Okra Again?

My second okra (?bhinda? in Gujarati, pronounced: BHin-DaH) recipe is a traditional ?stir-fried? curry as opposed to the first recipe I shared with you which was a creation of my own. This is the way my family and I usually eat okra at home, simply with chapattis (?rotli?). Even my dad (a former okra hater) confessed that he now loves the stuff! Win. I love the simplicity of this dish, it is so easy to prepare yet has amazing and powerful flavours. Okra are in season at the moment so you will find some super fresh ones at your greengrocers? Grab ?em before someone else does!


Traditional Gujarati Okra

Ingredients

1 lb okra, trimmed and sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp asafoetida
*1 green chilli, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp black pepper, ground
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil (I know this sounds like a lot, but you really need it as you won?t be adding any water at any time- this would make the okra slimy. Once the dish is cooked you can drain the excess oil away with a paper towel).



Method

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan or wok, add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop. Then add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, chilli and tomato.

2. Cook for a minute and then add the sugar, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper and allow for the water in the tomato to reduce right down until the oil becomes visible on the surface. Keep stirring.

3. Add the okra to the tomato base and ?stir fry? on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the okra are tender.
TIP: Never put a lid on the pan when cooking okra. The evaporated water will roll down into the curry from via the lid and make the okra slimy and sticky. Yuck.



4. Finish with the lemon juice.

5. Enjoy!



*The chillies and tomatoes I have been using in all my cooking this week had been given to us by a family friend who grows the most wonderful vegetables in his garden. The chillies (my dad?s favourite ingredient in the whole entire world! No, really. He eats them RAW on a daily basis) are just so pretty to look at, so I thought I would share a few pictures with you all. Thank you Eric for the lovely vegetables you brought to us!