Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala - Okra Masala Recipe Step by Step

Learn how to make dahi bhindi, a Hyderabad okra recipe with yogurt as the base.

I have been posting way too many dessert recipes of late so here's something to offset that. I have talked about my dislike towards the sliminess of Okra in my Okra Fry with Peanuts recipe post so you can rest assured that if I use Okra, the final dish will show no signs of sliminess. This is another one of them.

You may also like: Okra besan recipe, capsicum besan recipe.

Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala
Serves: 2 - 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Bhindi/Okra, washed, dried and cut into small pieces
8 shallots, sliced fine (or use 1 large onion)
2 tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
1 teaspoon ginger garlic Paste
A pinch of sugar (optional)
1 cup yogurt, beaten
1 tablespoon grated coconut, fresh/frozen
8 cashew nuts, soaked in warm milk for at least 10 mins
A generous pinch of kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ -1 teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon amchur / dry mango powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder / malli podi
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
For Tempering:
1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
½ teaspoon Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 teaspoon Urad Dal/Split Black Lentils
2-3 Dry Red Chillies, halved
A Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
1 tablespoon Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sia's tip: Sprinkle little salt to okra pieces and mix well. Keep it aside for half an hour. This helps in reducing the sliminess while frying the okra. I did this and it worked!

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add okra pieces to it. Fry them continuously at high flame till they turn brown retaining their crispiness, about 7-10 mins. Alternatively you can also deep fry them. Transfer these fried okras to a plate lined with kitchen/paper towel and set aside.

3. Grind soaked cashews and coconut to smooth paste adding the milk used for soaking. Set aside.

4. Heat oil for tempering in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When they pop, add cumin seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, hing and curry leaves and sauté it for a minute till the dal turns golden brown in colour.

5. Now add finely chopped onions and fry till they turn light golden. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute. Add all the dry masalas - garam masala, red chilli powder, amchur, turmeric and coriander powder - along with kasuri methi and fry for a minute in sim.

6. Mix in finely chopped tomatoes (if using) and sauté till they turn pulpy and release their juice, about 2 minutes (or add the tomato paste at this stage). Now add ground cashew-coconut paste and mix well. Keep stirring for a minute.

7. Add yogurt, sugar and salt to taste and stir well. Depending on the consistency of gravy required, add ½-1 cup of water and mix well. Simmer the gravy and let it cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.

8. Mix in fried okra and adjust salt. Add little more water if you think the gravy is too thick and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.

9. Done! Serve with rotis or any mixed rice.