Bhindi Masala

Hellooo,

I am here again after a very long gap.

Bhindi Masala Gravy is one of the delicious north indian dish which goes well with chapathi/roti/paratha. Bhindi was not my favorite dish until recently. But still I used to love this dish prepared by my mom. And now, after trying out various recipes for my hubby  (being his favorite vegetable), the love for it slowly started inside me. Yes.. Now I can cook and eat this vegetable atleast twice a week.

For this gravy, we first need to shallow fry the okras/ladies finger in some oil to remove its stickiness, then prepare the onion tomato based gravy, finally cook it and add the okras to this.

Let me share the detailed recipe with you

Ingredients

To Grind

• Onion - 2 big
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves
• Green chillies - 2 
• Grated  coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Cashews - 5 numbers
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
• Cloves - 2 numbers
• Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Green Cardamom - 1 number
• Kalpasi/ Black stone flower - 1 small piece (Optional)
• Mace - 1/2

Other ingredients

• Bhindi/Okra/Ladies finger - 20 numbers (Approx.)
• Tomato puree - 1.5 cups (Scroll down to see the procedure)
• Oil / Butter - 1 tablespoon
• Tej patta / Bay leaves - 1, broken
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - 1 or 2 teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (or according to spice level. You can also omit this)
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Yogurt - 1 tablepoon
• Kasuri methi/ Dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tablespoon, crushed
• Oil for sauteing bhindi - 2 tablespoons
• Coriander seeds - 1 cup, pressed

Tomato Puree

• You need 4 medium sized toatoes for this recipe.
• Boil water in a deep vessel.
• Take the tomatoes and make slits here and there using a sharp knife. Just 4 slits in each tomato.
•  When the water comes to a rolling boil, drop in the tomatoes. Let it boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat
• Cover the lid and keep aside for 5 minutes. Carefully take out the tomatoes and remove the peel off starting from the slits you made on them.
• Chop the pulp and add it to the blender. Blend it to a smooth puree and use it in the gravy.

Method

• Wash bhindi well under water. Drain them and wipe each bhindi with a clean kitchen towel. Alternatively, if the time permits, wash and drain the water completely and spread them on a clean kitchen towel. Allow to dry well in room temperature
• Once dried, keep bhindi inside the refrigerator for half an hour or so. 
• Cut them in to 2 inch pieces.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add the chopped bhindis. In a medium heat, fry until they shrink and becomes light brown here and there.
• Once done, remove from the kadai and transfer them to a plate. Keep aside
• Grind all the ingredients under "To Grind" in the ingredients section. Make it to a smooth paste, by adding minimum water as possible. Make sure all the cashews and garlic and ground well.
• In the same pan where you fried the bhindis, add some more oil/butter. Turn the heat on. Add the broken bay leaves and cumin seeds. Saute for 5 seconds.
• Add the prepared onion paste and saute in a medium heat for about 6 to 7 minutes, until the raw smell fades away and becomes slightly brown in colour. Do not add water, nor burn the mixture at this point. So, adjust the heat accordingly.
• Add salt, sugar and turmeric powder
• Add the tomato puree and mix well. Continue on a medium heat. Cover the lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring it for every 4 minutes or so. Add water to adjust the consistency.
• Add kasuri methi, cumin powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Add the fried bhindis. Cover the lid again and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add yogurt/ curd. Mix well. Check for seasoning. Allow it to come to 1 boil and then turn off the heat. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves. Cover the lid and let it sit for 15 minutes or so before serving.
• Serve with hot phulkas/ rotis/parathas/rice