A simple Vegan Okra Stir fry / Okra Curry made with garden fresh Okra . This side dish will definitely make you an Okra lover (if you are not one already)!
Growing up and to this day, Vendakkai / Okra is one of my favorite vegetables. My favorite has now transformed into a family favorite as my boys love okra more than any other vegetable.
A lot of people shy away from this vegetable because of its slimy texture, but if we cook it right we can get rid of that texture and achieve a wonderful recipe. This Vendakkai Curry is a simple recipe that we all love.
This okra stir-fry recipe is without onions and it goes well with rice and sambhar or rasam. I love this curry with my curd rice too. I make another version of the okra curry with onions and tomatoes as a side to roti/chapati.
And this Stewed Okra and Tomatoes is yet another favorite way to serve okra. This vegan stew tastes delicious over some warm rice.
What is Okra
Okra also known as Vendakkai in Tamil, Bhendi in Hindi, and ladies finger as the English name in India is a topical vegetable that grows well in summer.
Ever since we moved to Oklahoma, we have been having an Okra bonanza. They just love the heat here and it yields much more than we have ever grown anywhere else.
Growing our own Okra
We plant around 70 to 80 okra plants every season. It is such a pleasure to be walking into our backyard and picking young tender okras.
We grow enough okra to last us the whole year. We use it in abundance in summer and any extra is promptly frozen to be used in winter months. Okras are very picky vegetables and have to be harvested almost every day.
My husband does a great job keeping up with it. If I just have a handful of okra picked on a certain day, then vendakkai sambhar / Okra sambhar is what it is used in.
One of our other favorites is the Okra Pachadi / Raita which has fried okra pieces in yogurt.
If you are looking to make something different with okra, then I would highly suggest making this Bhendir Sorsori / Okra in the mustard paste . It is a recipe from the Assam region and quite different from anything we make.
Ingredients to make Okra Curry
- Okra - 1 lb or about ½ kg
- Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1tsp
- Red chili powder - 1 ½ tsp
- Dhania Jeera Powder / Coriander - cumin powder (optional) - 1 tsp
- Asafetida - ¼th tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - 3 tbsp
- Curry leaves - few
Procedure to make Vendakkai Curry
Wash the okra and drain them in a colander. It is important to wash the okras before we chop them. If we chop them first and then chop them, the sliminess of the vegetable will increase.
Now chop it into small circles and keep it aside.
In a nonstick pan, heat the oil and once the oil heats up, add all the ingredients except the okra and salt. Let the seasoning fry for about a minute.
Now add the okra and salt and mix it well.
Cover the pan with an airtight lid and let it cook on medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 mins. Do open the lid once in between and give it a stir. At no point add any water to the vegetable. The okras would cook in the steam produced by covering the pan. Adding water will increase the sliminess.
Once the okras are cooked, leave the pan open and let it fry well. In about 5 - 7 more minutes the okra would have fried well and your curry is now ready. Do stir the curry once or twice in between cooking.
- Serve the vendakkai curry with rice and sambhar or rasam or in my style with curd rice.
How to save/freeze the okra
After leaving India, I became obsessed with this vegetable because of its scarcity of it. We did not get very good okras in the stores here.
So when I do find fresh okras peeking at me in the Indian stores or to extend our summer produce, I freeze the vegetable. Clean the okra and then let it dry completely. Then chop them into the desired size and place in a freezer bag and freeze them.
Do not defrost the frozen okras. To use them, directly put them in a hot pan to cook. Defrosting would make the vegetable very slimy.
Similar Recipes
- Mullangi Subzi | Mullangi Curry | Radish Curry With Indian Spices
- Spiced Sweet Potato Curry With Coconut
- Cabbage Carrot Curry | Cabbage Carrot Poriyal
- Podalangai Curry | South Indian Dry Snake Gourd Curry
Recipe
Equipment
- ▢ saute pan
- ▢ Cutting board
- ▢ Knife
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 lb Okra
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ▢ ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Dhania Jeera Powder / Coriander - cumin powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- ▢ to taste Salt
- ▢ 2 tablespoon Oil
- ▢ few Curry leaves
Instructions
- Wash the okras and drain them in a colander. It is important to wash the okras before we chop them. If we chop them first and then chop, the sliminess of the vegetable will increase.
- Now chop it into small circles and keep aside.
- In a non stick pan, heat the oil and once the oil heats up, add all the ingredients except the okra and salt. Let the seasoning fry for about a minute.
- Now add the okra and salt and mix it well.
- Cover the pan with an airtight lid and let it cook on medium high heat for about 3 to 4 mins. Do open the lid once in between and give it a stir. At
- At no point add any water to the vegetable. The okras would cook in the steam produced by covering the pan. Adding water will increase the sliminess
- Once the okras are cooked, leave the pan open and let it fry well. In about 5 - 7 more minutes the okra would have fried well and your curry is now ready. Do stir the curry once or twice in between cooking.
- Serve it with rice and sambhar or rasam or in my style with curd rice.
Video
Nutrition
More Curry , Poriyal and Subzi
- Yard Long Beans Curry | Karamani (Payathangai) Poriyal
- Kathirikai Kara Curry | Brinjal Poriyal
- Avarakkai Poriyal | Broad Beans Stir Fry
- Purple Cabbage Poriyal | Cabbage Curry With Coconut
Vendakkai Curry / Okra Fry
Equipment
- saute pan
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb Okra
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Dhania Jeera Powder / Coriander - cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- to taste Salt
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- few Curry leaves
Instructions
- Wash the okras and drain them in a colander. It is important to wash the okras before we chop them. If we chop them first and then chop, the sliminess of the vegetable will increase.
- Now chop it into small circles and keep aside.
- In a non stick pan, heat the oil and once the oil heats up, add all the ingredients except the okra and salt. Let the seasoning fry for about a minute.
- Now add the okra and salt and mix it well.
- Cover the pan with an airtight lid and let it cook on medium high heat for about 3 to 4 mins. Do open the lid once in between and give it a stir. At
- At no point add any water to the vegetable. The okras would cook in the steam produced by covering the pan. Adding water will increase the sliminess
- Once the okras are cooked, leave the pan open and let it fry well. In about 5 - 7 more minutes the okra would have fried well and your curry is now ready. Do stir the curry once or twice in between cooking.
- Serve it with rice and sambhar or rasam or in my style with curd rice.
