Chop bhindi into cubes. Its best to wash this vegetable before cutting and leave it in the sieve to dry completely before cutting
In a karahi (deep round pan), heat oil and add cumin seeds. When they start to splatter, fry the sliced onions light brown. Add tomatoes and other dry spices. Fry for few minutes until the tomatoes are softened. Add bhindi, mix in and cover with the lid. Let it cook on high flame for 3-4 minutes.
Now lower the flame and let it cook in steam for about 10-15 minutes. The steam will be able to keep it moist, so we don’t need to add any water. The vegetable would have softened by now. It doesn’t take very long to cook them.
When its softened, check the seasoning (salt) and adjust if needed. Mix in diced onions and switch off the flame, cover it with the lid again. The steam will soften the onions, no cooking needed at this stage. This helps keep the onions crunchy and yet soft. Leave it covered for at least 20 minutes before serving!
Serve with any kind of daal (lentils), chawal (rice) and roti (Indian flat bread) or even with just parathas!