Bhindi Pyaz (Okra Stew)

The story of Bhindi Pyaz

I used to hate Bhindi Pyaz (directly translated to Okra Onions) growing up. The things I hated about it, like the texture, the small seeds, and the insane amount of onions, are all things I absolutely love now. In fact, I’m the one who adds extra onions. Bhindi Pyaz is also known as Bhindi do Pyaza, meaning bhindi and two onions. And as I have recently come to know, it’s because you add half the onions at the end, so they stay crunchy. It gives a combination of cooked onions and slightly raw ones, which does wonders for texture and flavor.

Two things make your Bhindi Pyaz

As the name suggests, it’s really just 2 ingredients that make Bhindi Pyaz, but they need to be cooked the right way. Start by sautéing the Bhindi (Okra) with some turmeric and crushed pomegranate seeds. This gives great flavor and color to the bhindi. After a few minutes, add the tomato and half the onions along with the spices. This will all be covered and cooked down. Then right before serving, add the remaining onions, lower the flame to a minimum, cover and cook for a few minutes. This keeps the last onion addition crunchy while getting rid of the rawness.

Keep your vegetable stews simple and let the vegetables shine

I always like keeping my vegetarian recipes simple. Some don’t even have ginger or garlic, like this one. It’s because I enjoy tasting the vegetables. Essentially, you use the same spices for almost every dish, barring a few adjustments. The reason these dishes taste different is because of the vegetables themselves. If you over power them with spice with add ons, you won’t be able to taste the actual star of the dish.

Some more vegetarian (Gluten free and vegan) entrees you’ll love

Aloo ki Bhujia

Aloo Gajar Matar

Torai ki Sabzi

Bhindi Pyaz

Sconce&Scone

Bhindi Pyaz is one of my favorite vegetarian stews, and I know you'll love it as much as I do!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Gluten Free, Pakistani

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups bhindi (okra) chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp crushed pomegranate seeds anar Dana
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 onion sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 tsp kashmiri laal mirch
• 2-3 green chilies sliced in half
• fresh coriander for garnish

Instructions

 

• Start off by heating the oil in a pan. Add the bhindi, turmeric and pomegranate seeds. Sauté for 4-5 minutes medium low flame till the bhindi starts changing it's color a bit.
• Then add the chopped tomato, green chilies, the remaining spices and half the onions. Sauté for a couple minutes, then cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Take the lid off, then add the remaining onions and sauté for a minute, then lower the flame to the lowest setting, cover and cook on dum for 3-5 minutes. garnish with fresh coriander and serve with fresh roti or naan.

Notes

You may have to cook the bhindi less or more depending on the size. The trick is to make sure it’s not sticky anymore before adding the tomatoes and onions. 

Make it more spicy by adding more fresh green chillies.

Substitutions. If you don’t have dried pomaganate seeds you can add a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end. 

If you prefer less onions in your food, then add half an onion instead of a while. 

Keyword Bhindi, vegan and gluten free

I love hearing your feedback!

If you have tried this recipe I would love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments below!

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