Bhindi curry masala or Bhindi masala gravy cooked in the Kerala or Tamil Nadu style (vendakkai kozhambu) is a tangy and mildly spicy curry. Okra is stewed in a yogurt and coconut milk-based sauce and flavoured with spices. Tasty yogurt, sweet onion, fresh coconut milk, crunchy bhindi, and delicate spicing all complement each other beautifully in this delicious ladies finger curry.
Our quick and easy bhindi masala gravy recipe shows you how to make ladies finger curry with basic ingredients and yet produce a dish that is high on flavour and taste. This recipe for bhindi ki sabzi with gravy is so good, it will win over even bhindi haters.
Bhindi (in Hindi), okra and ladies finger (in English), vendakkai (in Tamil), and vendakka (in Malayalam) is a very popular vegetable across India. It appears in dry, semi-dry, and gravy dishes, and in various masala mixtures.
You can use this simple bhindi curry recipe to cook other vegetables like eggplant and drumstick.
Tips on how to make ladies finger curry:
For the best bhindi curry recipe, make sure the bhindi is tender, young, long, fresh looking, and dark green in colour. Not only does this bhindi cook faster but it also looks more attractive. Discard bhindi that is overripe or old, or has too many seeds.
Okra exudes mucilage, a sticky and slimy substance that many people find off-putting. To make sure that the bhindi in the final bhindi masala gravy is not sticky, wash it under running water, drain completely in a strainer or colander, and thoroughly dry it with a kitchen or paper towel before cutting it.
After thoroughly washing ladies fingers, lay them all out in a single layer on a paper or kitchen towel, or plate or tray, and let them dry for some time, or you can pat each piece dry with a paper towel.
Any residual moisture will turn the bhindi sticky. So make sure to wipe the knife clean as soon as it gets sticky.
To reduce the stickiness even further, cook bhindi in a large open vessel so that the bhindi is not crowded and does not steam. Also, stir the bhindi only a few times when it is cooking. Frequent or vigorous stirring releases more mucilage. Another way to reduce the stickiness is to use generous amounts of oil to cook bhindi, but as you can see from our bhindi masala gravy recipe, we have kept the oil to a minimum but still avoided the stickiness.
Remove the head or tip and the tail of the bhindi and discard. Then chop the bhindi as instructed for cooking.
Be careful when adding the reserved yogurt–coconut milk mixture to the bhindi curry masala. Lower the heat and stir immediately after adding it to prevent the yogurt from curdling.
Also, for a traditional Tamil taste, use gingelly oil. If this is not available, use any regular cooking oil like sunflower oil or other vegetable oil.
Serve bhindi masala gravy or vendakkai kozhambu with steamed hot rice with a dollop of ghee for a delicious weekend lunch. It also goes well with roti, phulka, and paratha.
Learn how to make bhindi masala gravy restaurant-style with a step-by-step video. Get this quick and easy bhindi recipe with gravy including all ingredients and cooking method from Yummefy Recipes.
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Or take a look at our Vegetarian Recipes right here!