I think I have posted quite a few Lassi recipes. :-) This is not a lassi recipe but another summer recipe following the concept of “Make Vadagams When the Sun Shines” – Lady’s Finger / Okra Fryums or Vendaikai Vathal or Sun dried Okra. It’s a super simple recipe and this can be prepared in bulk and stocked up. These okra fryums can be used in Kuzhambu varieties or it can be fried and served as rice accompaniment. I personally love it with yogurt rice.
This is yet another recipe from my Amma’s kitchen. It is prepared by soaking the chopped okra in butter milk for about 2 days and then sun dried until crisp. Summer in Bay area is always weird. It will super-hot between 11 am to 7pm and then it becomes windy and cold in the night. I am not complaining about the weather. I just love the weather (The real estate is sky rocketing because of this weather and tech companies). When I used to prepare these vadagams in Folsom, within two days they will all dried up and crips. But here in Bay it needs at least a week. That’s it, so no big complaints. ;-) This year’s vadagam season started with Karuvadagam and here is the second one. You can either go with store bough butter milk or beat the yogurt to prepare the butter milk. Usually we use the butter milk churner to beat the yogurt.
Yogurt can also be used for soaking, but I followed my mother’s recipe and went with butter milk. Diluted and toned butter milk is also perfect for this recipe. So here is the super simple okra fryums, 
Ingredients:
- Lady’s Finger – around 50 ( I picked medium sized tender okra)
- Salt – 1 tbsp
- Butter Milk – 3 cups
- Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Prep – work:
- Wash the okra nicely and trim the ends. Chop the okra into medium sized round pieces.
Steps:
- Take the butter milk in a vessel with a lid.
- Add the salt, red chilly powder and the turmeric powder to the butter milk and mix well. Make sure salt is all dissolved.
- Now add the chopped okra to the butter milk solution. If required add more butter milk. Make sure all the okras are properly soaked.
- Close the vessel and keep it in fridge. Let it soak for about 2 days. Shake this okra mix once in between.
- After two days, drain the butter milk and transfer the okra in a big plate or plastic sheet. (The okra will be sticky but as it dries it will become non-sticky)
- Let this okra dry under the hot sun until they are crisp and completely dried like below.
Notes:
- Instead of red chilly powder, sambar powder can be used too.
- Make sure to shake the okra mix once when it is soaking.
That’s it. Store them in an air tight container and use in vathal kuzhambu or puli kuzhambu. This can be fried and served as rice accompaniment too.
Frying:
- The vegetable based fryums should be fried in low heat. Basically what I do is, after frying appalam or other vadagams, I turn off the heat and then add the veggie vadagams like this okra ones. These gets cooked faster.
- Fry them until they turn brown like below.
Vendaikai Vathal | Okra Fryums
Ingredients
- Lady’s Finger - around 50 I picked medium sized tender okra
- Salt - 1 tbsp
- Butter Milk - 3 cups
- Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Instructions
Prep - work
- Wash the okra nicely and trim the ends. Chop the okra into medium sized round pieces.
Steps
- Take the butter milk in a vessel with a lid.
- Add the salt, red chilly powder and the turmeric powder to the butter milk and mix well. Make sure salt is all dissolved.
- Now add the chopped okra to the butter milk solution. If required add more butter milk. Make sure all the okras are properly soaked.
- Close the vessel and keep it in fridge. Let it soak for about 2 days. Shake this okra mix once in between.
- After two days, drain the butter milk and transfer the okra in a big plate or plastic sheet. (The okra will be sticky but as it dries it will become non-sticky)
- Sun dry this okra until they are crisp and completely dried like below.
Frying
- The vegetable based fryums should be fried in low heat. Basically what I do is, after frying appalam or other vadagams, I turn off the heat and then add the veggie vadagams like this okra ones. These gets cooked faster.
- Fry them until they turn brown.
Notes
Make sure to shake the okra mix once when it is soaking.
That’s it. Store them in an air tight container and use in vathal kuzhambu or puli kuzhambu. This can be fried and served as rice accompaniment too.
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
If the okras are not tender…… How will the Vathal turn out to be? Due to some reasons I plucked it late…
It will be chewy if you use it in kuzhambu but when you fry it should be ok.
Mam please make the video of these dry vegetable fryums…I used to love when my Chennai friend used to bring. I searched many videos in YouTube but all in Tamil and no English subtitles. Please make a video in English or either with English subtitles. My humble request!!
Mam please make the video of these dry vegetable fryums…I used to love when my Chennai friend used to bring. I searched many videos in YouTube but all in Tamil and no English subtitles. Please make a video in English or either with English subtitles. My humble request.
Sure. I will do ma.
I have never tried this at home. Looks so delicious!
Thanks a lot Kushi.
I guess you can have them just as is after frying? The buttery taste should still be good enough?
Oh yeah.. its a snack by itself. ;-)
This looks yum Vidya, on my bucket list
Thanks a lot Jayashree. I am so sorry I need to visit your blog. Its been long time. Will hop over soon.
Hi Vidhya
I’ve tried the store bought ones but never home made…will give this a go…thanks for sharing:)
My Grandma makes the same with chillies:)
Yup.. mor milagai or sandige mensinikai right? Do try this DD.. super simple.
I have never tried making these at home.. looks yumm especially with curd rice :)
These veggie based vadagams are super easy to prepare pa.. Thanks
There is no such thing as too much lassi, so keep’m coming! :) And these okra fryums are so new to me. I love fryums as a child, but never heard of okra ones. That means, I gotta give them a go pretty soon! :)
ha ha.. sure will post more lassi. Thanks a ton and please do try Anu.
This looks and sounds interesting! Delicious….Will be yummy with curd rice :)
Thanks a lot :-) Yes I love it with curd rice.