Bhinda Ni Kadhi/Okra Yogurt Curry

EVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #29
Updated on 10/07/2020
I have so many old posts that need a new look. However, when I cook the regular dishes like Bhinda ni Kadhi I tend to forget to take new clicks. I’ve now got sticky labels on my kitchen wall depending on what veggies or fruits I get from my online shopping. Yes this world pandemic has changed lives drastically. I just can’t wait to experience the riot of colors at my local market place. By joining the group The Foodies_Redoing Old Posts, I get the opportunity to redo old recipes. This time I remembered to take fresh clicks of Bhinda Ni Kadhi.
What is Bhinda Ni Kadhi?
Bhinda is the Gujarati word for okra, ladies’ finger, bhindi. Kadhi is simply a yogurt based curry word in Gujarati. Bhinda ni kadhi is a family favorite and features on our dining table every 10 to 12 days. Sometimes I serve with wheat parathas or with bajri na rotla (pearl millet flatbread).
More about Bhinda
Bhinda, is a popular vegetable (or should say a fruit), with most Indian families. Yes you heard me right it actually is a fruit. Simple stir fried, stuffed with a spicy filling, cooked in different curries right from tomato to tamarind ones, Bhinda or okra is a versatile vegetable. These green seed pods are mostly available throughout the year in Kenya and am sure in India too. Rainy season means that the okra is much more fresher and tender. That’s when I prefer to use them to make my favorite stuffed okra or bhinda na bharelu shaak. It usually baffles me how toddlers and kids love the stir fried okra sabji or side dish. I would have thought that the sliminess or mucilage would put them off. However, the sliminess is removed by adding an acidic agent like lemon juice, vinegar, tomato, tamarind or sour yogurt. The mucilage contains soluble fibre.
My Memories
When my in laws were here in Mombasa, I would make the bhinda ni kadhi and Nunu my mother in law would make the rotla as we all loved the curry with the millet flatbread. Nunu and Dada emigrated to India and I still couldn’t make rotla! So the next best thing to serve with the delicious curry was paratha. However, whenever we went to India, Nunu would make rotla and bhinda ni kadhi for us. One time I had to learn how to make the rotla after many trials and tribulations as Nunu stopped cooking.
How can you use Okra/Bhindi/Bhinda/Ladies’ Finger at home?
From simple stir fries to soups, okra is used in many different world cuisines. Outside India, think or okra and you will remember gumbo. Its high is dietary fibre, rich in magnesium, folate, vitamins and anti oxidants. I tend to cook bhinda in some form or the other at least once a week if not more;
- Bhinda nu Shaak (Stir Fried Okra)–a simple way to prepare okra and enjoy it with some roti.
- Bhindi Masala– With tomato, onion, garlic and spices
- Stuffed Bhindi or Bharela Bhinda – my family’s favorite, okra is stuffed with roasted chickpea flour, peanut powder, coconut and spices
- Baked Kurkuri Bhindi/Crispy Okra– an excellent appetizer or starter, the best part that instead of deep frying them I bake them
- Bhindi Do Pyaza – Geetha likes to prepare okra with finely chopped onion along with finely chopped tomato, spices and adds more onion chopped into large chunks.
- Chinch Gula Chi Bhendi Bhaji – a Maharashtrian way of preparing okra, Archana adds tamarind to prepare the sabji
- If you’re looking for a vegan way to prepare okra then Uma’s Vegan Okra Curry is perfect
- Want to include Okra in a Salad? Then you’ve got to try Mireille’s Fried Okra Salad.
- Jagruti likes to make Spicy Okra, Capsicum and Peanut Stir Fry without onion or garlic as a farali dish.
- Vendaikaai Mandi/Ladies Finger/Okra Mandi – Chettinad Special Tamarind gravy, a very long name but such a delightful curry with beans and using water in which rice has been washed is a traditional recipe by Priya.
- Usha’s Okra Tomato Stew is creamy and usually served with rice.
Ingredients required for Bhinda ni Kadhi/Okra Yogurt Curry
- Okra – bhinda, bhindi, ladies’ finger. To choose tender okra take an okra and try and break the tail end with your thumb, If it snaps easily then the okra is good for cooking. As the okra gets old, it becomes fibrous and doesn’t cook well.
- Chickpea Flour – besan, chana atta, required to thicken the curry slightly
- Sour Yogurt – plain yogurt either home made or ready made
- Oil – any cooking oil of your choice
- Ghee – optional but adding a bit gives a pleasant aroma.
- Mustard Seeds – rai
- Cumin Seeds – jeera, jiru
- Carom Seeds – ajmo, ajwain, goes well with okra
- Cloves –
- Cinnamon –
- Pepper corns – black ones
- Curry Leaves – kari patta, limbdi, an essential ingredient for kadhis. Whenever I visit my son in Montreal, I take dried curry leaves powder as getting fresh curry leaves is difficult. However, many Indian Grocery Stores have the fresh one.
- Turmeric Powder – haldi
- Asafetida – hing (optional) don’t use if you need to prepare a gluten free curry
- Fresh Ginger – some like to add thin julienne of ginger but I prefer to mince it into a paste
- Fresh Green Chillis – again some add chopped chillis but I prefer to mince it into a paste
- Garlic – either finely chopped or minced. If you get fresh garlic, the ones with the leafy green stalks, use that as the kadhi tastes awesome.
- Jaggery – gur, gud or brown sugar. A little bit is required according to your taste and how sour the yogurt is. I usually add just about 1 tsp. Some prefer to add more.
Dietary Tips:
- For Gluten free curry, don’t add asafetida as it usually contains wheat flour.
- For Satvik version omit adding garlic.
- Healthy and nutritious.

BHINDA NI KADHI/OKRA YOGURT CURRY
Ingredients
FOR THE OKRA STIR FRY
- 3 cups sliced okra, bhinda, bhindi aprrox 250g1
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp ghee
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp carom seeds
- 4-6 whole cloves
- 8-10 whole peppercorns
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 sprig fresh curry leaves
- ¼ tsp asafetida optional¼
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, cut into slices
FOR THE KADHI/YOGURT CURRY
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 4 cups water
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar optional
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
PREPARATION OF KADHI/YOGURT CURRY
- Whisk the yogurt, water, chickpea flour and salt together. Make sure no flour or yogurt lumps are left.
- Keep the mixture on the side till required.
PREPARATION OF OKRA STIR FRY/BHINDA
- Wash the okra. Wipe with a clean dry cloth. Cut into slices approx. of ½ inch thickness.
- Heat oil and ghee in a deep pan over medium heat.
- When the oil becomes hot, add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, mustard, cumin, carom seeds. Let the spices sizzle a bit in the oil.
- Add sliced garlic. Stir fry till the garlic becomes light pinkish in colour.
- Add asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the ginger and chilli paste.
- Stir and then add the sliced okra. Mix well. Cover the pan and let the okra cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently so that the okra does not burn.
- Cook the okra till nearly done.
- Stir the kadhi mixture. Add it to the okra. Increase the heat to medium.
- Add the grated jaggery. At this stage you need to constantly stir the kadhi so that it does not curdle. Stir the kadhi till it becomes thick. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
- Let it simmer over low heat for a further 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot parathas or rotlas.
Notes
- Have any leftover kadhi? Then just prepare the bhinda and add to it.
- If the kadhi becomes too thick before serving, add a little bit of water to it.
- Its best to wash the okra at night and leave them on a towel to dry overnight.
- Not adding the salt with the okra prevents it from becoming slimy.
- Must add the salt to the kadhi mixture otherwise the kadhi will curdle.
- Can add fresh green garlic, chopped whenever available.
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If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
48 Comments
Geetha
July 10, 2020 at 2:48 pm
Bhinda Ni Kadhi sounds so flavourful and yum! Although I’ve made kadhi with pakodi and other vegetables, bhindi is totally new to me. I’ll definitely try this recipe and I’m sure my bhindi loving family members would love this too. Thanks for this awesome recipe Mayuriji.
mayurisjikoni
July 10, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Thank you so much Geetha, bhinda ni kadhi is very much a common kadhi made especially by the Patel community.
Geetanjali Tung
July 16, 2020 at 4:19 pm
The kadhi looks tempting! I love kadhis. Never made this bhindi kadhi though. But I have had this once in a friend’s house. I can say it tastes delicious. A must try recipe.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 8:54 pm
Thank you so much Geetanjali. Now you can make it at home for yourself.
Usha
July 10, 2020 at 4:06 pm
Bhinda kadhi looks so tempting. This faintly reminds me of South Indian version of kadhi with okra in it. I need to dig up that recipe from elders of the family before it is forgotten for ever. I love okra and would like to try the different varieties you listed. Thanks for including my recipe as well.
mayurisjikoni
July 10, 2020 at 5:33 pm
Thank you so much Usha, am sure the South Indian one will be different in flavour as it may have coconut. Would love to try that version too.
hem lata srivastava
July 14, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Perfect colour and texture, never tried bhindi kadhi looks super tempting would love to try it once .
Thanks for sharing.
mayurisjikoni
July 14, 2020 at 8:45 pm
Thank you so much Hem Lata and please do try it, am sure you’ll enjoy it.
Amrita Roy
July 15, 2020 at 9:15 pm
We are very much fond of bhindi and prepare varieties of dishes… Bhinda na Kadhi is new to me and I would love to try it…my family would prefer this with rice..
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Thanks Amrita, please do try out bhinda ni kadhi.
Archana Potdar
July 10, 2020 at 5:13 pm
My mother-in-law used to prepare this Kadhi with bhindi but though I remembered it how to was the question. Will try making it when I get my veggies tomorrow. Thanks for including my post. Appreciate it.
mayurisjikoni
July 10, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Thanks Archana, hope you are able to buy the veggies and make the kadhi soon.
Niranjana Sankaranarayanan
July 14, 2020 at 5:15 pm
Bhindi kadhi looks so tempting and colourful. I have not made kadhi with bhindi. But yours have tempted me to try it out. Also this reminds me of our Vendakkai morkuzhambu & vendakkai thayir pachadi which are also a yoghurt based curry with lady’s finger. So now I have another one in the list.
mayurisjikoni
July 14, 2020 at 8:44 pm
Thanks Niranjana and I will be checking out your yogurt based bhindi recipe.
Seema Sriram
July 14, 2020 at 10:39 am
Some combinations are made so special with memories isn’t it. I am so glad to see how lovingly you have portrayed these memories with your mother in law. Such recipes are a treasure. love it
mayurisjikoni
July 14, 2020 at 8:46 pm
Thank you so much Seema. As my logo indicates where meals and memories are made 🙂
Lata Lala
July 15, 2020 at 5:17 pm
Bhindi kadhi looks so inviting and flavourful Mayuri. I have not made kadhi but sabzi with bhindi. Now I am tempted to try this as I love gujarati kadhi in any which way.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:18 pm
Thanks Lata, try it. If you are a bhindi lover, you’ll like this kadhi too.
Jolly
July 14, 2020 at 6:41 pm
Your all varieties of bhindi dishes are fantastic, Mayuri ji. And this one is no exception. Loving these super healthy and absolutely YUMMY bhindi kadhi.
mayurisjikoni
July 14, 2020 at 8:43 pm
Thank you so much Jolly, do try it out.
Preethi Prasad
July 15, 2020 at 1:17 am
Bhindi kadhi looks absolutely lip smacking . We make kadhi without the chickpea flour the traditional South Indian style. I love bhindi in any form. Beautiful compilation of bhindi recipes. Lots of recipes to try now with this favourite vegetable of mine.
mayurisjikoni
July 15, 2020 at 3:22 pm
Thank you so much Preethi. For South Indian version of kadhi though no chickpea flour is used, I noticed that roasted chana dal or rice is ground and used which obviously helps to thicken the kadhi a bit.
Bless my food by Payal
July 15, 2020 at 4:56 pm
This is my love for bhindi that I like it in any form. Only condition is bhindi should be there. Thank you for adding one recipe in my dictionary. Looking superb.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Thank you so much Shailender. Please do try this recipe am sure you’ll like it.
Sandhya Nadkarni
July 15, 2020 at 9:57 pm
This kadhi looks lip smacking, Mayuri. The bhinda must add taste and texture to this lovely kadhi! Great share!
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:17 pm
Thanks Sandhya and yes the kadhi does taste really good.
Lathiya
July 15, 2020 at 11:29 pm
We love Bhindi and always looking for different recipes to try. this Bhindi yogurt curry looks delicious.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:16 pm
Thank you so much Lathiya. Please do try the recipe.
FoodTrails
July 16, 2020 at 2:25 am
Never made this kadhi, but had once at at my Gujarati neighbour’s place , 4-5 yrs back.. your post brought back the memories.. want to give it a try now. hopefully will try soon, whenever I get bhindi from Indian store. Fabulous and such a versatile collection of okra recipes
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:13 pm
Thank you so much Swaty and please do try the recipe. Its all time comfort food for us.
Vandana
July 16, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Very interesting recipe. It looks really tempting. I love both Punjabi and Sindhi Kadhi but never tried this one with okra. I need to try it soon before the okra season goes away. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:07 pm
Thank you so much Vandana, please do try the recipe.
Jayashree T.Rao
July 16, 2020 at 1:07 pm
Love the addition of lady finger in kadhi, it tastes good . It’s been a long time I have made it this way, now I am tempted.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Thanks Jayashree…go on make it and enjoy.
Renu
July 16, 2020 at 4:46 pm
For me Bhindi and Kadhi is a match made in heaven. Whenever I make bhindi I make kadhi on the side. I use to make Bhindi ni Kadhi earlier, but forgot about it. Now after reading your post, I am surely trying your version of Kadhi.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 8:53 pm
Thank you so much Renu.. please make the bhindi ni kadhi and enjoy.
Uma Srinivas
July 16, 2020 at 8:46 pm
Thank you for including my recipe. Bhindi kadhi looks so good. I would love to try okra in the kadhi recipe.
mayurisjikoni
July 16, 2020 at 8:51 pm
Thanks Uma and please do try the recipe.
Sapana
July 18, 2020 at 1:31 am
Whenever we buy bhindi I either make dry bhindi stirp- fry odr bharwa bhindi , the family never lets me experiment or make anything else. This kadhi looks so delicious, I shall try making it next time.
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:17 pm
Thanks Sapana like you its only 3 ways I make bhindi, dry, stuffed and this kadhi. I need to try out different recipes.
Padma Veeranki
July 18, 2020 at 2:07 am
I love Kadhi and this looks so tempting! I love bhindi in kadhi…we make it slightly different though…I will try your recipe next time I make…Thanks for sharing!!
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:15 pm
Thanks Padma, would love to know how you make it.
Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey
July 18, 2020 at 10:42 am
Bhinda Ni Kadhi is one of my favourite sabji/curry to enjoy with Bajri Na rotla, while some of my family members enjoy with just plain boiled rice. Thank you for including mine.
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:15 pm
Thanks Jagruti.
Poonam Bachhav
July 19, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Bhindi kadhi is a new dish to me but it looks absolutely delicious. I would love to try it out soon. Would make a perfct pair with some jeera rice I guess.
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:04 pm
Thanks Poonam, we usually have it with paratha or bajri rotla but guess it would be good with rice too. After all its kadhi 🙂
Kalyani
July 19, 2020 at 2:21 pm
I love your idea of sticky notes for using / redoing everyday dishes like this – will adapt the idea to write on my fridge magnet sticker I have for grocery shopping. This kadhi with some papad and rice on the side would make for a very filling meal
mayurisjikoni
July 19, 2020 at 3:04 pm
Thanks Kalyani and yes it is a filling meal.