Monday, December 14, 2009

Light Masala Okra

Bright green okra, pronounced OH-kruh, also known as Lady’s finger is a slender, ridged and tapered pod.It comes in varying shades of green, (there is also a new red variety).
Okra is a good source of dietary fiber, and is fat-free.It also provides a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A and B plus contains magnesium, potassium and calcium.  Okra is slimy ,slippery and sticky - it is supposed to be that way. okra fans  like me especially love this vegetable's slippery culinary personality.
Here is one of the countless tasty ways of  preparing okra which is a favourite in my home.

okra -1

What you need:
  • Okra : 500 gms
  • Onion : 2 small or 1 big ( finely chopped )
  • Tomato: 1 ( big  - finely chopped)
  • Green chili : 5 ( the big sweet ones – cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • GG paste : 1 tablespoon
  • Salt : 1/2 tea spoon ( or up to taste)
  • Red chili : 1/2 tea spoon ( or up to taste)
  • Turmeric ( haldi ): 3/4 teaspoon
  • Oil : 1/2 cup
How to do it :
  1. Wash and cut okra into 1 inch pieces.
  2. Heat oil in a pan .Add in chopped onions and cook till they are light golden brown .
  3. Add GG paste, salt , chili and turmeric.
  4. Stir for a minute and then add in the chopped tomato.cook till tomato gets soft and oil starts to ooze out.
  5. Now add okra and green chili , stir for a minute … cover the pan , lower the flame and cook on gentle heat till okra is no longer raw (for about 20 minutes or so ..depends on your pan and stove so keep checking in between because over cooked okra does not look or taste good  )
  6. Light Masala Okra is ready … Serve with Lightly buttered roti,naan or paratha.
Notes :
  • Most people do not eat okra because of its sliminess .. To address that I cut okra into desired pieces and keep it in the fridge (covered by cling film) 24 hours before cooking.Doing so greatly reduces the sliminess of okra.
  • If you can not find long green chilies … then use 2 –3 capsicums instead.
  • Okra is usually available year round with a peak season during the summer months but it can be kept frozen for up to 12 months.I do my grocery shopping every fortnight .. and sometimes cut Okra into medium size pieces and freeze it in zip – lock bag to use later ( if I am not planning to use it right away).To use I defrost Okra on counter top for about two hours.Freezing okra also reduces the sliminess . 

okra -1

1 comments:

Yasmeen said...

My favorite okra masala :D

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