Kurkuri Bhindi is a crispy fried okra made with gram flour, spices and seasonings. You can deep fry or bake it for a lighter option. It works well as a side dish or snack. Serve hot for best taste and texture.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side Dish, Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian, North Indian

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)

Method

Preparation

  1. Rinse the okra or bhindi in water for 3 to 4 times. Wipe them completely dry with a kitchen napkin. Trim off the crown and the base tip.
  2. Slice each okra vertically into 4 pieces.
  3. If you have small sized okra, then slice into 2 pieces. Take all your sliced okra in a big plate or a big bowl.
  4. Now sprinkle all the spice powders one by one on the sliced okra. Season with salt according to taste.
  5. With a spoon or spatula, gently mix the spice powders with the okra.
  6. Sprinkle the besan on the okra.
  7. Again, gently mix the besan with the okra. The besan and the seasonings must evenly coat the okra slices.
  8. Marinate the okra in this mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. You could also keep it for an hour.

Making Kurkuri Bhindi

  1. In your kadai (wok) or a frying pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil.
  2. 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.
  3. Fry the okra till golden brown and crisp on a medium heat.
  4. Take care and keep on turning the okra so that they get fried evenly. If the oil becomes too hot, you could lower the heat and fry.
  5. Keep the fried okra on a crumpled kitchen tissue so that the extra oil gets drained.
  6. 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.
  7. Serve bhindi kurkuri directly as they are or if you want you could garnish okra with coriander leaves, julienned ginger or sliced green chilis.
  8. If you like you could also sprinkle some lime or lemon juice on top of the crispy okra. you could also sprinkle some black salt (kala namak) or chaat masala on the crispy fried okra.
  9. Enjoy the Kurkuri Bhindi as is or pair with roti and a bowl of curd or yogurt.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.