bhindi curry recipe with step by step photos – okra or bhindi in a creamy rich gravy. this restaurant style shahi bhindi curry is a good side dish with chapatis or parathas.
sharing a favorite bhindi curry recipe which is also my mother’s signature dish. many of her friends and family members ask her for this shahi bhindi recipe. it was time i thought i should add this recipe on the blog too. though most of the times i make this very simple bhindi do pyaaza. but on occasions i do make this rich curry with bhindi.
as a family we are all bhindi lovers and bhindi is made once a week at home. there are already many bhindi curry recipes on the blog like:
- dahi wali bhindi
- bhindi masala gravy
- vendakkai sambar
- bendakaya pulusu (andhra style okra gravy with tamarind)
this restaurant style bhindi curry recipe is simple and calls for the usual ingredients like onions, tomatoes and cashews to make a nice creamy gravy. you can easily add blanched almonds instead of cashews. the recipe also uses fresh curd and cream.
shahi bhindi curry goes very well as a side dish with tandoori rotis, parathas or chapatis.
bhindi curry recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR bhindi curry recipe
for sauteing the bhindi
- 250 grams bhindi (okra or lady finger)
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 to 5 tablespoon oil
other ingredients for bhindi curry
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced Or 150 grams onions Or 1 heaped cup sliced onions
- 1 medium to large tomato Or 100 grams tomatoes Or 1/3 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger + 4 to 5 medium garlic + 2 green chilies - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle or ground in a small grinder
- 14 to 15 cashews powdered in a dry grinder (add 14 to 15 blanched almonds instead of cashews)
- 2 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
- ½ cup fresh curd (dahi or yogurt)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- 1 to 1.25 cups water or add as required
- 2 tablespoon fresh cream Or 1 tablespoon milk powder Or 1 to 2 tablespoon grated khoya (mawa or evaporated milk solids)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - crushed (optional)
- 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish (dhania patta)
- salt as required
HOW TO MAKE bhindi curry recipe
sauteing bhindi for bhindi curry
- rinse 250 grams bhindi (okra) in water. then wipe dry them with a kitchen towel or just allow to dry them naturally in a plate.
- slice off the crown and base of each bhindi and make a slit on one side.
- sprinkle 1/2 tsp chaat masala and 1/4 tsp salt.
- mix and toss the bhindi very well with the salt and chaat masala. keep aside for 5 minutes.
- heat 4 to 5 tbsp oil in a pan and add the bhindi. stir very well.
- saute the bhindi till they become tender and are just about cooked. no need to brown them.
- drain them on kitchen paper towels.
prepping other ingredients for bhindi curry
- in a dry grinder, powder 14 to 15 cashews finely. if some fat releases while powdering the cashews, its alright. keep aside.
- beat 1/2 cup fresh curd till smooth and keep aside.
- crush 1 inch ginger + 4 to 5 garlic + 2 green chilies, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle. you can also grind these in a small grinder. also slice the onions thinly and chop the tomato.
making bhindi curry
- in the same pan, add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida. saute till the cumin seeds crackle.
- then add 1 heaped cup of sliced onions. stir very well.
- saute the onions till they light golden.
- then add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili paste. stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- add 1/3 cup finely chopped tomatoes.
- stir and then add the ground cashew powder.
- on a low to medium flame, stir and saute for 5 to 6 minutes till you see oil releasing from the sides.
- then add 2 tbsp besan or gram flour, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp coriander powder.
- stir and saute for a minute.
- lower the flame and then add the beaten curd gradually.
- as soon as you add the curd, quickly stir so that the curd does not curdle.
- stir and mix very well.
- now add 1 to 1.25 cups water. stir again well.
- season with salt as required.
- simmer the gravy for 2 minutes. then add the sauteed bhindi. stir very well.
- now add 1 tbsp milk powder/dairy whitener. 2 tbsp milk powder can also be added, but it makes the gravy a little more sweet.
- substitutes for milk powder is fresh cream and khoya. if adding khoya you can add once the tomatoes are sauteed well. saute the khoya for a minute. if adding cream, then add right at the end when the bhindi gravy is done.
- stir again. cover and allow the bhindi curry to simmer for 7 to 8 minutes on a low flame.
- lastly add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder. you can also add 1/2 tsp kasuri methi at this step. stir bhindi curry well.
- garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve bhindi curry with chapatis or rotis.
preparation for shahi bhindi curry recipe
1. rinse 250 grams bhindi (okra) in water. then wipe dry them with a kitchen towel or just allow to dry them naturally in a plate.
2. slice off the crown and base of each bhindi and make a slit on one side.
3. sprinkle ½ tsp chaat masala and ¼ tsp salt.
4. mix and toss the bhindi very well with the salt and chaat masala. keep aside for 5 minutes.
5. in a dry grinder, powder 14 to 15 cashews finely. if some fat releases while powdering the cashews, its alright. you can also substitute blanched almonds, instead of cashews.
6. beat ½ cup fresh curd/dahi and keep aside.
7. crush 1 inch ginger + 4 to 5 garlic + 2 green chilies, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle. you can also grind these in a small grinder. also thinly slice 1 large onion and chop 1 medium to large tomato finely.
making bhindi curry
8. heat 4 to 5 tbsp oil in a pan and add the bhindi. stir very well.
9. on a low to medium flame, saute the bhindi till they become tender and are just about cooked. no need to brown them. you can saute the bhindi in batches too.
10. drain them on kitchen paper towels.
11. in the same pan, add ½ tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida. saute till the cumin seeds crackle.
12. then add 1 heaped cup of sliced onions.
13. stir very well.
14. saute the onions till they turn light golden.
15. then add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili paste. stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
16. add ⅓ cup finely chopped tomatoes.
17. stir and then add the ground cashew powder.
18. on a low to medium flame, stir and saute the masala mixture for 5 to 6 minutes till you see oil releasing from the sides.
19. then add 2 tbsp besan or gram flour, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp coriander powder. besan is added to prevent the yogurt from getting curdled.
20. stir and saute for a minute.
21. keep the flame to the lowest and add the beaten curd gradually.
22. as soon as you add the curd, quickly stir so that the curd does not curdle.
23. stir and mix very well.
24. now add 1 to 1.25 cups water.
25. stir again well.
26. season with salt as required and simmer for two minutes.
27. add the bhindi.
28. stir bhindi curry very well.
29. now add 1 tbsp milk powder/dairy whitener. 2 tbsp milk powder can also be added, but it makes the bhindi gravy more sweet. substitutes for milk powder is fresh cream and khoya. if adding khoya you can add once the tomatoes are sauteed well. saute the khoya for a minute or two. if adding cream, then add right at the end when the gravy is done. we always add cream, but on this day i ran out of cream and hence added milk powder.
30. stir again.
31. cover and allow the bhindi curry to simmer for 7 to 8 minutes on a low flame. do keep a check so that the bhindi does not become mushy.
32. lastly add ½ tsp garam masala powder. you can also add ½ tsp kasuri methi at this step.
33. stir bhindi curry well.
34. garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve shahi bhindi curry with chapatis or rotis.
Wow! Delicious recipe! Tried it.
thanks for the feedback. nice to know.
this recipe came out really well and everyone in my family enjoyed it 🙂 Thank you !
thanks aparna for sharing this feedback. nice to know.
can we skip ginger garlic as my mother doesn’t like that?
you can skip. then add a pinch of asafoetida in the dish.
hi dasanna..ur recipes are too good. I don’t go to any website apart from urs…even if I browse…I come back to yours.. good job…keep posting new recipes..thx
thanks a lot vijaya. sure will add new recipes.
I am a big follower of Ur blog..the way you represent Ur recipes with pics is very fascinating. I have tried Ur many recipes..the step by step representation makes it very easy for anyone to understand..great work.
pleased to know this mahesam 🙂 thanks for positive views.
Hey i dnt wan to use onion ginger garlic wil it taste good withouy tat i can use saunt powder ,,Pls reply i wann try tis coz every alternative day we make binde so
onions do give some taste and flavor. use a pinch of asafoetida/hing to mimic the flavors of onion and garlic. also you can use saunf powder.
I made this today. And the result was awsome. Way way better than i expected. Who knew vindi ( okra) can b this tasty!!
thankyou ekta for your kind words 🙂
Can I add milk instead of milk powder?
yes you can add milk. you can also cream.
Hi Dassana,
I am a big fan of your recipes. Have tried most of them and they taste awesome! Thanks for the blog! Can you share more South Indian recipes with brinjal?
thankyou bhargavi would add them to our request list 🙂
I made bhendi curry and it is awesome . Your recipe. Is simply superb.
thankyou Prasad 🙂
I prepared Hindi curry as per your recipe for 25 persons during the. Party which I toasted tom relatives every one enjoyed it and it came out awesome.
pleased to know this Prasad thankyou so much.
hi…i like Bendi.. i was searching for Bendi curry recipe.. so i tried this, it came out very deliciously..yum yum v all liked it.. thanks
welcome asha. glad to know that you liked the recipe.
hi…i like Bendi.. i was searching for Bendi curry recipe.. so i tried this, it came out very delicious..yum yum v all liked it.. thanks
welcome asha. glad to know that you liked the bhindi recipe.
I tried this recipe today, it tasted so good, everyone loved it 😀
Thank you from Pakistan 🙂
thank you rabia for the positive review and a hello from india 🙂
Want a recipe of chenna poda
have updated the recipe request.
hii, i like u r recipes and me shahi bhendi banawali, khup tasty zali hoti, saglyanna aawadali,
thank u so much…. 🙂
thanks rupesha. tujha comment vachun changle watle 🙂
Dear Dassana & Amit thanks to u…….
Tumcha blog mazyasahi mazi hobby zalay,,,,
khup masta masta n tasty and fakta hotels madhe naw aiklelya recipes ithe easy easy way madhe aahet..
thanks to u so much…..:-) 🙂
bye
thank you very much rupesha 🙂
hi, I tried dis sahi vindi 2day.. n its so testy.. all my family members loved it.. Thanx Dassana 🙂
I jst cm 2knw dis blog yestrday while searching 4juice item..n my goodness I got dis one
welcome pragnya. nice to know this.
hi dassana your every recipe really very yummy and i tried ur almost recipe very tasty shahi bhindi also too much yummy.
thanks palak for sharing positive feedback.
Hi..
I like ur recipes n try them too…
Ur way of sharing the recipes izz really awsm.. Thank u so much but I was wondering if u have any app for ur recipe website…
I would love to have that app on my mobile
Plzzz do reply
welcome swati. glad to know this. we have not made the APP for website. will do so in future.
I had this dish in a restaurant not too long ago. I looked it up and found your post. This is such an intricate dish, I had no idea. Nice job on your photos, it is such a yummy dish.
thanks bill
You are a fabulous cook!
I just came across your blog and truly loved it.
I am still exploring but loved all that i saw here. I am learning to cook and living far away from India its such a great support for learning.
you don’t fail to capture all important details yet keep it simple.
I am truly impressed and inspired to try harder to learn cooking.
God Bless You!
Keep up the good work!
thank you very much ojima for your kind words and encouraging feedback 🙂
Is there any alternative to curd?
sreedevi, there is no alternative to curd.
So creamy. ..I m a big fan of u…I m pure non vegetarian. .but I love eating different types of vegetarian dishes…which I cant cook..so It is your blog…where I have got lots of many veg dishes. ..Thanks
welcome moumita. thanks for your kind words. glad to know this.
Hi Dassana,
Firstly must say Ur site is truly fab.
I have not stopped cooking since I came across ur recepies.
U are bang on with the details of every recepie. My kids loves eating every dish I try…specially the paneer ones as all of them came out yummy….
Thank You so much….
welcome reena. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive review on recipes.
Yummm recipe..
m going to try it today itself !!
Thanx 🙂
welcome adija
Shahi Bhindi looking good, and taste will also be nice. But recipe is little bit lengthy. But try soon.You are very creative. I admire your cooking skills.
thank you neelam.
Ur recipes r really very tasty n easy to cook……i loved it…i am ur fan now
thanks ekta for your kind words