Vendakkai Poriyal (Fry)
By Swasthi on July 30, 2023, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Vendakkai Poriyal aka Vendakkai Fry is Tamil Nadu style stir fry made with ladies finger/okra/bhindi, spices and curry leaves. It is eaten with a meal of rice, sambar or rasam & curd. Make this Vendakkai Poriyal with a simple twist using my fresh homemade spice powder.
If you have a pre-made Idli podi, flax seed podi or peanut chutney podi, feel free to replace my spice powder, shared in the post.
This Vendakkai Poriyal also goes well in the office and school lunch boxes. It can also be served with Chapati or variety rice dishes like lemon rice, thakkali sadam, curd rice, ghee rice or coconut rice.
Vendakkai poriyal is made much similar to the Andhra style Bendakaya Vepudu and this Bhindi Stir Fry. But the dish tastes and smell so much different due to the combination of ground spices here.
If you do not want to use the idli podi or my homemade powder, simply finish the dish with some fresh grated coconut.
More Vendakkai recipes
Aloo Bhindi
Sauteed Okra
Bhindi Masala
Bendakaya Pulusu
Bhindi ki Sabji
How to make Vendakkai Fry (Stepwise Photos)
1. This step is optional. You can also use idli podi to make the vendakkai poriyal flavorful. Dry roast dal on a low heat until they turn aromatic. Add in the sesame and coconut. Roast until the seeds begin to splutter. Cool this and powder it.
2. Wash vendakkai under running water. Wipe dry with a cloth and chop to half inch thick pieces.
3. Heat a pan with oil and add the cumin and mustard. When they begin to splutter, add chana dal and urad dal. Fry them until golden, then add dried red chili and curry leaves. Add hing.
4. When the dal is fried well to golden, add chopped vendakkai. Saute for 2 to 3 mins on a medium heat.
5. Add Lemon juice. This helps the okra to turn less slimy while cooking. You can also skip lemon if you do not like it.
6. Keep stirring and fry the okra on a medium flame until it is cooked well completely. You can also cover and cook once the stickiness has gone. Add salt and turmeric when the stickiness has gone completely and okra is cooked.
7. Add red chili powder and the spice powder.
8. Mix and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve vendakkai poriyal /fry with rice.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Vendakkai Poriyal (Fry)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 250 grams ladies finger / okra / vendakkai
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 2 teaspoon chana dal
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or jeera
- 1 dried red chili broken or green chili
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 Pinch hing
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¾ tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt as needed
to roast & powder or replace with 2 tsps idli podi
- ¾ tablespoon urad dal
- ¾ tablespoon chana dal
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or jeera
- ¾ tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¾ tablespoon coconut optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Dry roast urad dal and chana dal until golden. Switch off the stove and add sesame seeds , cumin and coconut. Toss them till the sesame seeds splutter. Cool this and powder. You can also use idli podi instead of making this.
- Wash okra under running water. Wipe them dry with a clean kitchen cloth.
- Cut them to thin half inch round pieces.
How to Make Vendakkai Poriyal
- Add oil to a hot pan and add cumin, mustard. When they begin to splutter add the dals, red chili and curry leaves. Sprinkle hing.
- When the dals turn golden, add in the chopped vendakkai.
- Stir fry for a minute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir fry until the stickiness goes off. You will have to constantly keep stirring to prevent burning.
- When they are completely cooked and stickiness goes off, add salt and turmeric.
- Add the spice powder and red chili powder.
- Mix everything well and fry for just a minute.
- You can also cover and cook on a low heat for 2 mins.
- Serve vendakkai poriyal with rice and sambar.
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.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s 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. More about me
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Comments
Hi Swasthi- can I use frozen okra here? If yes, how is the cooking process different?
Hi Deepa,
Pat dry with some kitchen tissues before frying. Start frying on a higher flame for the first few minutes.
Simple ingredients turned the dish aromatic, tasty and healthy. Lemon juice worked wonders. Thanks a lot.
Thank you Niv
Simple Ingredients turned the dish aromatic, tasty and healthy. Adding lemon juice worked wonders. Thanks a lot.
Tried Vendakkai Fry today and came out well. It was a quick tasty no slimy dish.
Thank you again for sharing tasty step by step recipes.
Welcome Shanthini
🙂
Thank you for the simple recipes. I am learning to cook from your site.
Welcome Sri
Glad the recipes are helpful!