Kurkuri Bhindi is a spicy, tasty and super crispy fries made with tender okra pods or ladies finger, gram flour and spices. This bhindi fry is one of the best side dishes you can make to pair with your everyday Indian meals. They are also fun to eat as is with a dipping sauce. Bonus the okra fry recipe is gluten-free and vegan.
Table of Contents
About Kurkuri Bhindi Fry
In Hindi, Kurkuri means Crispy, Crunchy and Bhindi is Okra. This Okra Fry recipe is an easy snack or a side made with Bhindi (Ladies Finger).
It is made with fresh and tender okra pods coated with gram flour (besan), ground spices and seasonings. This mixture is marinated and then shallow fried or deep fried.
The gram flour or besan gives it a crispy texture and the spices give a bold, complex taste.
This recipe is a North style recipe that I have learned from my mom. She would make kurkuri bhindi on occasions to go with chapatis. Her recipe would include all the ground spice powders that I have added, except chaat masala powder. This is the only change I have made to her recipe. The rest of it is the same.
At times I bake and air-fried these too. The baked kurkuri bhindi fry tastes good but is not as crispy as the fried ones. But the air fried are more crispy. For health reasons, the baked ones are better. In the step by step post I have mentioned both baking and frying methods.
I do not deep fry but shallow fry with less oil. When frying, I add oil as required, so that oil gets used up and there is no excess oil.
This dish is great as a side dish with the combination of dal-rice, sambar-rice, curd-rice or even with plain chapati or paratha.
At times as a side dish, I prepare Bhindi Fry to go with dal and rice. You can serve it with bread also.
How to make Kurkuri Bhindi Fry
1. Rinse 500 grams bhindi in water very well. Then wipe them dry with a kitchen napkin. Or you can spread them on a large plate and let them dry naturally. The bhindi should be completely dry before you start marinating it with spices.
There should not be any moisture or water droplets on them. Otherwise they will not become as crispy as you want.
2. Remove the crown and the base tip of the bhindi. Slice the bhindi vertically into 4 pieces. If you have small sized bhindi, then slice into 2 pieces. Take all your sliced bhindi in a big thali or a big bowl.
3. Now sprinkle the following spices and seasonings one by one on the sliced bhindi:
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
- salt as required
4. Add ½ cup gram flour (besan) on the bhindi. Instead of gram flour you can easily add chickpea flour.
5. Gently mix the gram flour, spice powders and salt with the okra. Remember that the gram flour and ground spices must evenly coat all the okra slices.
6. Marinate the okra in this mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. You could also keep it for an hour. This is how they look after marination.
Making Kurkuri Bhindi
7. If Baking Kurkuri Bhindi – Then spread the marinated bhindi on a greased tray. Brush some oil on the top of the bhindi. You can also add 1 tablespoon oil in the marination mixture and mix it very well with the bhindi.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius, till the bhindi are crisp and golden.
8. For Frying Kurkuri Bhindi – In a kadai (wok) or pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. Fry the bhindi in batches. Depending on the size of the kadai, you can fry in 3 to 4 batches.
For each batch, you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil. Add the first batch of marinated bhindi after the oil becomes medium hot.
9. Fry on medium heat. When one side becomes crisp, then turn over each bhindi with a slotted spoon or with the help of tongs and fry the other side.
10. Turn over a couple of times to get crisp and evenly fried bhindi.
11. Do keep on turning the bhindi so that they get fried evenly. If the oil becomes too hot, you could lower the heat and continue to fry.
12. Fry all the okra in the pan until golden brown and crisp on a medium heat.
13. Remove fried okra with a slotted spoon, straining the extra oil from the spoon.
14. Place the fried okra on crumpled kitchen tissues on a plate, so that the excess oil is drained.
Fry the remaining batches of marinated okra adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Let the oil become hot before you add the next batch of okra.
15. Serve kurkuri bhindi directly as they are (the way I did) or if you want you could garnish them with coriander leaves, julienned ginger or sliced green chilis.
If you like you could also sprinkle some lime juice on top of the crispy okra. You could also sprinkle some black salt or chaat masala on the crispy fried okra.
Enjoy the bhindi fry as is like a crispy snack or with roti and a bowl of homemade curd.
Helpful Tips for Best Bhindi Fry
- The oil should be hot, otherwise, the bhindi will absorb oil and become soggy and not even look good on the plate.
- Use fresh tender bright green okra pods. Try not to use okra that has become stringy or fibrous.
- Remember that the okra has to be completely dried before you begin with the recipe. Any water or moisture on the okra will not give you the crispiness that is the hallmark of this recipe.
- You can alter the spice powders as per your taste. Since I have used homemade garam masala and it’s very strong, I have added 1 teaspoon of it. But you can adjust the garam masala as per its quality and freshness.
- I have shallow fried the okra. I won’t suggest deep frying as later your kadai or pan will have all the besan, spices and okra seeds leftovers in the oil. It looks like a mess.
- Take as much oil as is needed for frying the okra so that all the oil gets used up. Thus, you don’t have a messy oil to strain or throw later.
- The recipe can be scaled to make a small batch of bhindi fry. This dish is best eaten hot so try not to have any leftovers and make the quantity according to your needs.
More Bhindi recipes
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Kurkuri Bhindi | Bhindi Fry (Okra Fry)
Ingredients
- 500 grams okra (bhindi or lady finger)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or paprika
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ cup gram flour (besan) or swap with chickpea flour
- salt – add as required
- 10 tablespoons oil or add as required, for frying the bhindi in batches
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse the okra or bhindi in water for 3 to 4 times. Wipe them completely dry with a kitchen napkin. Slice the okra vertically into 4 pieces.
- If you have small sized okra, then slice into 2 pieces. Take all your sliced okra in a big thali or a big bowl.
- Now sprinkle all the spice powders one by one on the sliced okra. Also add salt as required.
- With a spoon or spatula, gently mix the spice powders with the okra.
- Sprinkle the besan on the okra.
- Again, gently mix the besan with the okra. The besan and the seasonings must evenly coat the okra slices.
- Marinate the okra in this mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. You could also keep it for an hour.
Making Kurkuri Bhindi Fry
- In your kadai (wok) or a frying pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil.
- Add a batch of marinated okra and fry. You can fry in three to four batches depending on the size of kadai. Add more oil if required while frying okra.
- Fry the okra till golden brown and crisp on a medium flame.
- Take care and keep on turning the okra so that they get fried evenly. If the oil becomes too hot, you could lower the flame and fry.
- Keep the fried okra on a crumpled kitchen tissue so that the extra oil gets drained.
- For the next batch again add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or as required in the pan. Let the oil become medium hot and then add the marinated bhindi. For each batch add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or as required while frying.
- Serve bhindi kurkuri directly as they are or if you want you could garnish okra with coriander leaves, julienned ginger or sliced green chilis.
- If you like you could also sprinkle some lime juice on top of the crispy okra. you could also sprinkle some kala namak or chaat masala on the crispy fried okra.
- Enjoy the kurkuri bhindi fry as it is or with roti and a bowl of curd.
Notes
- The recipe can be easily halved or doubled.
- You can add less or more of the spice powders as per your requirements.
- It is best to eat this recipe when hot or warm for that crispy texture. Try not to have any leftovers. So scale the recipe according to your needs. As is this recipe serves 4.
- Use bright green colored okra that are fresh and tender. Do not use matured okra that have become fibrous and stringy.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Bhindi Fry Recipe post from the blog archives (first published in September 2010) has been updated and republished on 29 June 2021.
Nice!
I have tried this recipe n my family loved it.
I tried this..A Gujarati recipe which I have had in thalis in Mumbai.Very quick and easy dish.Both the adults and kids loved it.Thanks
I have been following your recipes since the time I started cooking. Love coming back to your site for detailed and easy recipes. As usual, five stars to kurkuri bhindi ????????
thank you richa for this lovely feedback and rating on kurkuri bhindi. by the way, i also made kurkuri bhindi for lunch today, but baked them instead of frying.
I tried this recipe but had to throw away the whole thing..the besan got all stuck to kadhai bottom..and bhindi was not crispy..wat could have gone wrong?
sorry to hear that. the issue here is not the recipe or the bhindi. it is the pan that is the culprit. when making recipes where besan or any flour is involved it is always good to use pans which we use for deep frying. also if a pan is not heavy or gets heated up quickly, the besan will get stuck to the pan. that is also the reason for the bhindi not becoming crispy. hope this helps.
I visit india .tasty food
When i saw this i felt a need to come back to india, i was in bombay and banglore
Thanks a lot
Welcome Hasan. You are welcome to visit incredible India.
Tried this recipe..my son loved it 🙂 asking me to prepare it again..which is a good thing….considering that he is not too fond of veggies
Thanks Reshma. Glad to know that your son liked kurkuri bhindi so much. I can imagine that dish must have come out really well.
Its too good. I liked it very much.
thanks monu.
I enjoyed the Kurkuri Bhindi recipe. Thanks… It turned out good… I like how you described the procedure so perfectly rather than just putting down the recipe plainly. It made cooking simpler and I was confident that it will turn out well. I’m happy with the outcome. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR TALENT.
Welcome Conchita. Glad to know that you liked kurkuri bhindi recipe and its presentation. Thanks for your motivating words.
After I tried making this for the 1st time, my husband liked it so much that now he refuses to eat any other type of bhindi preparation…thanks a ton 🙂
thanks again shreyasi for sharing this. glad to know. happy cooking.
Tried this recipe. Came out really good 🙂 My family loved it. Thank you ^_^
thanks a lot amulya.
Brinjal dal recipe
thankyou ashna 🙂
Muje dal recipe sikhni hai baigan dal plz
dal recipe ya brinjal dal?
Thank you
Actually muje khana banana nhi aata to muje sare recipe sikhna hai
welcome ashna 🙂
Kuch alag tarike se btaiye hamareyaha hing nhi jamti
skip hing. you can check this collection of bhindi recipes – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/bhindi-recipes-indian-okra-recipes/
Fish recipe sikhna hai
ashna, we only share vegetarian recipes.
EXCELLENT. !!!!!
Kurkuri Bhindi very Tasty!!!
Corn cheese toast & methi na Gota !!!!
Mouth watery! !”!
Very helpful Recipes! !!!
thankyou so much for your kind and positive words 🙂
Its my all time favourite bhendi recipe
Dassanna,
This is an awesome recipe. Now I have a very “health” related question. I so hope you can help. My kids’ pediatrician told me the bhendi is high in fibre and must feed the kids regularly. I haven’t been very successful in doing that 🙁 Now my question is if bhendi made like this will have nutritional value of bhendi prepared in any other style. What I mean to ask is actually if I give this to my kids can I confidently tell my ped that I gave them bhendi 🙂 I really hope you would help me with an answer.
the fibre quotient does get reduced depending on the way you cook the veggies. its better to steam or saute them or cook them till they are tender. avoid over cooking. frying will reduce some of the fiber content in okra. instead of frying i would suggest you to bake these. just spray or brush the bhindi with oil and bake them in a tray at 180 degrees celsius, till they are crisp and cooked well. you can give them more fruits and include green peas in their diet. green peas is a very good source of fiber. also artichokes, if you can get them.
Just learning your many recipes… Enjoying cooking with your easy recipes. Suggesting this site to everyone with my office staff and also with my relatives.. Loved it..
thanks aekta for your positive feedback and for suggesting sites to your friends.
Made it for my hubby yesterday…. he just loved it… I love all ur recipes.. simple n yummy!!!
thanks malvika. glad to know this.
i personally hated bhindi until i tried this recipe!! its life changing really!!
thanks reshma for sharing positive feedback.
The first time I tried in a restaurant,and I loved them and wanted to try them. When I found the recipe I tried and served to my friends, who were very impressed. Very easy recipe to follow and your photographs helped. Also I tried your Punjabi garm masala, which was excellect.
thanks ela for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
I hate bhindi.. In d mushy form only sauteed or fried bhindi is my cup of tea..found ur recipe tried it tasted absolutely yum with curd rice n plain as well.I marinade it for close to two hours.so d bhindi got cooked like in 4-5 mins.These were tender is guess thts why also they might have cooked fast .Thank You n ur mum for this recipe.
thanks shalini for the feedback. these crisp bhindi taste very good with curd rice as well as dal rice. they took less time to cook due to these being marinated for 2 hours. welcome from both me and my mom.
I associate fried okra with my childhood, as does my mom.. so when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to make it. It was fantastic. She and I both really enjoyed it. 🙂 I loved the spices and how besan is used here. I’d also like to add, I appreciate how in your posts, you consider the mess-factor… It makes your recipes that much more realistic and comforting. Shallow frying worked perfectly for this recipe. Thank you for another wonderful recipe !!!
firstly alli, thanks for all your comments. was a pleasure to read them. made me nostalgic too. since i too have similar experiences like you. whenever possible, i try to give the realistic bits, but sometimes i forget adding them. thanks for trying and sharing your experience.
Very tempting n mouthwatering recepie wl definitely try inshaAllah
thanks mahvush.
Dear Dassana, your recipies are really great. My kids loved them, specially the bhindi ones.
Can I get some cake recipes too along with their icings.
Would recommend the site to all my friends, I m sure they would love it too.
thanks gagan. i have only two recipes so far posted with cakes and icings. but there some cake recipes too. you can make a regular cake and make icing of your choice. here is a link to all the eggless cake recipes – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/eggless-cakes-recipes/
Can the kurkuri bhindis be fried the previous day if there is a party next evening?
If it’s kept in air tight containers?
they won’t stay crisp for so long. so better to fry them before serving. another low fat alternative is too just add a bit of oil in the marination and bake them.
Ok thanks, I’ll keep everything ready and fry before my guests arrive.
welcome sunita
Can I use metallic plate in the convection mode in my microwave
use a metallic plate which can withstand the oven temperatures in the convection mode.
I had this recipe once in a private home and have been craving it ever since. However, I have no sources near me for the Indian spice in the recipe. Suggestions on how to get them, please?
i would suggest you to buy the indian spices online, if you cannot get them locally.
Bhindi is by far one of my favourite veggies. I’m continously looking for new ways to prepare it and lo and behold,I came across this simply defined reciepe. I’ve made this as a side dish to Currie Kitchri and it was very,very tasty. Thanks for sharing 🙂 x
welcome sheri and thanks for this positive feedback.
Nice one, I tried and it tasted great.
thanks sindhu for the feedback
taste nice thanks for such a wonderful recipe
welcome pinaki
I made this Bhindi recipe and it came out very good. The kids loved it and the bhindis very gone in few mins. Thanks a lot.
welcome farhat
thanks a lot for this awsome reciepe…………..loved ittttttttttt….
welcome saionora
I tried this recipe and it came out great. Just the recipe I was looking for as bhindi is one of my fav veggies. Thanks for sharing and detailing all the steps carefully. Girish
welcome girish
Receipe seems interesting and easy.i m going to make it today for my son,.he got bored from routine bhindi subzi
Great recipes
Thanks do post more of your mothers receipes as they are the best
thanks renu.i do post and there many on the blog.
Just love the style of presentation for this recipe – Kurkuri Bhindi. Thank you.
thanks you adrian
We had recently purchased a Microwave with Grill, Convention..How can we make use to make cakes, Pasteries, Pizza’s Burgurs..etc, foods that my kid loves most..
for making cakes, pastries, pizza or burger or for any food that is baked, you have to use the convection mode in the microwave oven. follow the instructions given in the manufacturer’s guide on how to use the convection and grill mode in the microwave. the temperature setting will be given and you can adjust this as per the recipe. some personnel from the company will also come to give a demo on using the oven in various modes.
Cooked this recipe tonight – best bhindi dish ever – thanks very much Dassana
thanks abhay
I have taken kurkury bhindi in a party and like it and searched for a recipy . Apparently the picture is just like I have taken. Now its time to try it. Thanks for good recipy.
Thank you for the great recipe. I will try it for sure.
do try sailu.
Hi ,
I was tired of searching for a proper recipe which is described in simple words and more pictures..and here you are 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe.. This is a Fabulous website ..Am gonna recommend your website to all my friends
Keep up the good work 🙂
thanks hazel for the beautiful words 🙂
This looks really tasty! My mum has asked me to ‘do her some crispy okra’, so I’m going to try this tonight! Looks really simple and easy to follow, thank you! 🙂
thanks krysia.
it’s tasty but i dont understand it.
i am afraid, i don’t understand your comment.
In fact I love Bhendi. In ayurveda it is supposed to increase the memory and brain power. We used to cut them into small round rings and fry them in kadai with salt and red chili powder. This is known as Bhendi Fry. But your method seems to be more tasty and mouth watering. We will switch to this method. Thank you.
hi….
ur recipe is good and am gona try,,,, thank uuuu lot
thanks anu….
nice recipe… photos are very tempting…i might make this 🙂
very nice presentation of the recipe , makes it very easy n tasty to cook with the help of pictures. good work .
thanks annie…..
Hi dassana I have microwave & not oven can I bake in microwave if yes then please suggest the time & method
Hi Kiran, if your microwave has convection mode, then only you can use it to bake the kurkuri bhindi. Preheat the oven on convection mode for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Line the bhindi on a baking tray. Brush some oil on them.
Bake using the convection mode option, at the same temperature of 180 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes or until they looks crispy and golden.
I just made this dish and it looks awesome. Thank you very much for the recipe. I hope my wife likes it.