Bendakaya Pulusu | Sweet Sour & Spicy Okra Curry

Bendakaya pulusu is an authentic Andhra ( Andhra Pradesh in South India) style recipe which is traditionally eaten with mudda pappu which is the plain cooked toor dal, ghee and papad. We make pulusu (stew) with many different kinds of vegetables and it is definitely one of those dishes that satisfy our soul and reminds us of home and sweet childhood memories.

In my opinion, a good Pulusu recipe will have the perfect balance of all the flavors like sweet, spicy, sourness, little bitterness, and salt and it should be cooked until all the raw flavors are gone to get a mouth-watering outcome.

Feel free to use the button at the top of the page to go to the recipe directly or the table of contents below to go to any section of the page you want. The recipe card has all the information that is needed to make the recipe perfectly. However, I try to provide as much useful information in the post for the readers who are looking for it.

Jump to:

• What is Bendakaya Pulusu
• How to make
• Tips for making a good pulusu
• Storing and Reheating
• What to serve with
• Recipe

What is Bendakaya Pulusu

Bendakaya pulusu is a south Indian recipe for a tangy, sweet and spicy Okra curry. Bendakaya is the Telugu name for Okra or Ladies finger. Pulusu is a stew kind of preparation that has a perfect balance of flavors like sourness from tamarind, spiciness from red chilli powder, sweetness from jaggery, slight bitterness from fenugreek and salt. It can be made with many kinds of vegetables like Opo squash(sorakaya), Sweet potato (chilakada dumpa pulusu), Taro root ( chama dumpa pulusu) etc..

How to make

Let's see how to make this Bendakaya Pulusu or Stewed Okra in sweet sour and spicy gravy.

Preparation for Bendakaya Pulusu

• Wash Okra( Bendakaya) well and dry them using a clean kitchen cloth or paper napkins. 
• Soak tamarind in 1 cup of hot water. Once it cools off a little bit, squeeze the juice out of the tamarind with your hands and then filter to remove the pulp. Repeat the process with the pulp until all the juice is extracted. If you are using ready-made tamarind paste, then use around 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of paste mixed with 2.5 cups of water and add it to the bendakaya pulusu when specified below. Note: Remember you need to check the taste and add more tamarind extract later as the sourness depends on the kind of tamarind you use.
• Cut Okra into 1 to 1.5 inch long pieces after chopping off both ends. Tip: Apply little oil to the knife before cutting Okra to make it easy to clean later. Wipe off the sticky part from the knife using paper napkins in between.
• Chop the onion into big cubes and keep them ready.

How to make Bendakaya pulusu

• Heat a medium-sized, deep saucepan or stockpot and add 2 tablespoons of Sesame oil ( You can use whatever oil you regularly use, Sesame oil just gives an added flavor).
• Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 broken red chilies, 2 pinches of asafoetida(hing), ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, and fry for few seconds until the mustard seeds crackle. Then add the curry leaves and fry them until they turn slightly crisp.
• Now add the chopped onions and a ⅓ teaspoon of salt for the onions to cook faster and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions start to turn slightly translucent.
• Now add 2 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon of coriander powder, ½ teaspoon of cumin powder, and 1 teaspoon of red chili powder, mix well, and saute for 1 or 2 minutes without burning the spices. Note: I didn't add tomatoes in this bendakaya pulusu, if you want to add tomatoes too, then add chopped tomatoes at this stage and cook until the tomatoes are completely cooked and softened before you add bhindi(Okra).

• Then add cut bhindi (Okra) pieces and saute on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Now mix the squeezed tamarind extract with around 1.5 to 2 cups of water and add it to the pot. 
• Add little less than ½ teaspoon of methi powder, salt to taste, and 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of grated jaggery, mix well, and close the lid. Cook COVERED until bhindi(Okra) pieces are well cooked and all the flavors in the sauce come together. If you want the pulusu to be thicker, then open the lid and cook until you get desired consistency.
• Check the seasonings and add anything required. A good pulusu will have a perfect balance of all the flavors like sweet, sour, spice, slightly bitter, and salt.
• Add most of the chopped cilantro keeping some for the garnish in the last 2 minutes and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Now garnish this Indian okra curry with cilantro and serve hot with rice, mudda pappu( plain cooked toor dal), ghee(clarified butter), and papad.

Tips for making a good pulusu

Please make sure you follow the below tips to make a wonderful and mouth-watering Bendakaya pulusu or Sweet and spicy Indian okra curry.

• Choose only the firm and young brightly colored bhindi (Okra) always. Avoid, soft, squishy, dull, brown ones for best taste. You can use frozen Okra for this recipe too instead of the fresh ones.
• Check the taste and add more tamarind extract later as the sourness depends on the kind of tamarind you use and it is really important to balance all the flavors properly for a good pulusu.
• This bendakaya pulusu is little spicier. If you want to reduce the spice level, then use only half of the coriander powder and red chili powder to start with and add more later if needed. If you want to increase the spice level, increase the amount of coriander powder and red chili powder. You will have to adjust the other flavors in the pulusu like sweet(jaggery), sour(tamarind), bitter(methi powder), and salt accordingly to balance the flavors.
•  I didn't add tomatoes in this bendakaya pulusu, if you want to add tomatoes too, then add chopped tomatoes after adding the spice powders to the onions and cook until the tomatoes are completely cooked and softened before you add bhindi(Okra).
• Bendakaya pulusu usually doesn't need any thickener as the slimy texture of Okra helps with the sauce thickening. But if want to thicken further, you can always add 1 or 2 tablespoons of rice flour mixed with water into the sauce while cooking towards the end.

Storing and Reheating

This bhindi pulusu will stay fresh in refrigerator for upto 4 to 5 days. Just reheat it in a microwave or on stovetop when ready to eat. However if you are serving with mudda pappu( Plain cooked toor dal), then I suggest you cook the dal fresh as fresh dal gives much better.

What to serve with

Traditionally bendakaya pulsu or for that matter any pulusu made with vegetables is usually served with rice, plain cooked toor dal called mudda pappu, ghee and fryums like papad or vadiyalu. Finish the meal with yogurt rice or majjiga ( salty lassi) and you will feel like you had one of the most satisfying meal ever.

If you are looking for more South Indian recipes, check

• South Indian style Tomato Pachadi
• Instant pot Ven Pongal
• Instant pot Bagara Rice
• Airfryer Medhu Vada
• Cabbage stir fry andhra style

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