BHINDI MASALA

Bhindi masala is a very simple recipe made with bhindi / lady’s finger. Its name itself gets juices flowing in mouth. This gravy is a semi-liquid preparation and tastes well for roti/ chapati. There is this cute little thing that happens when buying bhindi in the Indian market. You can spot all the ladies trying to break the tip of each and every bhindi before putting it their basket. The theory being that if the tip breaks, it’s a good one and fresh. If it doesn’t, it’s not. A simple and yet a tasty bhindi masala curry made by roasting the lady’s finger along with some tomato paste which is spiced with simple indian spices which elevates the dish. The gravy is tomato based, creamy and has a burst of flavours. I love to create different recipes with different textures and cooking textures and ingredients.  By that logic, you need not always have the same kind of food for lunch or dinner. This is very simple recipe made with bhindi and  hope you will love it.

INGREDIENTS:
250 gms Bhindi/ Lady’s Finger
1 Big Onion, chopped finely
1 Bay Leaf
¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
Chopped Coriander
2 tablespoon Oil for frying + 1 tablespoon more for gravy
Salt as per taste

For making paste-
3 Tomatoes
1/2”Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies
4-5 Garlic Cloves
2 Cloves/ Lavang
1 Green Cardamom
½”Cinnamon Stick
1 Mace Strand/ Javitri

METHOD:
STEP 1 – Rinse bhindi well and then drain them completely in a strainer. Wipe them with a clean kitchen towel.

STEP 2 – Cut them in to pieces about ½-1“ and set them aside.
STEP 3 – Now in a mixer pot, add tomato cut into big chunks, garlic cloves, ginger, green chillies, clove, cardamom, mace

and curd.

STEP 4 – Make a fine paste of it without using water. Remove in a bowl and keep aside.

STEP 5 – Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a kadai. Fry bhindi well until cooked and slighly golden in colour.

Transfer it on a tissue paper to remove excess oil from it.

STEP 6 – In the same pan, add more 1 tablespoon oil and heat it.
STEP 7 – Crackle mustard seeds in it and then add bay leaf. Roast it for few seconds.

STEP 8 – Then add chopped onion and salt and sauté it well until golden brown.

STEP 9 – Now add the tomato paste in it and mix well and roast it well till masala paste thickens and the oil starts floating from the sides.

   
STEP 10 – Add turmeric powder and other spice powders in it and mix it well. Roast for a minute.

STEP 11 – Add water as needed and mix it. [do not make it too thin or too thick]

STEP 12 – Add fried bhindi in it and let the curry simmer on  a medium flame for 4-5 minutes

or until the bhindi gets mixed with the gravy and the gravy thickens slightly.

STEP 13 – Finally add chopped coriander and switch off the flame.

Serve it with roti, paratha, naan or jeera rice and enjoy.