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Ladies finger fry (Bendakaya fry)

By swasthi , on January 13, 2021, 26 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Ladies finger fry more commonly known as bendakaya fry in Telugu, is a stir fry dish made with ladies finger (okra), curry leaves, tempering spices and curry leaves. This is a simple yet healthy and nutritious dish which pairs so well as a side with plain rice or chapati. In South India most stir fried veggies are eaten with rice-sambar or rice-rasam combos.

ladies finger fry bendakaya fry

These stir fry dishes are easy to make and only need pantry staples. Ladies finger is one of the most loved vegetables by Indians and we make a lot of dishes with them. One most common dish is the stir fry.

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The stir frying method is more or less the same across India but the whole spices and ground spices used in these recipes is different. The recipe I shared in this post is the Andhra style bendakaya vepudu.

Again every household uses a different combo of ground spices. This recipe is the way my mom would make for us. Peanuts and coconut are the 2 special ingredients in this dish and many people call this as bendakaya palli vepudu in Telugu.

This is one of the best ways to serve bhindi to kids since this tastes delicious. My kids love this so much that I make this every other week for our dinner.

Slightly moist, non-sticky with an aroma of roasted coconut and peanuts makes this simple everyday vegetable a mouthwatering side dish.

This easy ladies finger fry compliments any meal and can be had either with rice, chapathi or phulka. We usually serve this with sambar or tomato rasam along with rice.

For more similar recipes
Bhindi masala
Easy bhindi fry
Bhindi do pyaza
Bhindi ki sabji
Vendakkai poriyal
Bendakaya pulusu

In this video, I just skipped the onions, peanuts and even coconut. You can make it this way too. But onions add a nice caramelized flavor to the dish. Peanuts add a nutty aroma and coconut a sweet flavor.

Preparation

1. Rinse 250 grams ladies finger under running water. Set them aside to dry. Then wipe off with a clean cloth or absorbent papers. I usually spray some vinegar, let them sit for about 10 minutes and then rinse off well. Then dry them and wipe with a fresh kitchen towel.

ladies finger aka bendakaya

2. Chop the ladies finger to thin circles. Before you chop make sure they are not wet otherwise they will become slimy while chopping and while cooking too.

3. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Next add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon chana dal and 1 teaspoon urad dal. Fry till the dal turns golden. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 dried broken red chili or 1 slit green chilli as well. Fry until the leaves turn crisp.

tempering ingredients for bendakaya fry recipe

4. Add 1 medium sliced onion and fry till golden. They should not be raw anymore. While the onions fry, roast ¼ cup peanuts in a heavy bottom pan until golden, aromatic and crunchy. Cool them completely. Add them to a cloth and rub off to roughly remove the skin. Set these aside.

frying onions

5. Transfer chopped ladies finger and squeeze the lemon juice. I add about a tablespoon. It helps to get rid of the slime faster.

lemon juice for bendakaya fry recipe

How to make ladies finger fry

6. On a medium heat, fry till the sticky substance goes away from the ladies finger. It takes about for about 5 to 7 minutes.
7. Next cover and cook till the ladies finger becomes tender for 2 to 3 mins. Covering helps to keep them moist without drying out. Cover only after the bhindi is fried well till it loses its stickiness. Otherwise they will become more slimy and mushy.

making andhra style bendakaya fry
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8. Sprinkle ⅓ to ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 pinch of turmeric, ½ teaspoon coriander powder or garam masala (optional) , ¼ cup fresh coconut and ¼ cup roasted peanuts. You can also crush the peanuts slightly if you like. If you want them more crunchy, add them while serving.

peanuts coconut for bendakaya fry recipe

9. Lastly fry on medium flame till the coconut becomes aromatic takes around 3 minutes. Serve bendakaya fry with rice, phulka or roti.

ladies finger fry recipe

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Recipe card

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ladies finger fry

Ladies finger fry (Bendakaya fry)

Ladies finger fry also known as bendakaya fry in Telugu is a delicious, healthy and easy to make stir fry with ladies finger aka okra, spices, curry leaves and peanuts.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings3
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

  • 250 grams ladies finger (okra or bendakayalu)
  • 1 green chili slit or red chili broken
  • 1 medium onion sliced thinly or chopped (optional)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic (crushed or chopped) (optional)
  • 1 tsp urad dal (skinned black gram)
  • 1 tsp chana dal (bengal gram)
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder
  • ½ to ¾ tsp coriander powder or garam masala (optional)
  • ¼ cup coconut (fresh grated)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional, helps to remove slime)
  • 1 pinch turmeric
  • ⅓ tsp Salt as needed
  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • ¼ cup peanuts roasted and skinned (optional)
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Instructions

Preparation

  • Wash ladies finger and dry them thoroughly. Wipe off with a clean cloth or absorbent papers.
  • They should not have any traces of moisture over them otherwise they will become slimy while chopping and frying too. Chop the ladies finger to thin half inch circles.

How to make ladies finger fry

  • Heat a pan with oil.
  • Add mustard, cumin, urad dal and chana dal. Fry them until the dal turns golden. 
  • Add chopped or crushed garlic, curry leaves and slit green chilies or broken red chilies. Fry till the curry leaves turn crisp.
  • Optional – Fry onions till translucent. You can also skip them but they impart a nice aroma to the dish.
  • Add ladies finger and sprinkle lemon juice.
  • Fry till all of the slime goes away. Lemon juice helps to get rid of the sticky substance from the veggie. This takes about 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Cover and cook till the ladies finger is slightly tender. Ensure ladies finger is no more slimy only then cover it otherwise they will become more sticky.
  • Add coconut, red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder or garam masala. 
  • Add the peanuts as well. You can also coarsely crush them and add. If you want the peanuts to remain very crunchy them add them while serving.
  • Fry bendakaya vepudu till it begins to smell good for about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve ladies finger fry with rice or phulka.
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Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

Video

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Ladies finger fry (Bendakaya fry)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 169 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 73mg3%
Potassium 355mg10%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 755IU15%
Vitamin C 41.1mg50%
Calcium 84mg8%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

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This post was first published in March 2014. Updated and republished in January 2021.

Ladies finger fry (Bendakaya fry)
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About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Reader Interactions

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Comments

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  2. Sara says

    December 4, 2019

    Can I use dessicated coconut instead of fresh coconut?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 4, 2019

      Yes you can

      Reply
  3. Ranjana says

    September 10, 2019

    5 stars
    How many medium sized Bhindis are 250 gm?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 10, 2019

      Hi Ranjana,
      Difficult question. The weight depends on the freshness of bhindi. Sorry couldn’t help you!

      Reply
  4. Sanjay says

    April 30, 2018

    Kindly forward the receipe to make protein powder.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 1, 2018

      I will try to share the recipe. I do not have it on the blog yet.

      Reply
  5. Mona says

    April 29, 2018

    5 stars
    Yummy !! Turned out great

    Reply
  6. moni says

    August 28, 2016

    Wow!!!!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 31, 2016

      thank you

      Reply
  7. Navya says

    August 16, 2016

    5 stars
    wow lovely bendakaya fry. very tasty and my family loves this. the addition of peanuts is tasting very good

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 16, 2016

      Thanks Navya
      So glad to know you liked it

      Reply
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  9. Shashikala says

    May 10, 2016

    Very nice

    Reply
  10. husain says

    September 20, 2015

    I try bendi fry its good yaar thank you

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 20, 2015

      Welcome

      Reply
  11. Atul Malhotra says

    July 1, 2015

    I have just gone to your site. Hoping that I will cook for myself and enjoy. Thanks

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 1, 2015

      Welcome Atul ji

      Reply
  12. vasu says

    February 10, 2015

    Excellent dish and easilly understand about how to cook

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      February 11, 2015

      thanks vasu

      Reply
  13. Shanthini Rajkumar says

    December 9, 2014

    I’m a huge peanut fan and I am looking forward to trying out this recipe ! Thank you!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 9, 2014

      Hello Shanthini,
      Do try , you will love it.
      🙂

      Reply
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  15. Priya Suresh says

    March 27, 2014

    I do stir fries with peanuts only with brinjal, with ladies finger sounds quite interesting.

    Reply
  16. Hari Chandana P says

    March 27, 2014

    easy and healthy vepudu.. looks delicious!!

    Reply
  17. nandoos Kitchen says

    March 27, 2014

    nice stir fry.

    Reply
  18. Sony P says

    March 27, 2014

    Yummy and delicious stir fry…….. Love to eat with roti!!

    Reply
  19. Linsy Patel says

    March 27, 2014

    Nice addition of peanut.

    Reply
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  21. Rafeeda AR says

    March 27, 2014

    looks really so delicious…

    Reply

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