Bhindi Masala
Okra fried dry and hard before anything wet touches it. That single rule is what keeps it from going slimy.
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 30m
- Total
- 50m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 2 tbsp | Fry until soft 8m | Cook the masala until thick 14m | Fold the okra through the masala and cook uncovered 5 minutes 5m Uncovered, and stir as little as possible from here. | |
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 1 tbsp | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 2 tsp | ||||
| 1/2 tsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 500 g | Wash, then dry completely and trim 15m Bone dry before it is cut. Water on cut okra is what starts the sliminess. | Fry hard in a dry-ish pan until no longer sticky 15m 12–15 minutes, barely stirring. The okra should look dry and slightly blistered. | ||
| 3 tbsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| a handful | ||||
-
Fry until soft
8m- neutral oil 2 tbsp
- cumin seeds 1 tsp
- onions 2
- ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp
-
Cook the masala until thick
14m- from 1 Fry until soft
- tomatoes 2
- ground coriander 2 tsp
- ground turmeric 1/2 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp
- amchur 1 tsp
- salt 1 tsp
-
Wash, then dry completely and trim
15m- okra 500 g
Bone dry before it is cut. Water on cut okra is what starts the sliminess.
-
Fry hard in a dry-ish pan until no longer sticky
15m- from 3 Wash, then dry completely and trim
- neutral oil 3 tbsp
12–15 minutes, barely stirring. The okra should look dry and slightly blistered.
-
Fold the okra through the masala and cook uncovered 5 minutes
5m- from 2 Cook the masala until thick
- from 4 Fry hard in a dry-ish pan until no longer sticky
- garam masala 1 tsp
- coriander leaves a handful
Uncovered, and stir as little as possible from here.
The slime problem
Okra contains mucilage — long-chain polysaccharides that dissolve in water into a viscous gel. Heat and acid break those chains down; water and stirring release more of them. So: dry the pods completely before cutting, fry them hard in oil before anything wet arrives, stir minimally, and add something sour. Do all four and the texture is completely fine.
Notes
- Wash the okra whole, then dry it thoroughly — ideally an hour ahead, or the night before.
- Cook the okra separately and combine at the end. Boiling it in the masala guarantees the thing you are trying to avoid.
- Amchur or lemon at the end helps for chemical reasons, not just taste.