Bhindi Masala / Okra Stir Fry in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. A North Indian favorite - Okra cooked with onions, tomato, garlic and spices. Perfectly cooked with no slimy texture of okra. And guess what, ready in less than 20 minutes.
You can also call this okra recipe - Pyaaz waali Bhindi. Bhindi do pyaza, which is a popular dish in restaurants just means okra with double the quantity of onions. "do" means two in hindi and "pyaz" means onions.
There are many ways to prepare okra. You can fry it or oven roast it. You can make it as a stir fry or make it as a curry. Another way is to air fry stuffed okra, and have it as an appetizer with mint chutney. Here are three more ways to make okra - Kurkuri Bhindi (Crispy Fried Okra), Bharwa Bhindi (Stuffed Okra) & Oven Roasted Bhindi Masala.
Today I am sharing the simple okra with onions recipe made in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. Okra cooks very quickly, hence we cook it on low pressure for only couple of minutes. This Bhindi Masala can be served with yogurt raita or lentil curry along with roti / naan.
How to make Bhindi Masala in Instant Pot
Fresh okra is best for this recipe, but you can use frozen okra when in a hurry. If using fresh okra, you want to wash it, and dry it completely before cutting. Too much moisture, makes the okra slimy and that is something no one likes.
Cut the okra in small equal size pieces and slice the onions. Heat oil in the instant pot and saute cumin seeds and garlic in it. Then add the sliced onions and saute for a few minutes till they slightly change color. Now add the chopped tomato, spices and okra. Give it a good stir and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position. Change the instant pot setting to cook on manual or pressure cook with low pressure for 2 minute. (On the Instant Pot DUO-60, you press the manual mode, then pressure to change the pressure setting).
One important thing is to add something tangy to the okra. Tanginess helps to remove the slime from okra. I added tanginess with tomato and dry mango powder or amchur. You can add lemon juice if you don't have dry mango powder.
This is it! Now when you open the instant pot, okra masala will be ready. Give it a gentle stir and serve with roti, naan or parathas, along with a side of yogurt made in the instant pot.
To make this recipe on stove top, check recipe notes.
Try out the Bhindi Masala and let me know how it turned out. You can also check out other Indian veggie recipes -
Instant Pot Bhindi Masala / Okra Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 3 cloves Garlic finely diced
- 1 Onion medium sliced
- 1 Tomato medium chopped
- 1 lb Okra (Bhindi) cut into equal ½-1" pieces
Spices
- ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- ¼ tsp Cayenne or Red Chili powder (optional)
- 1 tsp Dry Mango powder (Amchur)
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Heat the instant pot in saute mode and add oil to it. Add cumin seeds, garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the sliced onion and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add chopped tomato, spices and okra. Mix well. (If your instant pot is prone to burn or if using an 8qt instant pot, add 2-3 tablespoons of water)
- Hit cancel and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position. Start the instant pot in Manual or Pressure cook mode for 2 minutes at low pressure.
- When the instant pot beeps, hit cancel and do a quick pressure release.
- Stir the okra gently. Leave open for 5 mins before eating.
Notes
- It is possible the instant pot may not come to pressure, but the okra is still cooking and will be ready in 2 minutes.
- If you don't have amchur, you can use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- On the Instant Pot DUO-60, you press the manual mode, then pressure to change the pressure setting.
- To make this bhindi masala on stove top in a pan, follow the same steps. In place of pressure cooking, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Then open and cook on medium-low flame for 10 more minutes.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Looks very interesting. Planning to try. Why do you use low pressure 2 minutes instead of high pressure ?
Hi Kay - I use low pressure for veggies often, so that they don't get overcooked under high pressure. Hope you enjoy it!
I have made this recipe about 5 times. It's so fast and easy! The only change I would recommend to other users is to add the garlic at the same time as the onions, as they tend to start getting burned when they go in with the cumin seeds.
Hi Nancy - Happy to hear you have been enjoying the okra. Thank you for sharing back your feedback.
can you freeze this after you prepare it (i.e. to have ready to use meals when you don't have time to cook?)
Hi Maz - I have not tried freezing okra after cooking. I would think it might not work as well, and might not retain the texture as well.
I froze it and it was totally ok!!!
Hi Maz - Thanks for sharing back. Glad to hear freezing the bhindi worked well!
The 2 minutes was not enough, probably because the Okra I had was thick, I put additional 1 minute and it was OK.
Hi Ednak - Thank you for sharing back your feedback!
My wife loves this dish and always asks me to cook using your recipe. Great work! Thanks!
Hi Amit - Glad to hear she enjoys the recipe. Thank you for sharing back!
Hi Meeta,
I love Piping Pot Curry ! It makes cooking easy for someone like me who is completely new to cooking. I cooked Bhindi Masala today and I am happy with the way it turned out. Thank you !
Next time if I want to cook it in larger quantities ( say 2 lb or 4 lb Bhindi ), do I have to change the cooking time ?
regards,
Bhargava Swamy
Hi Bhargava - Glad to hear you have been enjoying the recipes. Even if you double the quantity, the cooking time will remain the same.
Can you use frozen bhindi?
Hi Dhara - I have not tried with frozen bhindi. I would defrost it, then remove extra moisture and use it in the recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out if you try.
I just made this with frozen bhindi and prepared it exactly like you said - defrosted in the fridge for a few hours, and then put on a plate and patted it as dry as possible with a paper towel before cooking. Turned out perfect!
Do you just cook for a little longer if you feel the okra isn’t soft enough?
meeta bhindi is one of my favourite dish in vegetables. i eat bhindi oftenly in their season. thanks for sharing this okra recipe method.