Introduction
Bhindi masala, also known as “okra masala” or “bhindi fry,” is the ultimate vegan curry. It is very popular in India and Pakistan, and also in my East African household.
Bhindi (okra) has a distinctive texture, it has a slightly crispy outer shell with a soft centre when cooked properly. It is also incredibly nutritious to eat. Okra is high in vitamin c and vitamin k and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. And for those of you calorie counting, okra is also low in calories and fat. There is literally nothing not to love about this vegetable.
The dish is quick and easy to prepare. It can be made on the stovetop as a one pot dish, therefore making it another great weeknight dinner option. Or you could make it as a side dish at a dinner party.
This dish is often served with chapati or naan or with plain basmati rice.
My take on bhindi masala
As I child, I detested this dish. I always found the okra too slimy and simply did not enjoy the texture. Now I am obsessed with the vegan curry. As we have become more health conscious as a family, we are trying to eat more vegetable dishes, rather than meat. Therefore this curry is a great curry to make for the family. It’s also a dish you can rustle up in 35 minutes, so it makes a great weeknight curry dish to whip up.
The key to bhindi not becoming slimy in texture is to shallow fry them in a very small amount of oil and lemon juice. This helps to seal them before they are added to the masala. It also gives a lovely crispy edge to the okra. Another tip to avoid squidgy bhindi, is to make sure that after the ladyfingers have been washed, you make sure that they are bone dry before you cook. Any moisture that remains on the ladyfingers will again mean they become slimy in texture when cooked.
You can add lamb or chicken to this curry, if you are craving some meat. Add in at step 4, and make sure the meat is properly cooked before adding the okra. Chicken will take around 20 minutes to cook, lamb will take 50 minutes.
I love eating bhindi with chapattis, however you could also eat with plain basmati rice. If you wanted a really indulgent vegetarian meal, make this with my aloo baingan and daal!
See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!
Ingredients
Feeds 4
Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
- 500 grams ladyfingers, washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle
- 1/2 onion finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies sliced down the middle (optional)
- 1 green padron peppers sliced down the middle (optional)
Method
- Wash and dry the ladyfingers, make sure they are bone dry before you cook. (I often wash them the night before cooking, so they can dry overnight.) Then trim the ends off, and cut the lady fingers into 2cm chunks.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and shallow fry the ladyfingers with the lemon juice, roughly ground coriander seeds and the sliced 1/2 onion. Fry for around 5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Leave to rest whilst you make the masala.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a medium sauce pan, add the finely chopped onions and brown.
4. Then add the garlic, ginger and stir through. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, tomatoes and finely chopped green chillies and cook through. Cook for 10 minutes, this will give enough time for the masala to come together. (Add splashes of water if the masala becomes too dry and is sticking to the pan.)
5. Next add the ground coriander, cumin and garam masala and stir through. Then add ladyfingers to the pan, do not stir through. (The ladyfingers will become overly soft with excess stirring). Cover the pan with the lid and turn the heat to low. Let everything cook for 10 minutes.
6. Finally, add the fresh coriander and green chillies sliced and serve!
Bhindi masala/ ladyfingers
Ingredients
- 500 grams ladyfingers, washed and dried make sure they are dried thoroughly
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle
- 0.5 onion, sliced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1.5 tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 0.5 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 0.5 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies sliced down the middle optional
- 1 green padron peppers sliced down the middle optional
Instructions
- Wash and dry the ladyfingers, make sure they are bone dry before you cook. (I often wash them the night before cooking, so they can dry overnight.) Then trim the ends off, and cut the lady fingers into 2cm chunks.Â
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and shallow fry the ladyfingers with the lemon juice, roughly ground coriander seeds and the sliced 1/2 onion. Fry for around 5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Leave to rest whilst you make the masala.Â
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a medium sauce pan, add the finely chopped onions and brown.Â
- Then add the garlic, ginger and stir through. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, tomatoes and finely chopped green chillies and cook through. Cook for 10 minutes, this will give enough time for the masala to come together. (Add splashes of water if the masala becomes too dry and is sticking to the pan.)
- Next add the ground coriander, cumin and garam masala and stir through. Then add ladyfingers to the pan, do not stir through. (The ladyfingers will become overly soft with excess stirring). Cover the pan with the lid and turn the heat to low. Let everything cook for 10 minutes.Â
- Finally, add the fresh coriander and green chillies sliced and serve!
