Bhinda par ida (eggs on okra)

Name: Helly Raichura's Bhinda par ida (eggs on okra) recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 500g bhinda (okra); Vegetable oil, to deep-fry; 15g ghee; 1 red onion, finely chopped; 10g ginger; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; Finely chopped long green chilli, to taste; 4-5 coriander stalks, finely chopped; 4 chicken eggs or 10 quail eggs; Bread or steamed rice, to serve

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by Helly Raichura

CHEF

Aug 08, 2025

This simple but delicious dish uses familiar Bharat ingredients to create a nourishing meat-free main that's perfect with a side of bread or steamed rice.

This is an edited extract from The Food of Bharat by Helly Raichura. Published by Hardie Grant Books, AUD$60, available now. Photography by Jana Langhorst and Brett Cole.

500g bhinda (okra)
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
3 tsp (15g) ghee
1 red onion, finely chopped
2cm piece fresh ginger (10g), finely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Finely chopped long green chilli, to taste
4-5 coriander stalks, finely chopped
4 chicken eggs or 10 quail eggs
Bread or steamed rice, to serve

Method

1.

To prepare the bhinda, wash in cold water, then wipe each one dry with a paper towel. Cut into 1cm-thick slices.
2.

Heat enough vegetable oil for deep-frying in a saucepan until it reaches 180°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 60 seconds when the oil is hot enough). Fry bhinda in batches until crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
3.

Add the ghee to a heavy-based frypan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry until onion is beginning to brown, then add the ginger, garlic and chilli and stir well. Add the fried okra and coriander, season with salt flakes and mix well.
4.

Reduce heat to low and break the eggs on top of the okra mixture. Sprinkle some salt flakes on top of each egg, then cover the pan with a lid. Increase heat to medium and cook until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 5-7 minutes for chicken eggs and 4 minutes for quail eggs.
5.

Serve with bread or rice.

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Recipe Notes

Always try to find okra that are thin and small; overgrown okra are very fibrous and their flavour is not as beautiful as smaller, younger okra.

To make ghee (the cheat’s version), heat 500g unsalted butter in a patili or heavy-based pot over medium heat until it reaches 140°C on a cooking thermometer. Use a slotted spoon to remove any impurities that rise to the surface. Take ghee off the heat, let it cool, then strain and store in an airtight container or sterilised glass jar at room temperature for up to 1 month. Makes 350g/