Aloo Bhindi is a flavorful North Indian dish made with tender fried okra and crispy potatoes cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices. This dry sabzi is easy to make and pairs well with roti, paratha or dal-rice, making it a popular everyday dish in Punjabi homes. The recipe is also vegan.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • 200 to 250 grams okra ((bhindi))
  • 1 large potato (- rinsed, peeled and cubed)
  • ⅓ cup or (1 medium) onion (- finely chopped)
  • 1 cup or (2 medium) tomatoes (- finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder ((ground cumin))
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((ground coriander))
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala (add as required)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika, add as required)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing) - optional)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon dry mango powder ((amchur), add as required)
  • ¼ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves ((kasuri methi), crushed - optional)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons oil (- any neutral oil)
  • salt (as required)

Method

Preparation

  1. Rinse and dry the bhindi (okra) with a kitchen towel. You can also let them dry naturally. Cut the bhindi into 1 to 1.25 inch pieces.
  2. Peel and cube the potatoes. Make smaller pieces as they will be quick to fry.

Frying Potatoes & Okra

  1. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a kadai or pan. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
  2. First add the potatoes and fry them till they become opaque, change color and become crisp and are cooked completely. With a slotted spoon remove the fried potatoes cubes draining as much oil as possible and then drain them on paper towels.
  3. In the same oil, add the chopped okra and sauté till all okra pieces are tender and softened or cooked completely. Drain the fried okra on paper towels to remove excess oil.To check - insert a knife into the sautéed okra; if it slides in easily, it’s cooked.

Cooking Onions, Tomatoes & Spices

  1. In the same oil, add the finely chopped onions. Saute the onions stirring them at intervals till the onons become translucent or light brown.
  2. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for some seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
  3. Now add the finely chopped tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes stirring at regular intervals till the tomatoes become soft and pulpy.
  4. Add all the spice powders except garam masala and dry mango powder. So at this step add following spices one by one - cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and, turmeric powder asafoetida (optional)
  5. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or till the oil starts to leaves the sides of the masala.

Making Aloo Bhindi

  1. Add the fried potatoes and okra.
  2. Stir gently till the whole masala mixture coats both the potatoes and okra.
  3. Stir and saute for 1 minute. Add the garam masala powder, dry mango powder and salt as required. Stir and saute for a minute.
  4. Lastly add the crushed kasuri methi and saute the sabzi for a minute more.

Serving Suggestions

  1. With Indian flatbreads: Aloo bhindi tastes great with Indian flatbreads like roti, paratha, or naan. Serve a side of plain yogurt or simple raita.
  2. As a side dish: You can serve aloo bhindi as a side dish with khichdi or dal-rice or rasam-rice, kadhi-chawal, or with any Indian curry and steamed rice.
  3. Lunch box: You can pack aloo bhindi and some roti for lunch box.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.