Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Bhindi Pyaz
Bhindi Pyaz (Crispy Okra with Onions)

Bhindi Pyaz

Crispy Okra with Onions
Vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 10 minutes, plus soaking timeCook 15 minutes

A classic North Indian dry curry pairing tender-crisp okra rounds with sweet, deeply browned onions, green chillies, and warm cumin.

Tempering spice

2.1 gAdded to the browned onions and chillies (step 4)
01
Cumin seed · Jeeracrushed
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
Crush lightly and keep ready for the pan.

Everything else

01
Okra · Bhindi
500 g
vegetable
02
Vegetable oil · Tel
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
03
Onion · Pyazchopped
600 g4 onions
vegetable
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
24–36 g4–6 chillies
vegetable
05
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Soak 500 g okra in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Cut off the stem ends just above the cap ridges and slice the pods into thin rounds.
  2. Warm 27 g vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan set over medium heat. Add 600 g chopped onion and cook for roughly 5 minutes until well browned.
  3. Tumble in 24–36 g chopped green chilli and fry for about 2 minutes until they turn pale green.
  4. Add the tempering spice and stir through the hot aromatics for 30 seconds.
  5. Stir in the sliced okra along with salt to taste. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, turning frequently so the okra does not catch or stick, until completely tender.

Don't have something?

Okra
  • Cluster bean

    Use the same weight, topped, tailed and cut into similar pieces. It is firmer and less mucilaginous; cook a few minutes longer until tender.

  • Green bean

    Use the same weight, trimmed and cut into short lengths. It cooks faster and stays crisp; add towards the end and expect no okra stickiness.

  • Aubergine

    Use the same weight, cut into small pieces and cook until soft. It gives a soft, seedy texture but no okra mucilage and absorbs more oil.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Similar dishes

Khara Bheeda
Savoury Okra
Khara Bheeda tastes tangier and less sweet due to the tomatoes, lacking the deep caramelized onion and warm cumin notes of this dish.
  • Same: Both recipes dry-fry okra in vegetable oil with sliced onions and green chillies.
  • Different: Khara Bheeda adds tomatoes and ground turmeric while using half the onions and omitting cumin seeds.
Onion Bhajiya
Onion Bhaji
It tastes richer and herbal from the deep-fried batter and ajwain, lacking the sharp chilli heat and earthy cumin notes of this dish.
  • Same: Onion Bhajiya also relies on a large base of onions seasoned with salt and cooked in vegetable oil.
  • Different: Instead of pan-frying okra with cumin seeds and green chillies, Onion Bhajiya coats sliced onions in chickpea batter with ajwain seeds and deep-fries them.
Sirkewalla Pyaz
Spiced Pickled Red Onions
Sirkewalla Pyaz tastes sharp, tangy and fresh with gentle spice, while this dish tastes savory and warm with sweet browned onions and tender-crisp okra.
  • Same: Sirkewalla Pyaz shares onions and cumin seed with this dish, and both include a chilli element.
  • Different: Sirkewalla Pyaz uses red onion softened in lemon juice and salt with Kashmiri chilli powder and coriander leaf, while this dish cooks okra with vegetable oil, onion, green chilli and cumin seed as a dry curry.
Sirkewala Achar
Mixed Vegetable Pickle
Sirkewala Achar is sharp, acidic, and lightly sweetened, unlike the warm, savoury cumin heat of this dish.
  • Same: Both preparations feature raw or cooked onions seasoned with salt.
  • Different: Sirkewala Achar is a cold pickle cured in white malt vinegar and olive oil with garlic and sugar, whereas this dish is a dry curry sautéed in vegetable oil with cumin seeds and green chillies.