Air Fryer Kurkuri Bhindi – Low Carb Okra Snack

Of all the summer vegetables, okra is my favorite. I can eat it every day. In fact I almost do, I grow in my garden and make it in some form or the other. Thankfully, my husband too has a great liking for it. And much to my delight, our daughter takes after us on this matter! Okra is unique, I just like the way it looks but not very tempting when you cut into it because its sticky and many people refuse to eat. It’s  quite healthy for you and aids the body in digestion, similar to the slime produced by chia seeds.

Anyways, if you love okra as I do then you don’t need convincing to try kurkuri bhindi. Okra is popularly called bhindi in Indian households and kurkuri means crispy. Think of them as okra fries. Highly addictive and not one bit of slime.

Okra fries are coated with besan and spices and traditionally they are deep-fried. While the fried okra sounds super delicious,  I opted to air fry so it uses very less oil. You can achieve the same result in an oven but who wants to turn on the oven in hot weather? The air-fried okra fries are not shatteringly crisp but they are every bit as good as the deep fried kind and good for you. These fries make a super easy and healthy snack and a perfect vegan appetizer to serve at the cocktail party. You can even pair okra fries with a juicy burger, BBQ chicken or accompany them as a side dish with daal, rice or chapati.

Tips for making kurkuri bhindi /okra fries in the air fryer

• Wash the okra thoroughly and dry them as thoroughly or they won’t air fry/roast properly. I place them on a kitchen towel for air drying.
• Cut the okra with a dry knife on a dry cutting board.
• Slice the pods in quarters lengthwise. Although, cutting releases slimy texture but that way you also increase the surface area to make them crispy.
• Okra fries are made crispy with the addition of Bengal gram and rice flour. Optionally you can use cornflour or just rice flour. The flour helps bind the seasoning to the okra.
• Try not to over-crowd your air fryer. Place as many okra pods as you can into the air-fryer without overlapping too many. The less okra in the basket, the better. Too many of them shoved together will start to steam, which produces slime.
• A good temperature for air frying okra is 350. Watch them closely so they don’t burn and turn them a couple of times during the cooking process to help them turn beautifully golden and crispy texture.
• Air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model, so always start with less cooking time and then add more if needed.
• Okra fries taste best straight out of the air fryer. They’ll still be delicious after few hours or next day, but may lose their outer (crispness). If you make them ahead of time cook them a minute less. Leave it on wire rack. Reheat for 1-2 minutes before serving. Don’t use a microwave to reheat. It will make them soft and chewy.

If you give this air fryer bhindi or any of my other okra recipes a try, please let me know by commenting below or by posting on social media and tagging @simpleglutenfreekitchen.