shahi bhindi | okra in a creamy rich gravy

Shahi bhindi 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 okra curry which is also my mother’s signature dish. Many of her friends and family members ask her for this 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:

1. Dahi wali bhindi
2. Ladies finger curry
3. Vendakkai sambar
4. Bendakaya pulusu (Andhra style okra gravy with tamarind)

This recipe of restaurant-style shahi bhindi 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 gravy goes very well as a side dish with tandoori rotis, parathas or chapatis.

How to make shahi bhindi

Preparation

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.

TIP: For best taste use the okra that are fresh and tender. Avoid using stringy or fibrous okra.

2. Slice off the crown and base of each bhindi and make a slit on one side.

TIP: Before chopping make sure the okra is completely dried. Never chop the wet okra otherwise it will become slimy.

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 shahi bhindi curry

8. Heat 4 to 5 tbsp oil in a pan or kadai. Then 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 (hing). On a low heat saute till the cumin seeds crackle.

12. Then add 1 heaped cup of sliced onions.

13. Stir very well.

14. Stirring often saute the onions till they turn light golden.

15. Then add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili paste. Stir and saute for few seconds or 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 of water.

25. Stir again well.

26. Season with salt as required and simmer for two minutes.

27. Add bhindi.

28. Stir 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 okra 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 well.

34. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve shahi bhindi with chapatis or roti or plain paratha or jeera paratha or tandoori roti.

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