Besan Bhindi is a north indian vegetarian dry side dish made with okra, gram flour and spices. It is super simple to make and tastes amazing with rotis.
About My Recipe
Besan Bhindi, also known as Besan Wali Bhindi (Bhindi = Okra, Besan= Gram Flour)is indian bhindi recipe made with fleshy and sweet summer okra cooked in a masala of onion, garlic, besan and spices. It is a one-pan sabzi which takes under 30 minutes to make.
I make this sabzi how mom used to make it. Her method is influenced by both the rajasthani besan bhindi as well as maharashtrian zunka (dry besan dish belonging to regional marathi cuisine). She got this recipe from one of her friends at work and slowly because everyone loves the combination of besan & bhindi, it became a regular during summers.
This punjabi bhindi kadhi is another of our summer favorite.
If you are a fan of bhindi sabzis and looking for an easy recipe that is something different, you will love it. It is no surprise that anything besan is super delicious, here the nuttiness of besan combined with the onions, garlic and spices like fennel, cumin and coriander make it taste so earthly. Okra isn't slimy once the dish finishes cooking, the dish is perfectly spiced and comes together quickly. Read my tips later in the post about cooking bhindi to avoid sliminess.
This vegan okra dish is sure to please everyone. It is delicious as a side with daal- rice or with soft warm rotis and a bowl of yogurt. I love such simple and light meals during summer. You can also pack it in tiffins.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make besan bhindi.
- Bhindi (Ladyfinger/ Okra) - Choose slender, green bhindi that look shiny and are firm to touch. Avoid off season bhindi that have big hard seeds. You can use frozen whole bhindi as well in this recipe.
- Oil- Similar to most north indian dishes, here also I use mustard oil. Mustard oil and besan together give an amazing depth of flavors to this dish, however I completely understand that not everyone prefers the sharp pungent taste & aroma of mustard oil. You can substitute any cooking oil that you use regularly in your kitchen.
- Powdered Spices - Basic spices like Coriander, Red Chilli & Turmeric, Garam Masala (to finish) & Amchoor (dry mango powder to tang).
- Whole Spices - Cumin, Black Mustard & Fennel Seeds.
- Other Ingredients - Garlic, green chillies.
How Can I Make Sure that Bhindi Is Not Slimy
- Wash the okra at least 1-2 hours before beginning to cook and let air dry if possible. When you chop okra, it should be completely dry. Quickly washing and wiping with paper or cloth table is okay but do plan a bit ahead and give it couple hours to air dry. Do not cut okra until its completely dry else it will be super slimy.
- While you are chopping okra, remember to wipe off the knife from time to time so that the accumulated slime and juices on the knife are cleared.
- For this dish, cut the okra in longish pieces, don't cut very thin discs. If you have small okra, you can leave them whole as well. Cut the long ones in third. Finely chopped okra gets slimy quickly due to heat of pan as well as when we stir the sabzi.
- Avoid stirring the sabzi too much. The more we move around the okra in a heated pan,there are more chances of it breaking oe smushing and getting slimy.
- Don't skimp on oil. Some vegetables like okra, eggplant etc cook better if the oil quantity is good. At the same time, besan(chickpea flour)also need extra oil for the right texture of this dish post cooking. Right quantity of oil also helps in reducing the slimy texture of okra since it dosent steam but stir fries well while cooking.
How do you keep Bhindi Green When Cooking
Okra is a delicate vegetable and when fresh, it cooks quite fast. To preserve the color of okra while cooking, firstly we don't need to cover it for a long time. In this recipe, we begin by pan frying the okra and then finishing it in besan mixture. Pan frying on medium heat preserves the color and texture. Once you ahem mixed the okra with besan, just cover for a few minutes (3-4) to finish cooking and then saute a little bit on high heat. Dont let the bhindi steam for long- it will lose its green sheen.
How To Make Besan Bhindi (Visual Guide)
For written instructions, please see the recipe card.
Besan Bhindi (Okra in Spiced Gram flour)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (400gms) okra
- 5 tablespoon mustard oil or any cooking oil you use, divided
- 1.25 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 green chilies chopped or left whole with slit(as you like)
- ¾ cup finely chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chilli powder adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ⅓ cup besan gram flour
- ⅓ cup water or as needed
- ½ teaspoon amchoor dry mango powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Wash and air-dry the okra. Trim the ends and cut each okra into maximum of 3 pieces. Set aside.
- Take a kadai or any heavy pan with lid in which you want to cook. Set it on stove. Add 2 tablespoon of oil and add the cut okra. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt. Let okra brown for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Don't stir much. Let the skin char a bit. Okra will turn deep green in color. Take it out in a plate.
- Add the remaining mustard oil to the kadai and heat up till a bit smoky. Temper the oil with mustard, fennel and cumin seeds. As soon as they crackle, add the onions and green chilies.
- Let the onions cook in oil till they are a nice shade of golden brown. Add the garlic next and saute for a minute till you smell a nice aroma.
- Add the coriander, turmeric and red chili powder next and saute for a minute or so.
- Next add the gram flour, salt and mix very well. The gram flour will coat the onions but make sure its not lumpy. Roast it slightly for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously but dont let it change too much color.
- Sprinkle the water on the gram flour, it will steam. Immediately start mixing to make sure that the besan absorbs it and becomes slightly wet. We need to cook the besan now. Lower the heat to low and cover the kadai with lid. Let cook for 5-7 minutes. Check once it between, if th ebesan is getting dry, add a tiny splash of water. Dont let the besan dry out too much right now. It should be moist but not raw.
- Once the raw taste of besan goes away, open the lid and add the okra now. With gentle hands, mix with the spiced besan. Cover the kadai again with a lid. Let cook for not more than 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and you will see that okra is much softer, cook for another minute if you see that its not tender .Once okra is cooked properly, its slimy texture goes away.
- Finish the with amchoor and garam masala. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro. Mix well and serve warm. As the dish sits, it is but natural that the besan will dry up and turn into small granules.
Notes
- Wash the okra at least 1-2 hours before beginning to cook and let air dry if possible. When you chop okra, it should be completely dry.
- While you are chopping okra, remember to wipe off the knife from time to time so that the accumulated slime and juices on the knife are cleared.
- For this dish, cut the okra in longish pieces, don't cut very thin discs. If you have small okra, you can leave them whole as well.
- Avoid stirring the sabzi too much. The more we move around the okra in a heated pan,there are more chances of it breaking and smushing and getting slimy.
- Don't skimp on oil. Both besan and okra need extra oil for good taste and to have a smooth moist taste.Right quantity of oil also helps in reducing the slimy texture of okra since it doesnt steam but stir fries well while cooking.
- The besan mixture is really super delicious!! You can add ½ cup besan as well to this sabzi. Adjust the quantity of water needed.
Reena
Hi Tanvi,
your besan bhindi sounds delicious. I want to try it for my party. how do I triple or 4 times this recipe? shouldi. just double up everything in proportion?
Tanvi Srivastava
Yes, scale the recipe up. Make sure that the cookware is large enough and dont skimp on oil else bhindi can become slimy.