The Market has had some beautiful okra lately. I, like many people, have occasionally been served a dish of okra that is unpleasantly slimy. But here is a dish from western India in which okra is crunchy and has no goodness whatsoever. I know. I’ve had it. And it’s delicious.
We have a regular Market shopper, Uma Satyavolu, to thank for this recipe. (You may have noticed her, as she sometimes comes to the Market in a sari.) Her husband, Charlie Hannon, loves this dish so much that he once ate it three nights in a row.
Ingredients:
1 box of okra, washed and very thoroughly dried. Do not cut them in any way. Leave the little stems on.
Chickpea flour (or very finely ground nuts) – enough to conveniently coat the okra
Turmeric powder (a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon)
Ground cumin (a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon)
Salt (a little more than you might normally use)
Garam Masala (optional) (a pinch)
Ground cayenne (optional) (to taste)
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Mix the chickpea flour (or ground nuts) with the turmeric, ground cumin, and salt. Add one or both of the optional spices if you like.
Coat the okra pods as thoroughly as possible with the flour and spice mixture. Then fry them in about ½” of oil until crispy. If you want them especially crispy, coat them again with the flour and spice mixture and fry once more.
Eat them promptly for maximum crunch. Yum!
-SD
