Bhindi Bhaja / Fried Okra with Turmeric

Lady’s Finger, Okra, Bhindi, Dharash whatever name we call, it is one of the versatile and widely eaten and loved vegetable in the world. Originated from West Africa it has routed into almost all regional cuisine. Southern part of America love their fried okra, Persian makes okra stew and like to add okra in their meat dishes, North Indian makes okra with onion or spicy stuffed okra, Louisiana people add okra to gumbo and South Indian makes okra with gravy and so on.

Today I am making one of the easiest recipe I know of okra and lovingly eaten in my home. In fact I just had it today night and thought why not share it. No measurement is needed. Use as much of okra you want to use. I used more the ½ lb of it. Make sure you wash and dry the okra before you start to cook. It is one of the tricks to make okra crispy while frying. You can use any kind of oil but I prefer to use mustard oil. Fry okra in oil and add pinch of turmeric and 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder and cook until tender but crispy. Another important point of cooking okra is to keep their colors…don’t make it brownish /pale green or anything other than green. You will not only loose the important vitamin & nutrition but also its vibrant green color which makes it so appetizing. Don’t forget to season with salt and serve hot and enjoy equally with rice, roti or paratha.

This recipe is considered staple in my household. I am not a measuring person so I toss whatever is available in front of me and seasonal at the moment. To get some variation in the recipe as we consume okra almost every other day, addition of julienned ginger, chopped onion or tomatoes, chat masala or amchur powder makes the dish more special.



Oh! I wanted to share this joke I stubled on Internet. Let me know your favorite okra recipe. Till then enjoy.

Knock Knock
Who's there !
Okra !
Okra who ?
Okra Winfrey !