Bhindi Do Pyaza / Okra Stir-fry with Onions

Bhindi do Pyaza is a delicious Okra dish from the North-Indian Cuisine. Here, okra is stir-fried with lots of onions and spices. The word 'Do Pyaza' translates to 2 onions and the dish is named so because, onions are added at 2 stages in this dish. Once as chopped onions in the begining and as shallow fried cubed onions at the end of the preparation. Onions lend a mildly sweet taste to the dish which is well balanced with the spices and the lemon juice. Serve bhindi do pyaza in lunch box with chapati  or as a flavorful side dish at lunch or dinner. With a very simple and easy to follow recipe, Bhindi Do Pyaza is vegan and gluten free and is ready under 30 minutes from scratch.

A more about Do Pyaza or Dopiaza dish:

Do Pyaza or Dopiaza is a onion based dish. In this, the quantity of onions used is usually double or more than the star ingredient. As mentioned above, the word Do pyaza translates to 2 onions and the dish gets the name with the fact that onions are used twice( at 2 stages) in cooking the dish. Once at the begining when finely chopped onions are stir-fried and cooked with the main ingredient of the dish and spices and the second time at the end of the preparation where shallow fried cubed onions are used as garnish. 

Do Pyaza can be cooked both as a vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish. In the non-veg category, the dish ususally contains a meat, usually chicken, beef, mutton, lamb or shrimp. Mushrooms, Paneer, Okra are prefered key ingredients in the vegetarian version of Do pyaza. 

According to the legend the dish was created when a courtier of Mughal emperor Akbar Mullah Do Piaza accidentally added a large quantity of onions to a dish. The dish evolved further in Hyderabad, India, Pakistan, and many other countries around the world and became a staple of Mughal Cuisine Source

Another key feature of the Do Payaza dishes is the use of a sour agent like, raw mango powder (amchur) or lemon juice. Here i have used tomatoes and lemon juice.

What goes into my Bhindi Do Pyaza ?

This bhindi do pyaza recipe is vegan and gluten free and requires the ingredients that are always present in an Indian Kitchen pantry. Let;s have a look at them,one by one.

• Okra - The star ingredient of the dish is Bhindi or Okra. Select fresh tender okra that are green in color for the best results. Do not use the ones with blemishes, or with yellow color. 
• Onion - As metioned above the qualtity of onions used in any do pyaza dish is equal to or more than the star ingredient. Here i have used 2 large onions finely chopped and 2 large onions that atre cubed. So total 4 large onions for 400 grams of Okra.
• Tomato and lemon - I have used 1 large tomato and juice of 1 lemon in this recipe. Souring agents are another feature of the do pyaza curries. You may use Amchur ( dry mango powder) as well.
• Ginger and Garlic - Ginger and garlic are minced and used in this dish.
• Red chilies - I have used 2 broken and de-seeded dry red chilies. It is optional and you may skip it if you wish.
• Whole spices : whole spices like bay leaves, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, black peppercorn are used in this dish. The spices make the dish flavorful and aromatic.
• Spice powders like turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, roasted cumin-coriander powder are also used in the dish apart from salt.
• Herbs like fresh coriander and dried fenugreek leaves ( kasuri methi) add freshness to the dish.
• Oil - this dish requires a little more oil compared to the other dry stir fry curries. Do not cut down on the oil if you are looking for authentic taste. Use any neutral cooking oil. I have used sunflower oil.

Tips to make a non-slimy okra stir-fry

Okra dishes are delicious but the slimy texture may ruin the dish and many people found it unappealing. The key to getting a non sticky okra is to keep away the moisture. Following few cooking techniques may help get a non-sticky okra.

• Always pat dry the okra after washing using a dry kitchen towel.
• Always make the stir-fry using fresh tender okra. I hardly store okra in the refrigerator, as it does not taste the way fresh okra tastes and also it becomes stale and sticky.
• Rub a lemon on both sides of the knife that you use to cut the okra, this will keep away the slime.
• The most important step is to cook the okra without cover. For that first stir-fry the okra on high heat in the oil and then simmer it until it is done without placing cover over the pan. 
• Do not over crowd the pan with okra as this will result in less heat and cause sliminess.
• Adding souring agent like tomatoes or amchur powder in the okra curries helps to cut down the sliminess.

Health Benefits of adding Okra to your regular diet -Source

Before moving ahead with the recipe, let's have a look at the health benefots of eating okra. Okra / bhindi is a nutrient rich food that is low in calories and has a high dietary fiber content. 

• Okra is rich in may nutrients and particularly high in Vitamin C and K. Okra is unique as it provides protein, a nutrient that many other fruits and vegetables lack.
• Okra is rich in antioxidants that may reduce your risk of serious diseases, prevent inflammation and contribute to overall health.
• animal research suggests that okra may bind to cholesterol in your gut and lower blood cholesterol levels. It is also rich in polyphenols, which fight harmful inflammation and protect your heart.
• Eating Okra may help prevent preganant women meet their daily folate needs. Folate is important for preventing neral tube defects.

Related Event: I am submitting this Bhindi Do Pyaza / Okra Stir-Fry with Onions recipe to the A to Z recipe challenge group, a gourmet group on Facebook where I post every alternate month. Members of this group post different food recipes with a key ingredient having a particular alphabet.  As per the alphabetical order, for the month of August, we had to cook a dish starting with the alphabet O. I chose Okra as my key ingredient and made this delicious stir-fry. Actually it is a double "O" dish with both Onions and Okra used in equal quantites. This post is my 14th contribution to this group. The other recipes I have shared here, so far are

• Baked Nigella Seeds Crackers for Alphabet "N"
• Kadai Mushroom for alphabet "M"
• Lemon Crinkle Cookies for alphabet "L"
• Minestrone Soup with Kidney beans for Alphabet "K"
• Aliv Kheer / Garden Cress Seeds Jaggery Pudding for Alphabet "J"
• Ivy Gourd Stir-Fry for Alphabet "I"
• Horse Gram Idli for Alphabet "H"
• Punjabi Kadhi Pakora / Gram flour Fritters in Yogurt gravy for Alphabet "G"
• Ankurit Methichi Usal/ Sprouted Fenugreek Seeds Stir-fry for Alphabet "F"
• Achari Baingan / Eggplant in pickling spices for Alphabet "E"
• Dates and Walnut Muffins for Alphabet "D"
• Coconut Curry Leaves Chutney for Alphabet "C"
• Broccoli Paneer Paratha for Alphabet "B"

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 350-400 grams Oka / Bhindi
• 4 large onions
• 1 tomato
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger-garlic
• 2 dried red chilies, split and de-seeded
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin-coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 2 black peppercorn
• 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi/ dried fenu greek leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
• 3-4 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. To start with we will prepare the veggies for bhindi do pyaza. Wash the okra thoroughly and pat dry using a clean kitchen towel. There should be no moisture left on the okra. Now rub lemon juice on the knife and chop off the tip and the bottom of each okra. Next, chop it into 2 inches long pieces. Now, Peel and finely chop 2 onions and keep ready. Peel and chop the remaining 2 onions into cubes. Wash and finely chop the tomatoes. 
2. To begin with making Bhindi Do Payza, take 2-3 teaspoon of oil in a wok and cubed onions to it. Stur fry on medium to high heat until the onions turn golden brown. Remove and keep in a plate. In the same pan add 2 tablespoon of oil and add the chopped okra to it. Stir fry the okra on hogh heat for 4-5 minutes. Next, lower the flame and cook the okra on medium flame until done. Remove the cooked okra in a plate. 

3. In the same pan add remaining oil. Add cumin and fennel seeds to the heated oil. Once the seeds crackle, add the broken red chilies, bay leaf, cloves and black peppercorns. Fry the spices in oil for few seconds. Next, add the minced ginger garlic and fry until the raw smell goes off.

4. Add finely chopped onions and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. To this add the tomatoes and cook until soft.

5. Lower the flame and add the spice powders, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, cumin coriander powder. Blend the spice powders well with the onion and tomato.

6. At this stage add the cooked okra and stir fry for 2-3 minutes so that it blends well with the curry base and takes up the flavors of the spices.

7. At the end add the fried cubed onions, finely chopped coriander and kasuri methi. Squeeze out lemon juice and give a quick stir. Put off the flame.

8. Our delicious Bhindi do Pyaza is ready to serve. Serve it with chapati or paratha and enjoy with your loved ones !

                        

Recipe Notes:

• Select fresh tender okra that are green in color for the best results.
• This dish requires a little more oil compared to the other dry stir-friy curries. Do not cut down on the oil if you are looking for authentic taste.
• To get a non-sticky Bhindi do Pyaza, pat dry the washed Okra with a clean and dry kitchen towel so that it is free of moisture before chopping the okra. Also cook the okra on high flame and do not cover it while cooking to reduce slimeness in the dish.
• You may use souring agent like amchur powder (dry mango powder) also if you do ot have lemon juice.
• Do not reduce the quantity of onions used in this recipe. Do pyaza dishes use onions in equal quantities or double the quantity of star ingredient.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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For more Okra recipes, do check out the following from this blog

• Microwave Bharwan Bhindi

                                

• Achari Bhindi

                               

• Besan Wali Bhindi