Kurkuri Bhindi is a delicious, gluten-free Indian style crispy okra/ladyfinger fry. It is one of the best side dishes to serve with spicy dal or any other vegetarian curry. What I love most about besan bhindi fry – it requires minimal ingredients and so easy to make.
Indian Style Crispy Okra Fry
Tender okra (bhindi) marinated in a spicy gram – flour-based gluten-free, vegan marinade and then fried till crisp.
It is a widely popular vegetarian side-dish to serve with Indian main-course dishes especially curries.
If you have an okra hate club member in your family then this crispy bhindi fry will definitely change their opinion forever. Over the years, kurkuri bhindi has become a regular affair on an everyday lunch plate.
My Tried & True Tips
There are certain key points to keep in mind while making crispy bhindi, otherwise, you might end up with an inedible version of the dish.
It happened with me during the initial phase of the recipe trial:
- Make sure the bhindi (okra) is completely dry before chopping and marinating. Else, it might turn sticky to handle.
- While marinating the okra in the masala do not add water. We do not require too liquid batter for the marinade.
- Always shallow fry the okra over medium heat. So that they cooked evenly from the inside too.
- Do not wait for the okra to get crisp while shallow frying. You need to bring it out of the oil just before it is about to turn crisp. Because fried okra turns crisper once it comes out of the oil.
- Serve bhindi fry immediately post shallow frying as this dish does not stand re-heating process very well.
FAQ’s Related To Crispy Okra
How to cook okra so it’s not slimy?
Always pick tender and medium-size okra as they are less slimy. Wash your okra before cutting and pat them completely dry using a paper towel or any soft cotton cloth.
Grease chopping knife with a teaspoon of mustard or any other cooking oil before cutting/slicing okra. Follow these tips and you will never end up with slimy okra.
How to make baked crispy bhindi?
Most of you ask me the baked version of crispy bhindi and it’s as simple as you read.
Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes.
Combine – gram flour, 1 tablespoon rice flour, spices, salt, and 1/4 cup water. Make a thick paste.
Add the thinly cut okra slices and mix well.
Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil smeared with a teaspoon of oil or use a non-stick oil spray. Arrange all the masala coated okra slices on the baking sheet in a single layer to ensure it evenly baked.
Bake okra for 40 minutes until brown and crispy. Gently stir the okra after 20 minutes of baking time.
What To Serve With Crispy Bhindi?
Kurkuri Bhindi is a fantastic Indian side-dish that compliments most of the curries and dals.
Here are a few of my favorite meal combinations with crispy bhindi:
Watch Kurkuri Bhindi Recipe Video
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Kurkuri Bhindi Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 Gram ladyfinger/okra/bhindi
- 1/2 Cup gram flour (besan)
- 1 Teaspoon achaar ka masala/pickle masala powder (see recipe)
- 1 Teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 Teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 Teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
- 1 Teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- Salt to taste
- 4 Cup cooking oil
Instructions
Prepare Okra/Bhindi:
- Wash the ladyfingers. Spread them on a dry kitchen towel. Pat dry using a paper napkin or kitchen towel. Remove pointed top and bottom tip of the okra.
- Make a slit lengthwise in the okra without cutting them into two equal halves. Thinly slice the ladyfinger into strips. If the size of the okra is too cut into half before slicing. Remove the seeds.
Marinate Okra/Bhindi:
- Combine sliced okra/bhindi with salt and spices. Mix nicely using fingers. Keep it aside for 5 – 6 minutes for ladyfinger to release their juices a bit.
- Add gram flour and coat each piece of ladyfinger with the flour. Keep it in the fridge till you are ready to fry the okra.
Fry Okra/Ladyfinger:
- Heat oil in a wide frying pan. Once the oil is heated reduce the heat to medium.
- Fry marinated okra/ladyfinger in small batches till crisp from all the sides. Transfer to a metal colander. Similarly, fry the entire batch of marinated okra.
- Serve Kurkuri Bhindi with Arhar Dal ( see recipe ) and Phulka for lunch.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure okra is completely pat dry before cutting and slicing.
- Adding pickle masala powder in marinade is optional. It is only for the taste.
- While marinating the okra in the masala do not add water. Let the marinade moisten with the juices of the okra.
- Do not wait for the okra to get crisp while frying. You need to bring it out of the oil just before it is about to turn crisp. Because fried okra turn crisper once it comes out of the oil.
- Serve crispy okra immediately post shallow frying as this dish does not stand re-heating process very well. It turns soft post re-heating.
5 comments
Great Recipe! I could have this as a snack. Can you only make this with gramflour? It would be quite interesting as tempura?
I am so happy that you liked the recipe. Gram flour provides a strong nutty, earthy taste to this recipe. Any other flour might add the crunch but not the sort after taste.
I love besan bhindi fry. My mother prepares it using the method 2.
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Nice to know that 🙂
Tried this recipe – turned out so delicious!