Bhindi Masala
This delicious Punjabi dish consists of okra (lady fingers) cooked with a tangy onion and tomato blend and boldly seasoned with plenty of spices.
Growing up, I wasn’t very keen on the veggies, but there was something about this recipe that I loved. Maybe it was the sweet yet tangy masala of the caramalised onions and tomatoes. Maybe it was just that my mum could make anything taste great. Whatever it was, I would gladly eat this dish with minimal fuss.
Recently, I felt like I was falling into a bit of a food rut, making the same few dishes over and over again. When this happens, I start to think back to what my mum used to make and this dish came to mind.
So I made a little Indian feast, Bhindi Masala, Tandoori Chicken, some spiced yoghurt and a keto friendly roti. It was such a comforting meal, full of nostalgia and the best part is that it doesn’t require a lot of effort.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp of ghee
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
500g of lady fingers sliced into 1cm pieces with the ends removed
2 onions cut into thin strips
1 red chilli (more or less depending on tolerance)
1 tbsp of ginger & garlic paste
1 cup of tomatoes diced
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of amchoor (dried mango powder)
Ghee
I like to use ghee when cooking Indian food, it adds a lovely nuttiness to the dish. It not only has a high smoke point, it is full of nutrients that are beneficial to the body. Ghee is also a great source of healthy fat, that can help you absorb essential vitamins and minerals in the body. Plus it tastes great!
Ginger & Garlic Paste
The only reason for using ginger and garlic paste in this recipe over fresh ginger and garlic, is to save time. I always keep a jar of this paste in my fridge and it’s so easy to open it up and chuck a spoonful into my cooking. If you want to use the fresh stuff, go for it. Just mince up 2/3 cloves of garlic and thumb sized piece of ginger. If you opt to purchase ginger and garlic paste, remember to check the ingredients, some brands contain questionable things, like seed oils and I highly recommend you stay away from this. I like to use Shaan brand, as it uses water instead of oil to form the paste.
Amchoor Powder (Dried Mango Powder)
Amchoor Powder, is used in this recipe to add a bit of tanginess and also stop the lady fingers from becoming slimly. If you’ve cooked with okra before you will be aware that this can happen sometimes. So, not only is it important to wash the okra, you need to thoroughly dry the it as well. Adding some form of acid will also help, hence why I’ve added amchoor to this dish. Alternatively, you could use a squeeze of lemon or even sumac to deliver the same results.
The Preparation Stage
As mentioned above, before you get going you need to ensure you have thoroughly washed and dried your lady fingers, before you start to chopping. Lady fingers have a tendency to get a bit slimey, when exposed to water, so ensuring it is completely dry will help solved that problem.
This recipe doesn’t require any modifications, it’s true to the original recipe my mum used to make. In order to save time during the preparation stage, I used a mandoline to help slice up the onions. It’s such an effective tool for slicing up vegetables, you will literally get perfectly sliced veggies in a matter of seconds. But be warned, it’s bloody sharp. I have managed to cut my thumb twice, when I tried to slice veggies without using the protective guard. So you’ve been warned. I purchased the Joseph Joseph brand. It’s small so it’s easy to store and doesn’t take up much space in your kitchen.
Next you want to dice up your tomatoes and slice up the fresh chilli. If you would prefer to use chilli powder in this recipe, then add it in along with the other spices.
Once, everything is chopped up and ready to go, melt some ghee into a pan and and in the cumin seeds and let them sizzle away.
Next, you can add in the onions and fresh chilli (if you are using chilli powder, do not add it in at this point). I like to add salt to the onions, while they sauté as it helps to draw out the water and brown faster.
After 5 minutes, add in your ginger and garlic, it doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or a premade paste. Continue to sauté this mixture until caramalised. Once you get a lovely brown colour, you can add in your diced tomatoes and cook until they are nice and soft.
Now you can add in all of the spices (except the amchoor powder). So that will be the cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder, if you are using it.
Once it’s all dissolved into the masala mixture, add in the sliced lady fingers. Then thoroughly coat the lady finger’s with the onion masala mixture.
Cover the pot with a lid and let the vegetables cook for 10-12 minutes in the steam. Once the lady fingers are cooked sprinkle over the amchoor, (lemon juice or sumac) give it another good stir and then garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and enjoy with a delicious keto friendly roti.
Bhindi Masala
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds until they sizzle and release their aroma.
- 2. Chuck in the onions, chilli and ginger & garlic paste.
- 3. Add the salt and sauté until the onions are caramelised.
- 4. Next, chuck in the tomatoes and cook until they become soft.
- 5. Add in the turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala.
- 6. Throw in the chopped bhindi/lady fingers/okra and coat with the onion mixture.
- 7. Cover with a lid and let the bhindi cook in the steam.
- 8. After about 10 minutes or so, remove the lid and give it a stir.
- 9. Sprinkle over the amchoor powder. If you do not have this, you can use a squeeze of lemon juice or even sumac.
- 10. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
- 11. Then garnish with fresh coriander and enjoy with a hot roti
Notes
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