Kurkuri Bhindi Recipe
Kurkuri Bhindi is a delicious North Indian dish in which okra is tossed in a spicy masala and fried until crispy and crunchy. Serve it as an appetizer or as a side dish with Indian meals.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 250 grams bhindi (okra)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
- 3 tablespoons besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or rice flour
- oil for frying
- lime
Instructions
- Wash bhindi and wipe each piece with a kitchen cloth. There shouldn’t be any moisture on the surface. If there’s water on the okra, it will turn slimy when you cut it. Nothing you do after will fix it.
- Now, using a sharp knife, discard the top and bottom ½ inch of bhindi. Then cut each pod lengthwise into four long strips. If the okra is really long, cut those strips in half. If the seeds are small and tender, leave them. If they’re big and dark, scoop them out; they burn in the oil and taste bitter.
- Add bhindi, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, roasted cumin powder, and chaat masala powder to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix well by hand. Let it rest for 10 minutes. The salt pulls out a little moisture and helps the flour stick later.
- Now add besan and cornstarch (or rice flour) to the bowl and mix lightly. The besan and cornstarch will coat the sliced bhindi because of the moisture released during the resting step.
- Add just 1-2 teaspoons of water if the besan is not sticking to the slices, and mix well. If you add more water, you’ll end up with a batter, not a coating.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat for frying. You need about 2 inches of oil. To test if it’s ready for frying, drop in one piece of okra. If it comes up to the surface in a second or two and starts sizzling, you’re good. If it sinks, wait a bit longer.
- Now, dust off the excess flour from a handful of bhindi with your hands, then drop the besan-coated bhindi into hot oil. Don’t dump everything in at once. The oil will cool down, and the okra will go soft instead of crispy.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice, till the pieces turn golden brown. Take them out just before they look fully done. They get crispier as they cool. Put them on a wire rack if you have one, or a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Fry the remaining okra in the same manner.
- Squeeze lime juice over it and serve immediately. You can also sprinkle some extra chaat masala on top.
I usually wash them in the morning and let them sit on a towel for a couple of hours.
Do not overfry; otherwise, it will become bitter.
Bring the oil back up to temperature before frying the next batch.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 598mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg
