One of the vegetables I hated as a child and started enjoying very much later is okra. As a kid I hated it because it felt slimy and reminded me of tadpoles and mucous, and I used to gobble it down with a glass of water only because of my mother’s wrath.
Once while in hostel my friends and I had this extremely crisp bhindi, and my view changed completely after that. The crisp bhindis tasted amazing but then they were fried in lot of oil. This is the kind of bhindi I love – It is simple, does not require much oil and looks as good as it tastes.
This is a beginner’s recipe, so if you taking your baby steps towards cooking, this one is just the right thing for you. Sometimes when the okra/bhindi/lady fingers is really tender, I like to slit it into four lengthwise, and then chop them 1 inch long, and sometimes when I am in a hurry, I just chop into really thin discs.
To get a cup of cooked veggies, you require at least three cups of raw chopped okra, as they tend to shrink while cooking.
Okra should be cleaned well before chopping and dried completely with a cloth. I generally wash it in the night and spread out in a large colander for the next morning. Sometimes I cut it and leave it open in the refrigerator for a night before making. This, I feel reduces the sliminess.
Recipe: Bhindi fry | Okra stir-fry, North Indian style
Ingredients:
Okra – 3 cups (Slit or chopped into discs)
One small onion – sliced thin or chopped fine
Oil – 3 tsps.
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. – Red chilli powder
1/8 tsp. – Jeera seeds / Cumin seeds
1/8 tsp. – Ajwain seeds / Carom seeds
1/4 tsp. – Freshly ground Coriander seeds powder (Optional)
A pinch of amchoor (Dry mango powder) or Chaat masala or1/2 tsp. of tamarind extract – anything sour to dry up the slimy fluid in okra
Method:
Heat oil. Splutter jeera and ajwain.
Add onions and fry till transparent.
Add the chopped / sliced okra, and toss for 2 minutes, add amchoor and toss well. Cover and cook for a minute.
Uncover and add all the powders, and salt except coriander. Mix well till the sliminess disappears. The bhindi should still retain the green colour.
If you like masala, add the coriander powder just before removing.
If you like your okra crisp then,
Fry one small finely chopped onion in the oil and then proceed as above. Keep frying uncovered till the bhindi turns a shade dark and crisp, like the one below. I sometimes do this, as my daughter loves this.
This stir fry is an often cooked dish at most Indian houses, and tastes equally great with rice and Dal / Rasam / Sambar / Morkootan / Kadhi, as with rotis.
28 Comments
Preeti Kashyap
This came out really well at home!!! I added a little rice flour coating so that it gets more crisper and gets done faster. This tip was my mom's input.
UMA
I love Bhindi too..Not sure if any one hs shared this tip on how to avoid the sliminess while cooking bhindi…
I beat 4-5 tsps of curd n add it to the subzi…works well…u wil not even know its added coz the taste does not change…try it n let me knw ig it worked for any of u…
Bharti
ooh..the crispy one is what I like! I like the deep fried version too but never make it.
Vaidehi
Bhindi fry looks awesome..
Chakali
Vaidehi
Bhindi fry looks awesome..
Aparna
I don’t like bhindi when it is “soggy” as in sambhar. But if its crisp, then I love it.
Vaishali
Harini, Thanks for posting a bhindi recipe: It looks super-delicious and colorful! I make a similar version, but find that usually the bhindi gets cooked before the sliminess goes away. Any tips on how to avoid that?
Alka
This look really nice….perfect green,unlike mine which turns almost black,coz i cant eat it half cooked or just cooked,it has to be crisp(devoid of nutrition….i know)
Btw u have something to pick up from my rasoi…..so c u there
Priya
Wow awesome pictures, really tempting to have them rite now..
Sharmila
Love the bhindi,love the green. Love the crispy version.:-)
VEGETABLE PLATTER
Bhindi fry is amazing .. i love them .. a simple comfort food
Illatharasi
Pictures are too great… love the bindi inside chappatis, great shot. Like the idea of selective colouring too.
notyet100
HI,..THNKS FOR DROPPIN BY,..YA U CAN MAKE ANYTHING RELATED TO ONAM FESTIVAL,..IT NEED NOT BE THE WHOLE SPREAD,..THE LIST IS JUST TO GUIDE…:-)HPPY COOKIN,..WIL BE LOOKIN FORWARD FOR UR ENTRY…:-)
Uma
looks delish.
Aartee
Hi, lovely recipe nad pics!
i have a surprise for u in my blog, check it out!
Sunshinemom
Thank you all. Glad you came over even though the recipe is common:)
Curry Leaf
simple yet delicious.
Purva Desai
Bhindi is my all time fav veggi, simple but irresistible….looks really tempting wrapped in those rotis
Cham
The bindi retains the perfect color, my fav veggie :)I would love to have with sambar rice 🙂
Simran
Green’s such a beautiful color to pick for monsoons. Love your bhindi.
Divya Vikram
Looks great with roti..
PG
hey, can’t you zap some those over here! 😀 Looks fantasic! Especially the roti-bhindi combination. TI can see you have made them with a lot of care. Not too brown, not too dry , tenfder, still looking green. Great!
Sia
gorgeous… i like teh way how bhindi has retained its lovely green colour inspite of all that frying:)
Usha
Looks delicious 🙂
Kitchen Flavours
Wow yummy bhindi fry. All time favourite for me.
notyet100
regular at our home,..goes great with dal chawal,..:-),..liked urpics,..hope u dng fine,..?
jayasree
bhindi in many forms. Good post. You have managed to retain the green color well. Loved the pics.
Priti
Bindi fry looks just nice ..I love bindi fry with roti too..nice clicks