With a perfect balance of crunchy texture and delicious spiced flavors, this crispy Indian okra stir fry is sure to become a family favorite. Serve this easy vegan side dish along with gluten free Indian rice flour dosa, sambar and aloo masala for a healthy meal any time of the day.
What's to Love
You are going to love how quick and easy this healthy keto Indian recipe is to make. Depending on how fast a chopper you are, you can have this dish on your table in about 6-8 minutes.
Long gone are the days of mushy and slimy okra. This Indian okra recipe much like our four ingredient okra stir fry and grilled chili lime okra is different. It's full of spiced flavor and aromatics and best of all the okra are deliciously crispy and crunchy. You are going to love that little snap, pop and crunch as you bite into the okra and then the aroma of all of the Indian spices are splash of lemon is going to send you swooning.
Healthy & Delicious
Seriously, who knew vegetables could be so delicious and healthy for you too. Crispy Indian okra are not only paleo friendly but it is also diabetic friendly, cardiac friendly, low carb, dairy free, egg-free, gluten-free my new favorite side dish.
Roast your Spices
I have more spices in my pantry than the average person with my spice collection on every surface, cabinet and even finding its way into drawers into the living room.
Roasting the spices before you grind them takes this Indian style okra dish over the top. In addition, you can use less salt. Vegan recipes like in our Spiced Yam and Vegetable stir fry recipe is bursting with flavor without extra sodium. In addition, it makes your house smell fantastic.
Recipe Substitutions
Spices add a whole new level to the simple Indian okra dish. If you do not have all of the spices listed in this recipe, don't sweat it you can always use the pre-ground spice instead. Here are some easy alternatives for the spices...
- ¼ teaspoon of ground yellow mustard seed instead of whole black mustard seeds.
- Exchange fresh coriander (cilantro) or ground coriander for the coriander seed.
- ½ teaspoon of curry powder or fennel seeds instead of fenugreek seeds
- If you like a little spice to your dishes , you can add a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes but this is optional.
More Delicious Vegetable Side Dishes
Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots
How to Cook Shishito Peppers on the Grill
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Bites
Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.
Crispy Indian Okra
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (can substitute ½ teaspoon mustard powder)
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
(can substitute with ground coriander) - 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
(can substitute with ground cumin) - 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (can substitute ½ teaspoon of curry powder or fennel seeds)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot
chopped - 1 clove garlic
peeled and minced - 20 okra
chopped into 1 cm slices ( 2 and ½ cups) - salt and pepper
to taste - ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
optional - 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a wok or frying pan, add the dry whole spices (mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and fenugreek seeds) and cook for about 1-2 minutes over medium heat until to start to pop and crackle. Move from heat and grind spice in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Set aside.
- Add your olive oil to the wok and add chopped shallots and garlic and fry for one minute until aromatic.
- Add the chopped okra, ground spice mixture of mustard, coriander, cumin and fenugreek and stir fry gently for ONLY 1-2 minutes just until the okra soften slightly but are still crunchy. (DO NOT OVERCOOK or the okra will take on that strange gumbo consistency and instead what we are looking for is crispy and delicious and not sticky at all).
- Season will salt and pepper to taste, add a sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes if you would like it a little spicy, however that is optional.
- Turn off the wok and sprinkle the okra with a little fresh lemon juice and serve hot. enjoy!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
YUM YUM YUM! I'm all about textures in my food so this is my dish! I cannot wait to try this, Bobbi. You are always so creative with your dishes. I never would have thought to cook it this way. Good thing I always have you to turn to for inspiration 🙂 Beautiful photos, too! Love the colour 🙂 Sharing, of course.
Talk real soon - can't wait!
Raymund says
What a nice side dish, Ive been waiting for a recipe like this as I was used to order this back in Malaysia when I used to live there. Will give this a shot!
Jasline @ Foodie Baker says
Stir-fried okra is not really my thing but okra in curries? That's a totally different story!
hotlyspiced says
This looks like a very healthy but also tasty dish. I love how vibrantly green the okra is. We don't see okra all that often in our stores so this isn't a vegetable I cook with very often. I'll try to find out when and where it's available xx
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
I've never tried okra before, but it sounds and looks delicious. So good for you too, with lots of health benefits. I love the mix of spices added to this! 😀
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Oh! I love okra. And this spicy stir-fry is my family's favorite, Bobbi. You made it look so beautiful and delicious. YUMMY!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I could go for the spices, but I am not sure about the okra 🙂
Abbe @ This is How I Cook says
Okra is appearing in the markets now and it always looks so tempting. Believe it or not, I've never used fresh okra-only frozen- and that has been in bisques. I need to try the real thing and this sounds pretty good!
nancyc says
This sounds like a great way to serve okra! All the spices and flavors sound really good!
cheri says
Hi Bam, love how you prepared this okra, I bet this is really delicious. I am going to try and grow okra next year in my garden, will pin this!
Norma Chang says
Love okra cooked anyway, love the flavors in this dish.
kushi says
I love this flavorful and delicious recipe dear. Looks so perfect!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Hi Bam! I was really interested to read this recipe. I got used to seeing okra recipes while I was living in Greece and to be honest never got on with them very well. But I love the sound of all the lovely spices you've used in this recipe. The okra looks so fresh and crisp when it's cooked like this!
kitchenriffs says
I love okra! And it's particularly nice with Indian spices. Or in gumbo. Or in ... heck, everything! Really nice photos. On my way to check out your guest post!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
The first time I had okra was when I went to Tennessee. Okra wasn't done in Maine and in Tennessee it was called 'okry'. 🙂 It was overcooked and slimy and I swore I would never eat it again. When I found out it was just because my friend couldn't cook, I liked it a lot. This really sounds delicious.
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
LOL, Maureen. This made me laugh so much! I've had that experience a few times and I'm always surprised to discover that the food is great when cooked properly!