Bhindi curry recipe. Ladies’ finger sautéed in a spicy tomato and onion sauce. Gluten free and vegan.
This is a very good delicious homemade curry with bhindi or okra. I kept the basic ingredients and didn’t add stuff like cashews, poppy seeds, melon seeds, cream, etc. to thicken the sauce. So, anyone with Indian spices and ingredients at home can easily make this yummy masala bhindi curry.
Bhindi is a family favorite. therefore, there are many recipes posted with okra on the blog. I have already posted a semi-dry recipe for Bhindi masala.
Ingredients
For the tomato paste
▢ 3 medium ripe red tomatoes or 150 grams of tomatoes or ¾ cup of coarsely chopped tomatoes
▢ ½ inch of ginger
▢ 4 to 5 garlic
▢ 1 to 2 green peppers
▢ 2 tablespoon of Curd (yogurt)
▢ 2 cloves
▢ 1 green cardamom
▢ ½ inch cinnamon
▢ 1 single strand of mace
Also Read: Achari Paneer
Other ingredients
▢ 250 grams of bhindi (okra or lady’s finger)
▢ 1 large onion or 2 medium onions or 100 grams of onions or ½ cup finely chopped onions
▢ ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – crushed
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
▢ 1 small to medium tej patta
▢ ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
▢ ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
▢ ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
▢ 2 tablespoons of oil for sautéing the okra
▢ 2 tablespoons of oil to make the gravy
▢ salt as needed
Instructions
Preparation
- First rinse 250 grams of okra (bhindi) very well under running water a few times. Then drain them completely in a colander or strainer.
- Wipe down each bhindi with a kitchen towel. There shouldn’t be any moisture on them. You can also let them dry naturally at room temperature, spreading them out on a large plate or tray.
- Cut the bhindi into pieces of 1.5 to 2.5 inch. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a grinder or blender, take 3/4 cup coarsely chopped ripe red tomatoes, 1/2 inch chopped ginger, 4-5 chopped garlic cloves and 1 or 2 green chillies, chopped.
- Add 2 tablespoons of whole fresh curd / yogurt with 1/2 inch of cinnamon, 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves and 1 single sprig of mace.
- Without adding water, grind or mix to obtain a smooth paste. Keep aside covered.
Sauté the okra
- In a kadai, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the okra and brown them over low heat.
- Stir and sauté until almost done, shrunken and lightly browned on the sides.
- When you’re done, remove the sautéed okra and place them on a plate or platter.
Make ladies finger curry
- In the same kadai or pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and sauté for about 5 to 7 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions. mix well. Sauté the onions until they begin to turn lightly browned.
- Lower the flame. Then add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper powder, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder.
- Quickly stir in the spice powders. You can also turn off the stove while adding and mixing spice powders, so that they do not burn.
- Add the curd tomato paste that we made before. Be careful when adding ground paste as it splashes.
- Mix well. over low heat, sauté until the masala paste thickens and you see oil coming out of the sides.
- Add about 3/4 cup of water and stir well. You can also add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of water for a thick gravy or 3/4 cup of water for a medium gravy.
- Season with salt if needed. Add the sautéed okra. Stir again.
- Bring the okra curry to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes until the curry absorbs the aroma and flavor of the okra.
- Do not cook the okra in the gravy any longer because it will become mushy.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed kasuri methi. If you wish, you can also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of low fat cream at this step.
- Stir then add 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves to the gravy. Stir again and turn off the stove.
- Serve the bhindi curry garnished with a few coriander leaves or immediately with chapatis or parathas or steamed rice.
