Bhindi Do Pyaza
May 30, 2017, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Okra cooked with lots of onions and spices. This bhindi do pyaza is a simple Indian sabzi which is best enjoyed with plain roti. Vegan & gluten-free.
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Double the onions and lots of spices, surely make this Bhindi Do Pyaza very flavorful. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy okra with roti or paratha.
We get a lot of veggies here in the US, however one veggie which I don’t see very often here is okra or what we call bhindi in hindi. Bhindi is a very popular vegetable back home and most people I know love it! Me and hubby are big bhindi fans and I try to make it at least once a month for our dinner. Bhindi sabzi with dal and roti – you can’t beat a simple Indian meal like this!
The only place where I get okra in my city is the Indian grocery store. I have also seen it around few times at Whole Foods and that’s mostly about it. I find it rather surprising that okra isn’t very popular in this part of the world as it is in Asian countries. It’s actually a delicious vegetable which is also low in calories, so it definitely deserves more popularity. Maybe just like kale and turmeric, the okra trend will also catch up sometime.
Anyway so the most common way in which you can cook bhindi in an Indian way is by sauteing it with some cumin seeds and spices. In my home, we also use fenugreek seeds to temper. It’s super simple and tastes great with rice or roti. I make that version often and sometimes I change things up a bit make bhindi do pyaza. The literal translation for “do-pyaza” means double onions [do=double and pyaza=onion] so this sabzi has basically twice the amount of onions than what you would normally use.
Okra is slimy is nature and can give a lot of trouble while chopping and cooking. A good way to minimize the sliminess is to wash the okra and then pat dry it with a kitchen towel. However if you plan ahead, I highly recommend washing the okra and and leaving it to air dry overnight on a paper towel. This way when you chop the vegetable next morning, the sliminess will be less and cutting the okra would become much easier. I often plan ahead when I am making bhindi just so that I can minimize the slimy mess!
For this recipe of bhindi do pyaza, I used lot of onions and spices like fennel, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom. All these spices make the bhindi really flavorful. We enjoyed this bhindi do pyaza with plain roti and dal and I do believe that’s the best way to enjoy this sabzi. So next time, you want to try something different with your bhindi, give this recipe a try. And if you have never had okra before, this recipe is a good place to start!
* You may garnish it with chopped cilantro.
PS: I apologize for no step by step pictures for this post. I usually click those with my phone and 2 days back my phone just died on me. I lost all my pictures! If I am able to recover those pictures, then I will definitely edit this post and add those here.
Bhindi Do Pyaza
Ingredients
- 400 grams okra/bhindi cut into rounds
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 2 large red onion cubed
- 1.5 teaspoons chopped ginger
- 2 dried red chili broken
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon amchur also known as dried mango powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice optional
whole spices
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 black cardamom
- 6-7 peppercorns
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, add the chopped bhindi.
- Saute at medium heat for 10 mins, then lower the heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove bhindi from pan and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan. Add cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, black cardamom and peppercorns. Saute the whole spices till fragrant.
- Then add cumin seeds and fennel seeds and let them sizzle.
- Add chopped ginger and broken dried red chili.
- Saute till ginger starts turning golden in color.
- Add cubed onions and mix. Also add turmeric powder and salt.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or till onions turn translucent.
- Add the cooked bhindi and mix.
- Add garam masala, amchur and stir to combine.
- Lower the flame to low cook the sabzi on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add lemon juice (optional) and mix. Serve bhindi do pyaza with roti or any bread of choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Bhindi Do Pyaza
Have you tried cooking with frozen pre cut okra? If so, how does it cook in the IP? How about in this dish?
No I have never tried cooking with frozen okra. And for okra I would always recommend using stove-top, IP might not be best for everything!
I always cook with frozen okra and it thaw really fast so you only have to cook it like the fresh one! I rinse it under lukewar water and cook it ☺️
Okra in the US is a traditional southern food. I have eaten it since childhood, both corn meal battered and fried and in gumbo. Both are delicious, but my favorite is Bhindi dishes I discovered years ago at my local Indian restaurant.
I grow okra on my garden, as did my mother and grandmother. It is easy to grow, especially in hot summer climates. My boyfriend brought in our plants last year and has continued to grow it in the basement under a grow light all winter! The trick with okra is to harvest as they grow and pick them small. Large okra are woody and inedible but good for seed saving. Several plants are best to ensure enough okra for a meal.
Thank you for this wonderful blog with four delicious Bhindi recipes!
yes I did see lot of okra dishes in New Orleans but in India we just cook it very differently 🙂 I am so glad to know you enjoy Indian bhindi recipes!
Thanks Manali!!!
This dish was something different. We Goans use okra to prepare curry adding prawns to it as an accompaniment to rice. The Goan prawn curry becomes delicious.
God Bless!!!!
Keep up the good work!!!!!!
Oh that sounds nice, I had never heard of prawns with okra, interesting! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed this dish and thank you!
Due share the recipe…
Love bhindi in any form and your Bhindi Do Pyaza looks super YUM!
Thanks Anu!
I absolutely LOVE okra, so I’m 100% sure I would love this dish!! Looks super flavorful and delicious! Cheers!
Thank you! If you love okra, you definitely need to try this!
I’ve never really eaten okra. I think it is very popular in certain regions. I will need to give it a try. It looks delicious with all the spices you’ve added.
Oh you need to, it’s super tasty!
This looks so delicious… I love bhindi with roti and mung dhall it has so much of flavour and is absolutely amazing. We are very fortunate to have it sold in our markets and stores here in South Africa, so there is always an abundance of it. Since we eat it often at home, I love growing it in my garden as well and sharing with family and friends. Love the recipe and am so glad to have come across your blog, the recipes look great. ?
bhindi and dal is the best combination, isn’t it? Thanks Ashika for dropping by 🙂
I totally agree that we don’t use okra enough here in the States. It shows up occasionally in southern cooking (especially gumbo), but I’ve never seen it used in this way. This dish sounds delicious with all of those spices! 🙂
Yeah I don’t know why though. it’s such a tasty veggie! Thanks David!
Most Americans don’t like the slimness of the Okra. And unfamiliar with the cooking
Lots of wonderful spices here…it must be very flavourful!
It sure is! Thanks Angie!
I’ve only had okra a handful of times, but I do like it! It sounds so flavorful in this dish, Manali. I love onions and spices, so this sounds like a delicious side dish!
Thank you Gayle! If you like okra, you would love this dish!