Okra Stir Fry

Delicious and easy Okra Stir fry made with fresh Okra, cumin, chili powder and cococnut oil. Excellent side dish goes well with bowl of rice.

If you love okra, then try this simple and delicious okra stir fry which will be ready less than 20 minutes? Yes, excellent side dish you can have with bowl or rice or you can add it to any budda bowl you make.

You will be belonging to either of two category okra lover or okra hater. We belong to okra lover category so I buy them whenever I can get hold of them. The peak season for fresh okra is summer months from May through September, though you can usually find it year-round throughout the southern United States.

 Okra or lady’s finger is a flowering plant belongs to  mallow family. Raw okra is 90% water, 2% protein, 7% carbohydrates negligible amount of fat. In a 100 gram/ ½ cup, raw okra is rich (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) in dietary fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K, with moderate contents of thiamin, folate, and magnesium

How to select okra for cooking?

When selecting okra, look for small, crisp, brightly colored pods without brown spots or blemishes. Avoid any okra pod that is shriveled. You can also check them whether they are tender by snapping the top end (the tip) of the okra with a finger. If it snaps into two pieces, then it is tender otherwise it will not.

 What is best way to cook okra?

Cooking okra in high heat will be great, like on a stove stop, grilling, frying and roasting. Traditionally okra is used for thickening gumbo. You can also make curries, stews, etc.

How to prevent sliminess of okra?

1) Wash the okra in colander and only cut them when you are ready to add it out the recipe.

2) When you are adding to make curries or gumbo, make sure that it should have acid base (like tomatoes, lemon/lime juice, vinegar, tamarind etc.)

3) Another way is to cut the okra length wise instead of cutting it in in small. This does not cut the seeds, which is the main culprit oozing the mucilage.

4) Smaller okras tend to be less slimy than the larger ones

5) Cook them with oil and vinegar to prevent sliminess.

6) If you cook okra in high heat for some time in the beginning then the sliminess will be removed fast.

How to make this okra stir fry

You need following ingredients to make this

Okra: make sure it is fresh and tender.

Onion: onion adds sweetness to the dish

Coconut oil: adds not only taste to okra stir fry but also gives flavor.
Cumin: Cumin and coriander are few spices goes well with okra

Cayenne pepper /chili powder: This adds heat to dish.

Turmeric:  This will give your daily dose of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant share.

Red chili: You can skip this if you do not want.

Things that go well with okra

 a) Spices like Cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry powder.

b) Meat like lamb, beef, and egg

c) Okra will go well with rice, peppers, tomatoes, dried apricots, eggplant,

d) Herbs and flavors like oregano, lemon, garlic, and vinegar.

If you like this okra stir fry here is few other recipes

Burmese okra curry

Vendakka thoran / Okra stir fry with coconut

Achari  dahi bhindi

Rajasthani Bhindi /Rajasthani Okra Fry

If you try this recipe, please tag me @nidhinikhil on Instagram and @zestysouthindiankitchen in Facebook.

Print Recipe

5 from 23 votes

Okra Stir Fry

Delicious and easy Okra Stir fry made with fresh Okra and few spices. Excellent side dish

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Okra Stir fry, Stir fry recipes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 77kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cup okra cut it into 11/2-inch cubes
• 1 ½ tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ cup red onion
• 2 red chilies halved
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder use paprika if you do not want heat
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in a skillet then add 2 halved red chilies and then add onion and fry for few minutes and then add okra, turmeric and salt and continue to cook for 8 minutes.
• Then add cumin powder, red chili powder and continue to cook until it has completely cooked through with some charred ends. Still retains the crisp at same time completely cooked.
• Enjoy with a bowl of rice.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.