on Mar 06, 2022, Updated Jun 29, 2023 If you love to serve raita with your Indian-style meals, here are some more raita recipes for you: Mooli Raita, Pomegranate Raita, Beetroot Raita, Boondi Raita, and Sprouted Chickpea Raita.
About Bhindi Raita
Bhindi Raita (Okra Raita, Vendakkai Raita, Spiced Yogurt With Crispy Okra) is a refreshing Indian side dish made using plain yogurt, okra, and a few Indian spices. Mohit loves bhindi, so I try to make this raita very often. Serve it as a side dish with everyday Indian meals, or pair it with your favorite pulao or biryani recipes. Just like onion raita or tomato raita, this easy okra raita recipe will also become your favorite, I can assure you! This creamy yogurt dish is great for summer as it cools the body and has many health benefits. You can also air-fry the okra instead of frying it in a pan. Select okra that is firm and bright green. Avoid the ones with black marks or bruises. Adjust the green chilies as per your taste. To spice up the raita, add red chili powder, black salt, fennel seed powder (saunf powder), and black pepper powder.
For Tempering
Tempering is optional but highly recommended. To temper the yogurt bhindi raita, you will need oil, brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), curry leaves, and dry red chilies. Skip adding hing to make it gluten-free. Add some white urad dal to the tempering to give a nice crunch to this simple dish. You can garnish the raita with chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro). Note – Wiping the lady’s fingers is important to eliminate the sliminess. Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the okra pieces and 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies to the pan and fry until they are crisp (12-15 minutes). Stir frequently while frying. Remove the pan from heat and let the bhindi cool down for 10 minutes. Add crispy fried bhindi, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, and ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder, and mix well. Tip – Keep some crispy bhindi aside for garnishing. Add some chilled water if the raita is too thick. Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients to the pan and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon asafetida 5-6 curry leaves 1-2 dry red chilies
Pour the tempering over the raita and mix well. Tip – Save some tempering for garnishing.
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