okra pieces, mix well and cook covered in simmer for 10 minutes. Keep mixing it now and then, so that they don’t get burnt.

7. Once when the okras are cooked, add garam masala, anardhana powder and kasuri methi. Mix well and cook for a minute.

8. Finally add fresh cream or milk, mix once again and switch off the flame.

9. Serve hot with phulkas.

Notes:

*Cut the okras into bigger pieces as they tend to get shrunk once when they are fried. The okras can be deep-fried for a crispier and tastier (oilier!) okra but i prefer shallow frying. The taste is not that compromising!

*Add freshly crushed ginger and garlic for better taste.

*Do not add water after adding the okras as they will give out the sticky, gooey thing that you cannot really handle. Let the okra simmer in the tomato and onion sauce with oil.

* Anardhana powder is nothing but dried pomegranate seeds crushed. If you don’t have u can ad amchur powder.

*If you are adding fresh cream beat it well before adding and immediately switch off else they may get curdled.

* Add full cream milk for better taste. I simply heat the milk in microwave and leave it out for 10 minutes where it ll form a cream layer. I beat them together and add it to the gravy.