Vendakkai poriyal recipe with step by step photos – easy and simple South Indian recipe of okra fry or okra poriyal. A vegan and no onion no garlic recipe.
Vendakkai is the tamil name for okra and Poriyal is a sauteed or stir-fried dry dish made with any veggie.
I make this super easy no onion no garlic recipe of okra poriyal on a regular basis. I often make this dish as a side with sambar rice or rasam rice. Do try this recipe and you will like it for its simple flavors and taste.
Since this is a dry dish it often goes very well as a side dish with a main dish like dal-rice or sambar-rice. You can also serve poriyal with chapatis or phulkas.
Before I proceed with the recipe, I would like to thank all the readers and blogger friends who wrote to us. Thanks for all the support and encouragement as always. We had a planned trip to the kumbh mela in nasik, in the last week of august and thereafter we extended our trip impromptu to god’s own country – Kerala. So it has been a month long trip. We have resumed our routine life after this long and relaxing vacation. I have started cooking regularly at home, but slowly getting attuned to photography and blogging. I will update a few recipes as and when I get time to do so.
I decided to share this recipe as it easy, simple not only to cook but blog as well. I will move on to a few not so easy recipes in some time.
How to make vendakkai poriyal
1. rinse and wipe dry all the ladies finger (vendakkai or okra or bhindi) with a clean kitchen towel. Then slice the ladies finger to thin rounds of 0.25 to 0.5 inches. Keep aside.
2. In a shallow frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Lower the flame and add ½ tsp mustard seeds and ½ tsp urad dal (split and husked black gram).
3. Saute till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden.
4. Then add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 1 to 2 green chilies (chopped) or 1 to 2 dry red chilies (broken & deseeded), a pinch of asafoetida. Also, add ⅛ tsp turmeric powder.
5. Stir.
6. Add all of the sliced ladies fingers.
7. Stir well.
8. Season with salt.
9. Stir well again and saute the ladies finger poriyal on a low flame without covering the pan with a lid. Keep on stirring at intervals of 3 to 4 minutes for uniform cooking. Do not cover the pan with any lid.
10. Switch off the flame when the ladies finger is done and cooked well. This takes about 12 to 14 minutes on a low flame.
11. Lastly sprinkle 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. At this stage, you can also add 2 to 3 tbsp of grated fresh coconut if you want.
12. Stir and then Serve vendakkai poriyal as a side dish with curd rice, sambar-rice or rasam-rice.
More poriyal recipes for you
Vendakkai Poriyal
INGREDIENTS
- 250 grams bhindi (vendakkai or okra or lady finger)
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil or any oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 to 2 green chilies - chopped or 1 to 2 dry red chilies, broken and deseeded
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
(cilantro leaves)
- salt as required
INSTRUCTIONS
preparation
- Rinse and wipe dry all the okra with a clean kitchen towel.
- Then slice the bhindi into thin rounds of 0.25 to 0.5 inches. Keep aside.
- Also chop 1 to 2 green chillies and 2 tbsp coriander leaves. Keep aside.
making vendakkai poriyal
- In a shallow frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Lower the flame and add ½ tsp mustard seeds & ½ tsp urad dal.
- Saute till the mustard seeds crackle and the urad dal turns golden.
- Then add the curry leaves, chopped green chilies or 1 to 2 dry red chilies (broken & deseeded) a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric powder. Stir.
- Add all of the sliced okra. Stir well.
- Season with salt. Stir well again and saute the poriyal on a low flame without covering the pan with a lid. Keep on stirring at intervals of 3 to 4 minutes for uniform cooking. Do not cover the pan with any lid.
- Switch off the flame when the ladies finger is done and cooked well. This takes about 12 to 14 minutes on a low flame.
- Lastly sprinkle 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
- At this stage you can also add 2 to 3 tbsp of grated fresh coconut if you want.
- Stir and then serve vendakkai poriyal as a side dish with curd-rice, sambar-rice or rasam-rice.
Simple recipe.. but usually it did not come out well. But this time Vendekai came out well.. Thank you..
Thanks for all your good recipe.. ?
nice to know jagadesh. thanks for the feedback.
Could u pls give me jackfruit recipe
manisha which jackfruit recipe are you looking for?
I was wondering how I should do it if I have frozen oakra. Can you please tell me?
i have never used frozen okra, so i do not know how they are added to sabzis or gravies.
Dassana ji,
Your recipes are simple and easy to make. First of all i should thank you for the rasgulla recipe which came out nicely. Every time what ever i make any item i follow your vegrecipe only it is really a good one. Thanks a lot once again
Regards
Madhavi
thanks a lot madhavi for this feedback 🙂
I like bhindi fry. It’s tasty
HI Dasanna, in your apple cake recipe, can I replace coconut sugar with normal white baking sugar? Sorry for posting it here; needed to know by today and see that comments there are closed.
Hare Krishna!
Divya
hare krishna divya.
no issues. yes you can add regular sugar. it will work.
I just add chilli powder but this variation is also nice.
thanks divya. i generally do not chilli powder. i either add green chilies or dry red chilies. but will try with chilli powder.
hi dassana
Good to have you back. Such a wonderful site you have. M a regular visitor.i keep browsing your site whenever i get free time. It’s become a hobby now. The step by step pics are very useful. I refer to your pics while cooking to see if my dish has the same look as yours at that stage. I,v tried many of your recipes. Most have turned out good. Especially loved the tawa paneer,eggless banana cake. Wanted to leavea comment but the comment option wouldn’t open . now i know why. Hope you had a great holiday.
Also tried the basic wheat chocolate cake but it was a disaster. Din’t cook in the middle though my toothpick came out clean. I had inserted it at the middle. N cake sunk in the middle. May be it was overmixed, I had some difficulty folding . anyways will try again.
I haven’t tried this recipe so can’t rate it. The five star is for your passion n dedication . and also for replying to every single comment n helping out your readers. Very few bloggers do that
Keep Motivating us with your good work. God bless you.
P.s sorry about the long comment
shilpa, no problem with the long comment and thanks a lot for all that you have said. hugs 🙂
with the cake sunken, it could be due to the low temperature in the oven or opening the oven door many times or uneven folding or mixing. you can try next time 🙂
Hi dassana
Was very happy to see your prompt reply. Gave me the confidence to ask my silly doubts. I had read all the comments before trying the cake. So I guess it could be over mixing. My mixture had good amount of lumps so i had to mix more than i usually would.I baked in a Samsung oven convection mode at 180° preheated for 10 min at 200°. Opened at to 15 min to cover with foil n 25 min, 30 min n 35 min finally to take it out. Just as I opened at 25 min the cake sunk in front of my eyes. The central portion was not cooked as in the batter remained just like that. I have a few doubts
1. For covering with aluminium foil should we take out the cake from the oven .(I tried covering while it was inside n couldn’t do it well) wont taking out affect the rising of the cake
2. For manual mixing which is better a wire whisk or wooden spatula
3. To make a wheat cake, can I substitute any maida cake recipe with wheat n add some more liquid ingredient than the recipe calls for.
Thanks in advance
welcome shilpa.
1. when i cover with aluminium foil, i directly keep the foil on the pan in the oven. very rarely i have removed the pan outside when i was not able to cover the pan properly. but nothing has gone wrong with the cake so far. when you remove the pan also, keep it gently on the on the kitchen surface. even a slight force will sunk the cake from the center.
2. depends on what you are mixing. for mixing stuff like cream or softened butter, wired whisk is better. for mixing liquid batters, again wired whisk is better. for thick batter and for folding, a wooden spatula is better.
3. whole wheat cake can be replaced with maida in most cake recipes. depending on the fibre quotient and the type/quality of whole wheat flour, you may need to add more liquids in it.
hi dassana, I am sorry for asking another recipes question on this recipe comment. I couldnt find the comment box in the ragi dosa (fermented one) recipe, and I really want to make it, hence I am asking you here. Sorry once again.
From the ragi dosa batter, I want to make idlys, 2 questions:
1- can I use basmati rice or brown rice instead of the idly rice?
2- I dont have poha, is there a substitute?
Thanks alot and sorry once again.
no issue pia. use brown rice or use a combo of both brown and basmati rice. add cooked rice (same proportion as poha). when you cook rice, just reserve 1/4 cup for making the batter.
Dassana is it necessary to add urad daal. Actually I don’t know much about how to use that daal .
urad dal gives a nice flavor. you can skip it if you want. with urad dal you can make idlis, dosa, medu vada and even plain dal fry. you can also mix urad dal with other dals and make a dal tadka or dry fry. also dry sabzi can be made from urad dal.
Hi dassana. I love ur recipes and enjoy to cook them. I am a north indian but am doubtful about you as u make boththr noth and south indian recipes very well. I have a request could u please post a recipe how to make madalas at home as the market onescare not that much good
Thanks again
Harsimrat
thank you kaur. i am from south but my husband is from north. so i make both south and north indian food at home. what is madalas? i have never heard. let me know.
Actually it is masalas while writing it was written wrong . Thanks for answering.
fine 🙂 i have already added punjabi garam masala powder in the blog. you can have a look at the recipe.
Hello. Love ur recipes. I made semolina modaks and they didn’t come out well. I couldn’t get the the shape; the dough was breaking and the jaggery mixture dried up. Could you help me in this situation. I also made black forest cake following you . Itwas perfect. Before that I never knew that cakes can be made without milkmaid too . Thanks a lot again.
thanks for the positive review on the black forest cake. for modaks, i think the moisture was less, thats why they were breaking. some hot water could have been added to the dough and kneaded again. depending on the quality of sooji/rawa more or less water can be added. the jaggery mixture got cooked too much and hence it dried up. just cook till you see some moisture in it. not too wet and not too dry.
Dear Dassana & Amit ji,
A warm welcome back into our lives! ? Missed you a lot, but then decided to be productive by cooking those recipes from the site that were on my to-try list, such as idli, coconut chutney, kalakand, banana bread, bisibele bhaath, baingan bharta etc. I’m happy to report that all the dishes turned out amazing on the very first attempt…as expected! However, the idli-dosa batter, in particular, was phenomenal as it yielded super-soft and spongy idlis & paniyarams and crisp, yummy dosas… How lovely! ?
Now, I’m facing a bit of a problem with the chai masala, as the recipe mentions 10 gm cardamom and 5 gm cloves!!! How much would it be in terms of tsp/Tbsp or numbers? Please guide this clueless soul…
Thanks & regards,
Neeti
thank you much neeti. glad that the recipes turned out good in the first attempt. thanks for all the feedback.
i measured the quantities for the cardamom and cloves just now. 2 tbsp green cardamoms is about 10 grams and 1 tbsp cloves is close to 5 grams. i will update in the chai masala recipe too.
Thanks for the super prompt reply and for taking the trouble of measuring the cardamom and cloves! You are such a darling!
Love,
Neeti
welcome neeti 🙂
Welcome back dassana!
I do this poriyal often. You can also add fenugreek seeds while tempering and finally some coarsely crushed peanuts.
Thanks and waiting for more recipes
Lata
thanks lata. i do add fenugreek seeds at times. will try with coarsely crushed peanuts too 🙂
hi dassana, like all the other readers i too missed you and yur lovely recipes .. good that you had a nice trip and all is well with you… was wondering as to what must hv happened .. .. anyway i did try a lot of recpies some were good some were ok … learnt a lot from your site and still hv to learn a lot … u take care dassana …
regds
marina
thank you marina for your kind words. i feel blessed to have readers who keep me in their thoughts and prayers. cooking is all about learning. on my trip to kerala, i also learnt a few things about kerala cuisine 🙂 thanks again.
Hi Dasanna,
Like everybody even I was wondering why you are not posting any new recipes and got worried .. Nice to hear that u were on a family trip.. I am sure it must have been a memorable one :). .. Welcome back 🙂 waiting for your new recipes 🙂
thank you deepika. it was one of our memorable trips. yes getting back to the routine of adding new recipes 🙂
Welcome back… We are missing you and your receipe.
thanks a lot khanjan for this sweet comment 🙂
Hi Dassana,
I love your blog! Great pics and easy steps to follow. Most of your recipes are so similar to my mom’s cooking (the panjabi recipes :)). Thanks for putting this all together!
I wanted to leave a comment on Gajar Halwa, butw as not able to. I wanted some advise – do you think it will come out the same if I replace sugar with jaggery. I have a toddler, and trying to not give her too much sugar. In my head, I think jaggery is still better than sugar 🙂 Repond when you have some time.
Many Thanks for this lovely effort 🙂
Swati
thanks a lot swati. jaggery will taste different in gajar halwa as compared to sugar. but the taste will still be delicious. try making with sweet carrots, so you need to add less jaggery or sugar in it. jaggery is a better option than sugar.
Hi Dassana,
Glad to see you back blogging more mouth watering recipes and those drool-worthy photos!. I hope you had a peaceful trip and feel well in yourself. Take care, hugs!
Thanks and hugs laxmi. We had a good trip and it was relaxing and peaceful.
Hi Dasana,
Have been a regular visitor to your site now. Was reallly wondering where you disappeared and there your are 🙂 Missed your receipes. I must say to are a greatttt inspiration to people like me who are not much into cooking. I have tried some of your receipes and all have turned out well. My sis in law too is addicted to your website. A ” BIG THANK YOU” to you for always being at my rescue :):)
Thanks & Regards,
Smeeta
Thank you much smeeta for the kind and encouraging words. Hugs 🙂
Missed U so much.. welcome back dassana..
Thank you meera 🙂
Hi Dassana, so nice to have you back. I have missed you. I tried to see if any comments section was open so I can update few things, but I couldn’t find any. I visited your website and made own garam masala. I also made dal makhani with dhungar method. It was delicious:-) I make dal tadka regularly as it has become our favorite.
I made methi theplas as per your recipe with mixed attas and loved them. They didn’t stay very soft next day, I don’t know why. I will try again. I mixed dough with only curd.
I am looking forward for more yummy recipes. I also want to share some south Indian recipe like ‘andhra pappu’, how I make, it is just that there is no time. I will try soon.
Thank you aparna. I still have not opened the comments section of the remaining recipes. Currently even though we are back, i am occupied with many things.
For the thepla since different flours are used, they won’t be soft the next day. If you make only with atta, they will remain soft. I do plan to add some more recipes.
You can share the recipe whenever you have time 🙂
Thanks Dassana. Next time I will make theplas with atta only. I must say the mixed flour theplas taste so good:-) I had also added 1/4 cup of oats flour. I am sure you have a busy schedule, take your time to add recipes.
yes aparna, mixed flour ones taste better. oats flour is a good addition 🙂
Look s delicious thank you..im gonna try it
welcome haani
So happy ur bak!missed u and all your delicious recipes
thanks riya
Hi,
I am a regular visitor of your website… Have been waiting for a new recipe and wondering why no post for such a long period.. Now got the reason why..
I have tried many of your recipes and whenever I am doubtful about any recipe your website is there for my rescue.
Recently I made Modak for the first time with your Fried Modak recipe and everybody liked it.. All thanks to you for your website
So the suspense is over, mamta 🙂 thanks for the kind words and feedback 🙂
Hi dassana, bhindi is one of my favourite vegetables. Your recipe looks delicious.
I have never seen any one put urad dal and sesame seeds in bhindi.
I have to give this a try.
Thanks minaz. In the cuisine from tamil nadu, urad dal is added while tempering in many recipes. Sesame seeds are not added. Its sesame oil that is used 🙂
Nice to see you back Dassana.. I missed you n your recipes for more than a month.
Thank you akriti. I also missed blogging as well as responding to readers like you. I still have to open the comments for all the recipes.
Hello Dassana,
So glad to see you back in action . I was wondering like many others I am sure why you had not posted anything for a month. It is a strange world we live in, we probably will never meet but you and the site are always in my thoughts. Hope you were just busy and not unwell. Best wishes and hope to see you with your delicious recipes regularly.
Will try this recipe and let you know how it turns out. This message was to welcome you back and tell you I missed you.:)
Thats so sweet anu and touching. Hugs 🙂 I was fine and in good health. We just had a spiritual trip which we extended further. I will add recipes gradually and some are already in drafts. So will post them accordingly.
Missed you and your mouthwatering recipes…. Welcome back…..
Thank you very much niki 🙂