Okra Heralds Summer Time!
Come summer, my okra plants come to life and bestow me with their bounty. The wonderful quality of these plants is that they don’t demand much in return, in terms of care. Bugs don’t bother these plants either, so, barring the occasional attack of ants that visit the plants to consume the aphids, the plants and their produce, are pretty much predator-free.
Several years back, as rookie back-yard gardeners, we’d planted a dozen okra plants, not knowing how much they’d yield. By July-August, we were swimming in okras! I picked them, pickled them, made various types of okra dishes, offered friends to come pick them (most of them refused since they didn’t want to be consumed by mosquitoes that were rampant that one particular year), chopped and froze them for the winter months, since organic okra is either hard to find in grocery stores, or cost a bombshell.
Okra Flower
Less is More
Slowly, we figured that “less is more” with okra. This year, we planted 3-4 plants, and they are yielding enough to drive me crazy sometimes, and to share with other okra lovers. While none of the other plants, except for yard-long beans, demand attention from me, the okra plants are crying out every morning – to be picked. If I get busy and don’t get to picking them for 24 hours, boy, trouble awaits! They are grown into their huge, stubborn, cranky old-selves that are so mature and tough, that I have to chop them up small so my compost worms (I was told by a teen that we were hosting, that they are called wriggler worms) can devour them.
Single day Okra harvest!
There is an adage in the gardener community that you must plant only what you love to eat. And that’s so true. When these high yield plants start to produce, there’s no stopping them. And thankfully, we are total okra lovers. I love okra dishes in any form – North Indian, South Indian, and really, there’s nothing in between because other cultures around the world don’t seem to care for this “ladies finger” as they are called in some parts of the world. Yes, there’s gumbo from the state of Louisiana, but gumbo is a meat dish, so out of bounds for me, and okra is, but a small component of this southern recipe.
Okra Masala
How to Prep the BEST Okra
You probably hate okra because of its sliminess. Probably, you are one of those that think the best way to mitigate okra’s slime is to batter and deep-fry it. You are also one of those that thinks that a LOT of oil is needed to make tasty okra dishes. On the contrary!
The truth is, okra needs two main things to be outstanding: It needs to be de-slimed, and it needs fresh, assertive spices to augment its mildly peppery flavor. Only one dish nails both these imperatives, and that dish is Bhindi Masala, the okra curry native to the Punjab region of India.
Making good bhindi masala is actually an easy process: First, you fry the seedy, misunderstood vegetable until it’s brown and fully tender. Then you make a tomato-based sauce—in this case, with lots of spices (try to use freshly powdered spices) added. Finally, you fold everything together. It may seem like a well-integrated stew, but really the principal vegetable is cooked separately from the other ingredients to keep it from getting slimy or soggy. This is a dish where different parts are perfected separately and then combined into a cohesive whole.
Pairings
If you’d like to pair this Okra dish with other North Indian dishes, check out a few of our favorites:
- Wholesome Fenugreek (Methi) Paratha
- Jeera Quinoa
- Aloo Gobi
- Mooli (Daikon Radish) Raita
- Delicious Dal Tadka
- Brown Rice Vegetable Pulao
- Dal Makhni
- Vegetable Multigrain Khichidi
- Chana Masala
Okra Recipes
If you want to try yet another okra recipe, check out:
Okra has long been favored as a food for the health-conscious. It contains potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid, and calcium. It’s low in calories and has a high dietary fiber content. Recently, a new benefit of including okra in your diet is being considered: Okra has been suggested to help manage blood sugar in cases of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes!
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Bhindi (Okra) Masala
Ingredients
For Sauteing Okra:
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 3 Cups Okra - Cut into 1" pieces
For Okra Masala:
- 2 Teaspoons Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Cup Onion - White or peach preferred
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Crushed
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic - Crushed
- 1/2 Cup Tomato - Chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder - Vary to taste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala - Make your own!
- 1 Teaspoon Dry Mango (Amchur) Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Vary to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Dry Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi)
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro - Finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
For Sauteing Okra:
- Rinse bhindi/okra in running water, drain in colander, and wipe the okra with a clean dish cloth (don't skip the drying since wetness causes the okra slime). Chop the tops off and dice the okra into 1" pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a pan. Add cut okra and saute (stir gently) for 15-20 minutes. Keep the pan uncovered while sauteing. Do the taste test to determine if the okra is ready - the crunchiness should be gone but the okra should retain its shape.
For Okra Masala:
- While the okra is getting prepped, heat oil in another pan. Add crushed ginger-garlic, saute for 30 seconds, add chopped onions and saute until the onions are translucent.
- Add chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are mushy. Add the dry spices - coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, amchur (mango) powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), and mix again.
- Add the sauteed okra to the masala, gently mix well, and serve.
