Chances are if you ask someone what okra tastes like, they’re going to tell you it tastes slimy. This okra is definitely NOT that. It’s crispy and flavorful and it’ll absolutely have you wanting more.
This crispy Indian okra (bhindi) recipe tastes kinda like spicy fried green beans only it’s much, much better.
The fact is that okra has an unfair rep. You know how people hate on brussels sprouts? It’s because they’ve never had oven-roasted brussels sprouts. How can anyone hate those crispy little guys – I mean, they’re fantastic. Okra is the same. If prepared properly/according to taste, you’re going to like it. I think the “dry-fry” or stir-fry method is the best way to cook okra.
I love okra. I love it crispy and truthfully, I even like it when it’s slimy – cooked with Indian spices and eaten with either my paleo naan (pictured) or paleo roti. When Roby and I were first married, he told me he didn’t like okra. Now, he requests this crispy and spicy okra dish often. If you think you hate okra, this recipe may change your mind. I’m pretty confident in this statement as I’m married to living proof.
For those of you who don’t do slimy, make sure you buy baby okra. Baby okra is tender and slender and perfect for this crispy okra recipe. Whenever I prepare this dish, I typically use a 12 oz package of frozen baby okra. You can find this at your local Indian or ethnic store. It’s super cheap – maybe $3 max.
I typically make this dish using ghee and it’s delicious. Avocado oil works too – it’s a great neutral oil. I hope you love this as much as I do 🙂
Print Crispy Indian Okra
Yield: Serves 3 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen baby okra (bhindi), thawed if using frozen
- 3 tablespoons fat of choice (ghee, avocado oil)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 Serrano pepper (or 1–2 thai bird chilies), minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ inch ginger, minced
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Rinse okra, and slice into rounds. Spread them out onto a paper towel to dry while you prep the remaining ingredients. The okra must be completely dry.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of fat in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Next, add the cumin seeds and once they begin to brown or splutter, add the onions and serrano pepper.
- Saute for 10 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. Then add the garlic, ginger and spices mix well.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of fat and the okra. Stir-fry for 10-12 minutes or until the okra is dry and crispy.
Just for fun, here’s a picture that I took of this dish from 2013:
Being a true blue Southerner, I love Okra. I prefer it fried and batter mine with almond meal, but this recipe sound delicious. Must try it.
Almond meal and egg?
I went to make this AND… my okra was bad.
Can I make this without using onion?
yes,
I just made this with some slight alterations.
I used fresh okra, coconut oil- more than 2 T, what I thought could have been cumin powder, but very well could have been crushed coriander, I didnt add in the thai chilis but opted for crushed red pepper and probably tripled the ginger and tumeric. In addition, I had about 5 of those little sweet tomatoes and I added those near the end. It was very good and I will cook it again. I’ve never cooked with okra before and was surprised by the slime on my knife after cutting them. Live and learn.
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Glad you liked it, Allison!
Apply Lime juice liberally on the knife and try cutting the okra ,
I have tried the recipe yesterday but the okra was not so crispy. I have used only two teaspoon of oil( cooking oil) . Should I increase the amount of oil for the crispiness?
This is delicious! I used only a bit of avocado oil for “dry frying.” This was the first time my 9-year-old had okra and he loved it! I’m bookmarking your site, as I also made the slow-cooker chicken curry tonight and it is delicious!
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Thanks, Lisa! I’m so glad you liked the okra and the slow cooker chicken curry! 🙂
Such a simple yet delicious recipe. I bought some smallish okra at my local Persian-Jewish market and wanted to cook it Indian style. One of the other shoppers told me to buy only the smallest, or the frozen baby ones, as you do. He opted for frozen; nevertheless I went for fresh. Then I went online and found you!! as well as many other recipes. I picked yours after looking at some of your other recipes and bio. One of the best Indian restaurants in West Los Angeles specializes in Kerala cuisine.
I added olive oil to the butter, used a dry red chile instead of the fresh green one, but otherwise followed your recipe and directions. It was delicious. My 22 year old daughter tried it for lunch, and liked it too, rather to my surprise and delight. She had never seen an okra before, and did not know its name. Thanks.
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Sura, I’m glad you liked the dish and that you found my website!! 🙂 Hope you’ll let me know if you like any other recipes that you try!
Is it Mayura on Venice? or is there another one?
I have always yearned to be able to make bhindi like my Punjabi mother-in-law used to make but previous tries have been very disappointing. Once a year in Wisconsin we get fresh organic okra so I grabbed it and then found your recipe. My daughter and I worked on it together and I must say it’s the closest we’ve come yet! Even the guys liked it (as you predicted). Thank you for your delightful site – we will be checking you out again soon!
Catherine, so glad you liked the recipe!! Hope you love anything else that you try from my website! 🙂
thank you so much for your easy, and delicious recipes! I have been wanting to learn how to cook curries and subszis but could never get them to have any depth of flavor. I feel so much more confident now, because you have made it easy.
Thanks, Kristin!! 🙂 Hope you love everything you try from my blog!
I just made this and really enjoyed it. Thanks. I love Indian food. When the spices hit the oil I immediately started coughing though. I had the exhaust fan on. Have you heard of others having this problem cooking Indian food? Any tips or ideas to avoid this?
Will it still cook the same with fresh (large, not baby) okra?
I see cumin seed in the recipe instructions, but not in the ingredients, how much should I use?
Hi Chara, it’s listed in the ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon. Hope that helps!
This looks so good. Trying it tonight
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Hope you loved it!
absolutely love this dish! since I cannot use onions, I used onion powder. I will definitely make this again!
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So happy to hear that! 🙂
Absolutely loved this recipe – I echo the others when I say it is the first dish I’ve made that actually tastes convincingly Indian. Small amendment I made: added some chopped cherry tomatoes when adding the garlic and ginger and spices and whatnot, and really enjoyed the additional flavor and texture. Look forward to trying the Baingan ka Bharta recipe that I found on this site (https://myheartbeets.com/baingan-ka-bharta-indian-eggplant/), as that is truly my favorite Indian dish! Thanks for the recipes!
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Bree, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 LMK what you think of the bharta!
Omg I just made this and was amazing!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
What kind of bread is this pictured with? The warm roti link connects to paleo roti, but it doesn’t look as white and thick as in the photo (even with the lighter golden flax). – Thanks
Thanks for pointing that out Connie! I have updated the post 🙂 It’s my paleo naan!
Just wondering if this would work in the oven?
Yes! I roast okra all the time, I’ll have to share a recipe soon 🙂
This is a great recipe. I used okra that we froze from our garden and it was spectacular. I can’t wait to try it with fresh okra.
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Debbie, that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Cooked okra for the 1st time according to this recipe, and it’s amazing! Easy, crispy and flavorful! I’m in Nigeria and got fresh baby okra, and all other veggies were fresh, too. Loved it) thank you for sharing this recipe
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Veronica, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
This was delicious, but I did modify the recipe and added mango powder…it’s the secret to making okra not slimy…
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Glad you liked it, Lisa 🙂 Thanks for the tip about amchur, I’ll have to try that!
Really easy and very tasty! Gives a different texture to Indian food. Love it
Caroline, so happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I’m dying to try it, but can’t find the peppers any where. Any suggestions ?
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My whole foods carries serrano peppers not sure if you have tried there? Or if you have a local Indian grocery store near you? Any Indian chilies will work too!
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve never liked okra, but I got some in my CSA box this week and was looking for a new way to use it. This was so good, I’d actually buy okra to make it!
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Marta, that’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe made you like okra! 🙂
Thank you! Perfect okra!
Jude, so glad you liked it! 🙂
OMGOSH! I put extra peppers in it… I like it fiery… this is amazing! Do you have a recipe for tika masala?
Anna, I’m so glad you liked it! I don’t have a chicken tikka recipe on the blog but butter chicken is really similar and one of my most popular recipes. I have a stovetop version and an instant pot version. Let me know if you give them a try!
Easy to cook recipe. Goes well with Chapati and Daal.
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Thanks, Punam!! 🙂
Love okras a lot could eat every day
Mahesh, awesome! hope you love the recipe! 🙂
I am addicted to this. So nice. Thanks for sharing. 😊
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aww thank you Diane!!
I made this with frozen okra and ground cumin instead of seeds & ginger powder instead of fresh ginger since that’s what I had. I followed the rest of the recipe as written except I did not dry the okra so it did not come out crispy. However, it was still very delicious and I will definitely be making this regularly. Great recipe!
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Karen, I’m so happy to hear that you liked the okra! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Very tasty but my okra was soft and mushy after 15 mins of cooking. Added lemon juice to get rid of the slime. Not sure what went wrong?
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Loved this! absolutely delicious! I couldn’t even imagine my 2 year old would love it too; it was the bonus. Also recipe is very easy. I will cook the same recipe with different vegetables.
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Gizem, I’m so happy to hear that you and your toddler loved this okra recipe!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Delicious. I first ate okra that I liked from a Northern Indian restaurant and this recipe comes closest to the way it served okra. I used fresh okra bought from the Sunday farmers’ market in Baltimore. Three servings and I ate them all, no nan, no rice, just okra. Will be using this recipe again and again.
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Karen, I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked my okra recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Is there an Instant Pot version of this recipe? If not, how might I adapt it for instant pot?
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Indian food always eludes me although I usually have good luck with your recipes. I had to just use regular sliced frozen okra from the store (not baby). I don’t think I could get mine dry enough maybe? Basically the “slime” made it just stick to my kitchen towels (I love okra even when it’s slimy). Mine never ended up being dry/crisp – it stayed mushy. Any tips/tricks? I thought the flavor was good.
Outside of drying it with paper towels my only other suggestion would be to add more oil and saute it over higher heat – it should dry eventually
Why does the recipe call for the okra to be cut into rounds, but the picture the are cut length wise?
Hi Robert, the length-wise photo is a much older photo – not sure why that’s showing up but you can cut the okra however you prefer 🙂
Made last night using okra out of the garden. Very good blend of flavors. Loved this recipe!
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That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I added orange to this recipe, so good!!!
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Oh that sounds interesting!
It’s been years, but I decided to try okra again after talking with an Indian woman on an airplane recently. I wasn’t confident in my ability to “crisp” the okra in the final cooking and the slime factor really worried me, so I decided to fry the okra first, set aside, and then fold it in after everything else was cooked. It wasn’t crisp-crisp okra, but it wasn’t slimy or over mushy 👍 Another thing I did was sprinkle some crisp fried quinoa on top for the crunch. Maybe this might help others worried about slime or mush. The seasoning was just right. Thanks!
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Courtney, that’s awesome! Love that a conversation with someone on a plane is what inspired you to make this recipe 🙂
10/10
Tried this recipe today, and I tell you, have not had better tasting Okra ever.
Okra is my favourite vegitable, and have been eating it made by my mother and then mother-in-law and sisters.
Made it the first time today and wow. I am love with it. Will make it over and over again.
Noticed that there was no tomatoes in this recipe.. May be that is why so krispy.
Loved it.
Suraiya, wow that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Hello there!
Sounds like a great recipe – nice n’ simple…. gonna try it now!
Thanks
Andyman
Awesome! I hope you love it! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Are the okra’s not going to be slimy? Is it because you use baby okra’s? I love okra’s but sometimes they get to be to slimy and I have no idea why and what that I am doing wrong
Hi! Is it possible to freeze this subzi after cooking it? I was planning on doubling the batch. This recipe looks great! Thanks 🙂
Hi Deepa! Yes, you can make extra bhindi and freeze it 🙂 I do this and just stir-fry on a pan to re-heat 🙂
Hi Ashley! Okra is our favorite. The only challenge is that we don’t find fresh okra that often. Hence it’s a rare delicacy for us.. while I was reading thro your recipe, I noticed that you used frozen okra.. I tried it once and it ended up all slimy because once I thaw it, it’s wet. So stopped buying the frozen. I wanted to know how do you cook it and make sure it turns out nice and crispy. Thank you!!
Hi Manasi, fresh is preferable but I know it can be hard to find. I use frozen okra often for that same reason. You do have to dry the frozen after thawing in order to make it crisp – you can lay it on a clean kitchen linen or paper towels and then pan-fry until dry, maybe add a bit more oil if needed. Let me know if that helps!