Wash and wipe bhindi/okras until thoroughly dry. Slice of tops and tails. Cut into half length wise and then chop in half or thirds as per length of okra. Make 2-2.5 cups of sliced okra, keep aside.

Pound the ginger and garlic to get a coarse paste.

To prepare the bhindi masala, in a heavy bottomed or a non-stick pan, heat the oil. Fry the cumin seeds until they start spluttering. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the sliced onion along with slit green chili and stir on medium flame for 7-8 minutes until onions are almost soft.

Next, add the chopped bhindi. Keep the flame on HIGH while stirring the whole mix together for 2-3 minutes.

Once the bhindi/okra are dark green and shiny, add the tomatoes with all the remaining spice powders and salt.

Keep the flame on medium-low and saute for about 5 minutes until the okra is done. At this stage, you can even cover the pan with a lid and allow the vegetable to cook through and mix with the spices, for 3-4 minutes.

Remove into a serving bowl and serve with rotis/rice and dal.