HOT AND SOUR OKRA FRY/ LADY’S FINGER FRY

Being a staple in South Indian cuisine, okra is also grown in most kitchen gardens. We also had okra plants in our garden. Sometimes we would pluck fresh and tender okras and eat them raw. If you have not done this, you must try it. But wash them well before eating.

Whether you have had raw okra or not, you might have seen a number of okra recipes. Okra can be cooked in many ways, can be grilled, stir-fried curried, etc.

In India, many dishes are prepared using okra. Frying okra is one of the popular ways to cook it.

This is a simple and easy recipe, but it tastes amazing. It can be served as an appetizer or a side dish.

Sometimes, okra will be slimy when you cook. But if you cook this way there will be no sliminess. This recipe is spicy, tangy, and crispy because of the spices added. It is also super easy to make and is flavorful.

How to Make Hot and Sour Okra Fry/Lady’s Finger Fry

To make hot and sour okra fry, wash and clean the okra, pat dry with a towel, trim both ends and cut diagonally into halves.
In a bowl, add the dry mango powder, red chili powder, salt and water and make a paste. Marinate the okra pieces in this marinade for half an hour.
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the okra pieces in batches and fry them until crisp, turning their sides.

Variation

If you do not have dry mango powder, you can use one or two teaspoons of tamarind pulp instead of dry mango powder.

You can also add 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder and turmeric powder in the marinade.

Ingredients used to make Hot and sour Okra fry/ Lady’s finger fry

Okra: Use young and tender ones. To choose young okra, press the okra gently between your thumb and index finger, if it is soft, then the okra is young. If you feel it is thick when you press, then the okras are ripened, and won’t taste good for this recipe.

Amchur powder: It is dry mango powder. You can find it in Indian supermarkets. If you don’t have it, you can use 1-2 teaspoons of tamarind pulp. You can also buy tamarind pulp in Indian stores.

Red chili powder: I have used red chili powder, because I like it spicy. If you do not want spiciness in your dish, you can use Kashmiri red chili powder, or you can use half of both.

Vegetable oil: I have used coconut oil to make this recipe. It tastes good with coconut oil. If you do not like coconut oil, you can use sunflower oil, or corn oil or any other oils of your choice.

STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and clean the okras, pat dry with a towel, trim both the ends and cut diagonally into halves.

In a bowl, add the dry mango powder, red chili powder, salt and the water and make a paste.

Marinate the okra pieces in this marinade for 1/2 an hour.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan over a medium heat, add the okra pieces in batches

Fry until crisp, turning the sides.

Serve hot.

RECIPE NOTES

Use tender okras for this recipe.

You can use Kashmiri red chili powder instead of red chili powder, if you do not like spiciness. Or you can use equal amount of both red chili powder and Kashmiri red chili powder.

Marinate the okras for at least 1/2 an hour before cooking. You can also marinate it up to an hour.

Keep the stove in medium temperature.

To reduce the sliminess in the okras, wash and pat them dry with a towel before cutting them.