If you have an okra hate club member in your family, this kurkuri bhindi recipe will change their opinion forever.
- Indian Style Okra Fry
- How To Cut Okra For Frying
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Watch Kurkuri Bhindi Video
- Air Fryer Bhindi Fry
- Serving Suggestion
- Hina’s Tried and True Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Kurkuri Bhindi Recipe
Indian Style Okra Fry
Kurkuri Bhindi is a Indian style, gluten-free, crispy okra (ladyfinger) fry. It is a popular vegetarian side dish to serve with Indian main-course dishes, especially curries. Over the years, kurkuri bhindi has become a regular affair on an everyday lunch plate .
If you’re looking for the ultimate “crunch factor” in Indian cuisine, Kurkuri Bhindi (Crispy Okra) is the undisputed champion. Unlike the slimy texture people often associate with okra, this version is deep-fried (or air-fried) until it shatters like a potato chip .
How To Cut Okra For Frying
- Start with picking the fresh and tender okra (ladyfinger) for making crispy bhindi.
- Wash them with water, and let them sit on a colander to drain all the water or spread on a kitchen towel to air dry. The idea is to have dry and moisture-free okra while slicing.
- Rub a teaspoon of oil in your finger and the knife. Remove the crown and the tip of the okra.
- Cut each piece lengthwise into four thin strips/sticks. If the okra is big, cut it into half to have equal-length sticks.
- Discard the white seeds as they pop and splutter while frying the okra.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Kurkuri Bhindi is a no onion, no garlic , no tomato recipe. Apart from okra (ladyfinger), you need a handful of Indian spices and seasoning to make it.
- Gram Flour (besan) and Rice Flour . Both of these flour are gluten-free flours and help in giving a crispy texture to the okra.
- Spices: Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Dried Mango Powder (Amchur), Cumin Powder, Chaat Masala, Coriander Powder
- Other Ingredients: Refined Oil, Salt, Water
- Optional Ingredients: Achaar Masala , Nigella Seeds, Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
Watch Kurkuri Bhindi Video
Air Fryer Bhindi Fry
The good news is you can make this delicious, positively addictive crispy bhindi in an air fryer with only a few tablespoons of oil.
Step 1) Preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees Celcius. Spray or brush the inner basket with cooking oil.
Step 2) Combine sliced okra with the dry (flour, salt, spices) marinade ingredients ( images 1 & 2 ).
Step 3) Add a tablespoon of water and 2 tablespoons of oil to the marinated okra. Mix nicely. This helps in sticking marinade to the okra ( image 3 ).
Step 4) Arrange them on a single layer in the air fryer basket ( image 4 ). Air Fry for 20 minutes with turning the food after 10 minutes. I prefer shaking the basket 2 – 3 times during the process. Keep an eye on the okra while air frying; at times, they get ready in 15 – 16 minutes.
Serving Suggestion
Kurkuri Bhindi is a fantastic Indian side dish that compliments most of the curries and dals .
Serve it with various main course dishes like Rajma Masala , Arhar (Toor) Dal Fry , Punjabi Kadhi Pakora or lobia masala along with chapati/phulka, or rice.
More Everyday Indian Vegetarian
Hina’s Tried and True Tips
There are key points to keep in mind while making crispy bhindi. Otherwise, you might end up with an inedible version of the dish.
- Ensure 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 much liquid batter for the marinade.
- Always shallow fry the okra over medium heat , so they cook evenly from the inside.
- 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 the re-heating process very well.
Always pick tender and medium-size okr a as they are less slimy. Wash your okra before cutting and pat them completely dry using a paper towel or soft cotton cloth. Grease the chopping knife with a teaspoon of mustard or cooking oil before cutting/slicing okra. Follow these tips, and you will never end up with slimy okra.
Serve crispy okra immediately post shallow frying as this dish does not stand the re-heating process very well. It turns soft and less crunchy.
Yes, you can bake and air-fry the marinated okra. However, baking takes more time than air frying the okra.
Looking for more Indian vegetable dihes? Try this spicy Bharwa Baingan , Punjabi Style Aloo Gobi Ki Sabzi , or the Punjabi Arbi Fry.
follow me on Youtube or Instagram for latest recipes.
Ingredients
- ▢ 500 Gram ladyfinger/okra/bhindi
- ▢ ½ 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
- ▢ 2 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.
Nutrition
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Kurkuri Bhindi Recipe
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 500 Gram ladyfinger/okra/bhindi
- ½ 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
- 2 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
Loaded with the flavour of fresh oranges, this is the easiest orange cake recipe without eggs or butter.
- Right Oranges For The Cake
- Hina’s Tried and True Tips
- Cake Decoration
- Watch Orange Cake Video
- Eggless Orange Cake Recipe
This orange cake is the best thing that can happen on a teatime. The tanginess of oranges juice, the subtle sweet notes, and the bitterness of citrus zest make this cake a perfect teatime treat.
Oranges are the true summer delight. They are full of flavour and juice, perfect for a cake recipe like this one, making refreshing iced tea , light and crunchy salad , or a big batch of orange marmalade .
Foolproof Baking Recipes
Right Oranges For The Cake
The common orange or the navel orange is the best for making this eggless orange cake.
In India, the navel orange is sold as imported orange , or Australian orange can be used. Avoid using the local variety of mandarin orange (Santara or Nagpur orange) for this cake recipe. The mandarin orange is tough to juice, and the skin is bitter.
The Kinnow orange from the Northern region of India is also a good choice for this cake recipe. They are very similar to navel oranges. On many occasions, I have baked this cake with Kinnow oranges from my hometown in Uttarakhand.
But always use FRESH ORANGES for making this cake .
Hina’s Tried and True Tips
There are a few points in this teatime cake recipe where one needs to be very careful to avoid D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.
- Dry Ingredients: It is important to combine dry ingredients nicely so that baking powder and soda are mixed evenly with the flour.
- Olive Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil for my cake recipes. The olive oil gives a moist and light texture to the cake. If you do not have olive oil, use any flavourless oil such as – canola oil, rice bran oil, or refined oil.
- Orange Juice: The one key ingredient that can make or break your cake is orange juice and zest. Stick to fresh orange juice for making this cake. Avoid using tetra-pack orange juice. And you cannot miss the orange zest.
- Room Temperature: Make sure all the ingredients, especially curd/yogurt is at room temperature before preparing the cake batter. Do not add cold or straight-out-of-the-fridge ingredients to the batter.
- Do Not OVER MIX: This cake batter does not require hours of whisking or mixing . Once everything is moistened and combined well, stop mixing. Folding the cake batter for a longer duration does not make it light and fluffy it does exactly the opposite.
- Baking Tin: From a bundt pan, or rectangular loaf pan to a simple round cake tin, you can bake the orange cake in either of these baking pans. Make sure to grease the pan well or line it with parchment paper.
- Baking Time: Baking a delicate fruit cake like this one for a long time is a crime. If the toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean with minimal crumbs, that is the signal to pull out the cake from the oven.
Cake Decoration
I have layered the cake with simple heavy whipping cream and fresh oranges. You can simply dust it with icing sugar or glaze it with orange-sugar syrup. Either way, it tastes delicious and will become your favourite teatime cake.
Watch Orange Cake Video
Love fruits in your desserts? Try this Thai Mango Sticky Rice , summer special Vegan Peach Cake , Lemon Pound Cake , or the No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake .
follow me on Youtube or Instagram for latest recipes.
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 Tablespoon = 15 ml
- ▢ 1 Cup (120 gram) all-purpose flour (maida)
- ▢ ½ cup (100 gram) granulated white sugar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ½ Cup (120 ml approx) orange juice (see recipe note)
- ▢ ¼ Cup plain yogurt or curd, at room temperature
- ▢ ¼ Cup olive oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.elcius Grease a 7-inch round cake pan with butter and dust it with a tablespoon of flour. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, and juice in a bowl for 5 minutes or until combined well.
- Add the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold the batter using a rubber spatula. Make sure no flour streaks remain in the batter. Do not overmix the batter.
- Once the batter is combined pour it into the greased baking tin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes in the middle rack or until a tester comes out clean.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack. Allow to cool down completely before slicing or decorating. The cake should not be warm to touch.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar or layer with heavy whipping cream.
- Serve eggless orange cake sliced with fresh oranges.
Recipe Notes:
- The olive oil gives a moist and light texture to the cake. If you do not have olive oil, use any flavorless oil such as – canola oil, rice bran oil, or refined oil.
- Quantity of orange juice for cake batter may vary from ½ Cup to 1 Cup depending upon the quality of the flour and type of measuring cup . I would suggest starting with ½ Cup of orange juice if the cake batter seems too dry add more. The kind of flour I use requires 1 Cup of orange juice.
- Make sure all the ingredients especially curd/yogurt is at room temperature before preparing the cake batter.
- This cake batter does not require hours of whisking or mixing. Do not over mix the cake batter.
- If the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with minimal crumbs, that is the signal to pull out the cake from the oven.
Nutrition
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