Dress it up a little, and you can take it anywhere. If you are convinced that you do not like okra, I would suggest that this may be because you have not tried one of the many superb Indian dishes including this vegetable. I can honestly say that I have never had an Indian okra dish I did not like. There are not too many foods I reject totally, but there was a time when I was convinced that I despised okra.
A current favorite of mine is from Suvir Saran's wonderful Indian Home Cooking, which is full of similar treasures. It couldn't be easier or quicker to fix. I make it in my thin cast iron wok which strongly resembles the kadai, or two handled rounded Indian pot appearing in photos in the book.
This is what you do: In your spice (or coffee)grinder , pulverize 4 tsps fennel seed and 2 tbsps of coriander seed.
Wash and trim one pound of okra, and slit each one horizontally, without slicing completely through it. Put the okra in a bowl and add the ground spices, salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix the okra in the spices. The idea is to get some inside, in the slits.
Heat 1/3 cup canola or other tasteless oil in the wok, or a heavy pan. Turn the heat quite low, add the okra, and stir to coat with oil. Then arrange it in a single layer, and cover. Every three or four minutes, take off the lid and gently stir and rearrange. After about 15 minutes, it should be tender, and the wok should be dry. Uncover and cook about five minutes more, browning the okra.
That's all there is to it! These are so good that you might find yourself trying another Indian okra dish, or even moving on to some crisp fried southern-style pods, with molten centers. Or you may grow to crave a bowl of gumbo, with okra circles, crabmeat, boudin and a spicy roux, in a dark pool around a scoop of rice. Don't miss it.
Okra (I came to know them initially as "ladies fingers") are funny things and need to be handled quite gently i find. Overcook them and it turns into a slimy mush. I love okra, in a rich fish curry, or fried into an egg omelette. Will have to give your recipe a try! :)
Posted by: chubby cat | August 18, 2005 at 11:12 PM
Ladies' fingers of a very different sort than the sponge cake type I'm familiar with! Where is it that okra is called by this name?
I do agree they must not be overcooked.
I had not thought to try okra in an omlette, but that sounds good to me. I think they will go well with eggs.
Recently, in a market, I saw some really giant okras, and were told they were called "cowhorns", or something like that. I nearly bought a few, but I was afraid they looked like they might be pretty tough. (They were nearly 8" long!)
Posted by: lindy | August 19, 2005 at 05:33 PM
When I was growing up, my grandmother grew okra in her large Texas garden. The smallest pods were the most tender. As a child, I would eat them only when dipped in cornmeal and fried crisp; they are now one of my favorite vegetables, though oddly difficult to find in Seattle. This recipe sounds wonderful... if I find okra at the farmers' market tomorrow, this is what I'll do with it.
Posted by: Kimberly | August 21, 2005 at 04:46 AM
I'm not sure if the moniker is used anywhere else, but most certainly in Singapore and Malaysia where I grew up. Haven't seen any overly large okras, the ones we get here in Oz (and Singapore/Malaysia) are about 4 - 5" in length.
Posted by: chubby cat | August 21, 2005 at 09:32 PM
You will be pleased to know that I made this recipe this very weekend. It is great, though I found it a bit more fiddly than I expected making sure that the spices got into the slits -- they really wanted to stay stuck closed! Any tricks?
Posted by: redfox | August 22, 2005 at 09:43 AM
I haven't really got any hints on this, I'm afraid. Actually, I must admit that I just toss the pods around well and assume the spices are getting in there somehow. I love okra this way.
Posted by: lindy | August 22, 2005 at 11:40 AM
You know, I've been an 'Indian foodie' for years, thinking I was oh so adventurous with all the spices....
I've sidestepped the okra. I think because I've heard rumors of it being fussy to cook with (???).
But you make me realize that I need to confront the okra, I MUST confront the okra-- once and for all.
I just may post the results someday at my Indian spice blog Naughty Curry at naughtycurry.com
Posted by: Courtney | September 21, 2005 at 09:20 PM
Thanks for cooking from my book.
Please email me at chef@suvir.com if you ever need any recipes.
Glad to see you use the book.
FYI: The samosas you made using peas and potatoes look very very delicious and sound amazing.
Thanks for sharing your culinary experiences with us online.
Suvir Saran
Posted by: Suvir Saran | September 26, 2005 at 05:33 PM
And if anyone wants the recipe for my restaurants most famous dish, the Crispy Okra, please email me. I can send it your way.
It won the TIME OUT award for the best vegetable.
chef@suvir.com is the email.
Posted by: Suvir Saran | September 26, 2005 at 05:35 PM