Okra ( Ladies finger ) Fry/ Vendakkai Poriyal/ Easy Bhindi Fry

Okra is another vegetable loved by kids, next to potatoes. It’s a healthy vegetable you can use in different ways, like making a salad, curry, soup, etc. But I think it is more fun to make okra ( ladies finger ) fry with minimal ingredients. Stir-frying is a quick way to make a delicious meal.

Okra ( ladies finger ) fry/ vendakkai poriyal/ easy bhindi fry is one of the easiest recipes to prepare. There are many ways to make okra stir-fry. My family’s favourite is stir-frying with onions and dried chilies. It is the best side for rice and rotis.

Okra is popular in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine as well as African and Latin American cuisine. It can be used in salads, stews, curries, soups, and more. But mostly in India, stir-fries and curries are famous in every household.

Okra or Bhindi or vendakkai is also called ladies finger. There are numerous ways to prepare this vegetable, like stir fry to stew. Today my recipe is a simple South-Indian stir fry easily made with minimal pantry ingredients.

Benefits Of Okra

Okra is rich in iron, vitamin C, and Vitamin A. It contains no cholesterol and is full of dietary fiber. Okra also has a small amount of protein, which makes it an ideal option for vegetarians and vegans who do not consume animal products for ethical reasons.

Why’ll You love this recipe?

• It is a simple recipe, and it needs no definite spices to prepare.
• Okra stir fry is the most sought dish after potato fry, and all love it.
• It is one vegetable you can fry into small pieces or stir fry whole.

Ingredients for okra ( ladies finger ) fry

The measurements are given below in the recipe card. 

• okra
• onion
• oil
• mustard seed
• urad dal
• Bengal gram
• dried chilles
• salt
• coconut ( grated )

Step-by-step instruction of preparing okra ( ladies finger ) fry

Wash okra and chop it into small pieces as shown. To maintain even frying time, maintain to chop evenly.

In a frying pan, heat oil on a medium heat. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, and Bengal gram, and wait until it crackles.

After crackling, add chopped onions and broken dried chilies and saute for a minute.

Now add chopped okra.

Add turmeric powder to the okra, which is purely optional. Mix well until turmeric evenly coats the okra.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low medium.

After five minutes, open the lid and stir the okra. You can see the slimy okra. Add a teaspoon of curd and gently mix. It helps to remove slime in the okra within a few minutes.

Gently stir the okra, and when the slime is absorbed, add salt to taste.

Finally, add grated coconut and mix well and switch off the heat.

Yummy okra (ladies finger ) is ready to serve with rotis and rice.

Some sides for rice and rotis

Vegetable Paneer(Cottage Cheese) Curry

Bagara Baingan/Brinjal or Eggplant Gravy

Elephant Yam Fry/ Senai Kizhangu Varuval

Yam/Senai Kizhangu Poriyal

Dum aloo/ Baby potato curry

Easy spicy potato fryBaby potato Roast

Chettinad Spicy Paneer

Paneer Tikka in Oven

How to serve okra ( ladies finger ) fry?

Serve okra fry with rice, rotis, or bread. Okra stir fry goes well with any type of bread, like garlic bread, chapatti, or even toast.

Variations

• You can substitute okra with cauliflower or broccoli if you don’t have okra at home.
• You can substitute grated coconut with fried peanuts and roasted sesame seeds. Else you can skip all and eat as it is.
• In this recipe, I’ve used dried chilies. You can substitute plain chili powder in place of the above.

Pro Tips

Picking the right okra is very important. Look for tender, slim okras for the best taste.
Before cutting okra, wash well and pat dry. It is also an important step in making sure you have non-slimy okra.
Adding a souring agent to the okra immediately cuts the sliminess and turns it tender and crisp.

Recipe Card👇