A very simple okra recipe

Here is a simple recipe for my friend Kristi who likes Indian okra a lot!

Okra, or rather Chinese okra is called Bhendi/Bhindi in India. When shopping for okra, make sure you choose the slender and fresh green colored okras. If in doubt, break its tail with your fingers, it should break into 2 pieces crisply.


This is the recipe that we make very often in our Indian households, and should be eaten with Indian bread ( Chapatis or rotis ).


Ingredients:

For tadka,
2 tablespoon oil,
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds,
1/4 teaspoon hing(asafoetida powder),
1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder),
2-3 green chillies, diced according to taste.


For the vegetable,
1/2 onion, finely chopped,
1/2 kg or approx. 1.2 pounds of the okra, finely chopped in slices. The verticle slices look good with the shape of a honeycomb; the thinner the slices, the quicker the okra will be cooked.
1 teaspoon salt or as per taste,
red chilly powder if required as per taste,
chopped cilantro for decoration.


Procedure:

Heat oil, and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to splutter, lower the flame, and add the asafoetida and turmeric powders. Add the green chillies immediately and keep the vessel covered to avoid oil spillage. When the green chillies settle down, add the chopped onion and fry till tender and light brown. Add the chopped okra and keep stirring at medium or low flames. The tricky part is when the okra starts becoming sticky, but keep stirring without putting the lid and the stickiness will go away once the okra is perfectly cooked. The green color of the okra also changes to darkish green when it is cooked. When done, add salt and chilly powder if required and keep stirring on low flame for few more minutes.

Remove in a serving bowl and top it with fresh chopped cilantro.

A variation in taste could be achieved by adding 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of dry mango powder or a dash of lime juice when adding the salt. If you add the lime juice, the stickiness increases a little bit more so you need to keep stirring on medium flame for some more time.