Bhindi do pyaza is a restaurant style North Indian dish made with okra, spices, herbs & lots of onions. Caramelized onions and a tempering made with red chilies are the key essentials that impart a unique smoky flavor to this bhindi do pyaza. This gluten-free and vegan dish is for sure going to please your tummy! It tastes simply delicious, is easy to make and goes well as a side in a meal, with rice, roti, paratha, naan, turmeric rice or jeera rice.
About bhindi do pyaza
Bhindi do pyaza translates to okra cooked with twice the amount of onions or onions added at 2 different stages of cooking. “Bhindi” is the Hindi word for ‘okra’ and “Do” means “twice” & “pyaz” refers to “onions”. So as the name says bhindi do pyaza is a dish consisting of okra that has been cooked with twice the amount of onions.
There are different notions about the term “Do pyaza”. Some say it is twice the amount of onions, some say it is 2 kinds of onions and according to many others it is adding onions twice at 2 different stages in 2 different forms.
Whatever be the meaning, bhindi do pyaza tastes great and has very unique flavors that come from caramelizing the onions at the first stage and then frying more diced onions on a high heat at the second stage.
Do pyaza was originally from the Mughal cuisine & is usually cooked with meat. It became so much popular in the restaurants that even vegetarian versions were innovated. Paneer do pyaza is another vegetarian version.
There are many different ways a do pyaza recipe is made. Usually a sour ingredient like yogurt, raw mango or tomatoes are used to balance the sweet flavors of onions.
This recipe will yield you bhindi do pyaza that has a consistency similar to the one served in the restaurants. It is neither too dry nor has a lot of gravy. But it is in between them. If you prefer more gravy/sauce in the dish, increase all the ingredients proportionately except bhindi.
If you are bored with the regular bhindi masala then give this a try!!
Here is how to make it.
How to make bhindi do pyaza
Preparation
1. Rinse bhindi under running water well and drain them. Wipe them dry with a clean kitchen cloth. Chop them to ¾ to 1 inch pieces. You can keep them longer too as served in restaurants.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon oil to a hot non-stick pan. Fry the okra on a medium high flame stirring often until they are half cooked.
3. Keep stirring to fry them evenly. Reduce the flame if needed in between. Fry them until they are no more slimy and partially cooked. We don’t need fully cooked okra. It took me exactly 6 minutes to cook down to this stage. Transfer to a plate.
4. Pour 2 tablespoons oil to the same pan. Turn down the flame to low. Then add cumin and carom seeds.
Caramelize onions
5. When the seeds sizzle in oil, add fine chopped onions.
6. Saute them on a medium flame until golden stirring constantly. We need golden onions here. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for 40 to 60 seconds until a nice aroma comes out.
7. Then add tomato puree. Saute them until most of the moisture in the tomatoes evaporate.
8. Then add garam masala, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt.
9. Mix and saute this masala very well until a nice aroma comes out. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes.
10. Pour ½ to ¾ cup water. I poured ¾ cup water. Cover and cook on a medium heat until the masala cooks well & turns thick.
11. Add bhindi, amchur powder and kasuri methi. Mix well. Crush kasuri methi in your hands before adding.
12. Pour another 4 to 6 tbsps water to bring it to a curry consistency. Mix well. Cover and cook until bhindi turns tender & fully cooked. Ensure the curry has reached a thick consistency before proceeding to the next step. I forgot to take a picture here. (for consistency check pic in step 15). Turn off the stove. Taste test and add more salt if needed.
Tempering
13. When you are done cooking the bhindi, make the tempering in a different pan. Pour 1 tablespoon oil to another small pan. Keep the flame to high and add the onion layers. Don’t get confused here. I have used a different pan for tempering, both the pans look same.
14. Fry them for 2 minutes until a nice aroma comes out. The onions must become transparent yet remain crunchy. Then add 2 dried red chilies and fry until a nice smoky and pungent aroma comes out. Do not over fry as they will burn and taste bitter.
15. Quickly pour this (onions & red chilies along with oil) to the bhindi do pyaza. Also add ginger juliennes and coriander leaves. Give a gentle mix from the sides leaving the red chilies & some onions on top. Cover and turn off the stove.
Serve bhindi do pyaza with basmati rice, roti or any flavoured rice.
Related Recipes
Recipe card
Bhindi do pyaza
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 300 grams bhindi (okra)
- 1 medium onion (100 grams or shallots) (diced, layers separated)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 dried red chilies
- ½ inch ginger (julienned)
For masala
- 1½ tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 2 medium onions (210 grams, 1 cup fine chopped)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (chopped) (3 medium)
- ¾ teaspoon ginger (chopped) (½ inch)
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed (200 grams, ¾ cup puree)
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ to ¾ cup water (use as needed)
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- ½ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder or lemon juice)
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse okra very well under running water and drain them completely. Wipe them with a clean kitchen towel and chop to 1 inch pieces.
- Fine chop 2 onions. Puree 2 tomatoes in a blender. Fine chop finger and garlic.
How to make
- Heat a non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon oil and fry okra on a medium high flame for 5 minutes stirring often.
- They would be partially cooked & most of the slime goes away. Remove them to a plate.
- Pour 2 tablespoon oil to the same pan. When the oil becomes hot, add cumin and carom seeds. Take care not to burn the spices as the pan is too hot at this stage.
- Then add onions and saute until they turn golden.
- Stir in the ginger garlic and saute for 30 to 50 seconds. Then add tomato puree.
- Cook until most of the moisture in the tomato puree dries up. Then add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt.
- Mix all of these and cook the masala on a low heat until a nice aroma comes out. This takes about 3 minutes.
- Then pour ½ to ¾ cup water and cook the masala until it turns thick.
- Transfer the fried okra, amchur and kasuri methi. I poured another 4 to 6 tablespoons water to bring it to a curry consistency.
- Stir and cook covered until okra turns tender. Taste test and add more salt if needed.
Tempering
- In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the onions (layers separated) and fry them on a medium high heat until a nice sweet aroma comes out. This takes about 2 to 3 mins. Do not overcook the onions, they should remain crunchy.
- Then add dried red chilies and stir. The chilies will begin to emit a strong pungent aroma. Turn off quickly and pour this to the bhindi do pyaza. If you fry the chilies longer, they will burn and will impart a bitter flavor.
- Also add ginger juliennes. Stir and cover the pan.
- Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve bhindi do pyaza with basmati rice or roti.
Notes
- Tempering imparts a smoky aroma. If you prefer to make the dish in one pan, skip the tempering. Onion layers and red chilies can be fried after frying bhindi in the same pan. But frying them in the last step and adding to the simmering curry is what makes the entire dish aromatic.
- Fine chopping onions and pureeing tomatoes is very important. This helps the curry bind well without separating water.
- This is a restaurant style dish so more oil is used in the recipe. If you are on a low fat diet, cut down the serving size but don’t cut down the oil in the recipe. It won’t taste the same.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Can I use frozen okra?
I have never tried with frozen okra. Pat them dry with kitchen tissues and try.
Adding ajwain was so good. I also put 2 boiled potatoes. Turned out yum
Glad to know!
Hello
Looking for your recipe of Sabudana khichdi.
Hi,
You can check the recipe here – Sabudana khichdi
Thank you. I made this last night. I also used little crushed fennel seeds. Absolutely good.
Welcome Hema
Glad to know you liked it. Thanks for leaving a comment.