When I see fresh okra in the market I never miss to buy it. In our house it is the most loved vegetable whether I grill, make a stir fry or add it to curry. It’s always reached for second and third helping. It is a lovely vegetable which tastes delicious when cooked right but there seems to be many people who hate okra. If it is the slime that excretes while chopping, it is understandable. However, you can get rid of most of the slimy strings, if you choose young and small okra pods and follow some cooking tips.
What I am going to share with you today is a simple recipe of okra as cooked in most Punjabi homes and devoured with daal and chapati.
Bhindi do pyaza is made with lots of onions. Okra is called bhindi in hindi and “do pyaza” means twice the amount of onions. Well, logically I don’t understand how it will taste with twice the amount of onions. I used half the amount to okra. The ingredients and the cooking technique of my recipe varies from other recipes that you will find in cookbooks or on the internet. The purpose of my blog is to share simple recipes prepared with passion.
Okra doesn’t need much spices to bring out its taste and flavor. It can be grilled, roasted, pan fried, and is good to go with simply salt and pepper (read red chili powder) and a souring agent. You can put lemon juice, dry mango powder or sumac but not tomatoes in this punjabi style dry okra dish.
Here are some tips to prepare okra-
- Pick okra that is tender, green with no cuts or brown marks. Fresh okra will snap when bent. Avoid okra that is shriveled or soft.
- Wash whole okra before cutting. Spread it on a clean cloth for air drying or pat them dry with kitchen towel.
- Cook okra on high heat in oven or on medium high in a wide and thick bottomed pan. I prefer oven because the high heat and larger surface area dries the slimy juice and cooks okra evenly to a dry and crispy finish.
- Remember that to cook okra right is not to overcook.
By keeping the above points in mind you can not resist liking this lovely dish.
Bhindi Do Pyaza
Ingredients:
850g Okra
400-500 g red onion
3 tbsp oil
1tsp red chili powder (divided)
2 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp mango powder or sumac
3/4 tsp turmeric powder (divided)
salt to taste
Pam oil spray
Method:
Rinse okra and dry it well (as written in notes). There should not be any moisture while chopping.
Cut the top and ends of okra. Chop into 3/4″ diagonal or round pieces. Wipe the sliminess from knife whenever required.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with PAM spray and add chopped okra to it. Spray again with oil. Sprinkle salt all over. Add half of turmeric and red chili powder. Roast okra for 20 -40 min, tossing it around every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooking yet retaining its color and crispness (cooking time depends on how fresh the okra is ).
Meanwhile, thinly slice onions.
Heat oil in a pan or skillet, add sliced onions and fry until they turn golden. Add remaining turmeric and red chili powder, and little salt (don’t forget we added salt in the okra).
Remove okra from oven when roasted, and add the caramelized onions and souring agent (lemon juice/ dry mango powder or sumac). Stir gently.
Serve hot with chapatis.
Swathi Iyer
Neetu,
I love okra, I am great fan of Okra. This Bhindi do pyaza looks perfect for any lunch or dinner.
By way I was cooking and feeding the baby yesterday that is why I couldn’t chat with you. I saw the message only later.
sometime when we are on same time we can chat.
Shirley Tay
Hate Okra? No way! I’m a huge fan of the veg & love it when frying it with chilli. Congrats on your feature! I was featured sometime last year too. Welcome to the club!
Amelia
Hi Balvinder, the only time I eat okra is cook curry fish head.LOL But your this Bhindi Do Pyaza look delicious with green chilli.
I’m actually very tempting to make coffee power with okra seed but yet to have the chance to it. 🙁
Have a nice weekend, regards.
Alida
I don’t know Okra at all. It looks so exotic and interesting to me. This is a very nice dish.
Have a nice weekend.
Guru Uru
Congrats on the feature my friend, that is super exciting 😀
And you make okra not slimy! Yay!!!
Your sabzi looks delicious – rolled in a paratha and off to school!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
anne
I love okra ! But I haven’t eaten much less cook it since time immemorial ! lol I love the way you made it , simple yet very tasty !
Baker Street
Woot! Congratulations on being featured on Foodista!
Indulge
We love Okra but not in Sambar. MY kid can live on that veggie alone.
Love Ash.
The Café Sucré Farine
I didn’t think I liked okra but after this post I’m going to try it again, your way!
Spice up the Curry
very delicious bindi subzi
yummychunklet
I love okra! This dish is right up my alley!
Jay
loooove this..you’ve put together a pretty mouthwatery recipe
congrats on your feature..:)
Tasty Appetite
Navaneetham Krishnan
We love okra or ladies fingers as we call it. Mostly in curries, deep fried as chips and also like this simple yet lovely side dish. Without the foodbuzz entry, I seem to be missing in commenting on fellow bloggers recipes. Will come back from time to time to check your latest post.
Balvinder Ubi
No problems! I am on google,too.
Cucina49
I like okra, but it seems to be an acquired taste/texture. What a great-looking stir fry–I’m sure the onion really perked up the flavor of the okra!
Balvinder Ubi
Yes, in this recipe you can even double up the onions.
Juliana
I love okra, but do not find it often in the grocery store…like your spicy version 🙂
Thanks for the recipe and have a great week Balvinder!
Asmita
Hi,
I love okra and this recipe looks wonderful! I could just eat it plain or better still , with some dal chawal. How perfect!
Kitchen Belleicious
I love okra and I love love love this recipe! Nothing beats a good okay stir fry. got to send this one to my mom, she would love it too
Tiffany
I want to make this for my nana. She LOVES okra!
Vicki Bensinger
I think I may have had okra only once in my life and don’t recall the flavor. My mom never made it and no one I know has ever had it. That seems so strange to me. Now I need to try making it and your recipe would be a great place to start.
Balvinder Ubi
Vicki, You are missing flavor and fiber if you have not tried okra yet.
cookingvarieties
hi balvinder, i love okra too. we in malaysia call it “bendi” . Stir fried or any recipe at all, it will still taste delicious to me. great sharing on okra tips, now i know they need to be cooked in high heat. have a nice day and google hangout. ha ha
Gluten Free Foods
While people who follow a gluten-free diet cannot consume anything made of wheat, rye, or barley, including all commercially prepared cakes and pastries, there are other grains and flours that do not contain gluten. These gluten-free foods include buckwheat, corn, potato flour, rice, arrowroot and soy.
Balvinder Ubi
From all the above flours I use soy and rice more often with amaranth and quinoa. Will visit your site for sure.
Lizzy Do
So sorry you missed the hangout! It was the first time I ever used my web cam 🙂 Anyhow, I think all of our blogger friends’ families would say the same thing as yours and mine…we spend too much time on line. It’s so hard to balance blogging with every day life, isn’t it? Your okra looks so yummy…I like your simple recipe!