Delicious Spicy Sauteed Okra

I will honestly say I have never eaten okra growing up - not even once. So I can't make any comments and this recipe does not represent South African style okra (even if it did I wouldn't truly know). Why have I never eaten okra? No idea. I guess I had heard comments about the slimy texture etc. Along the way I had read about the many healthy benefits of okra but I still never truly bothered and still avoided it. By chance we were out with a group at a restaurant and someone had ordered the okra. It looked like this spicy, dry-ish, crispy fried version so I gave it a taste and I loved it! I couldn't believe I enjoyed it that much.

Delicious spicy fried okra with browned garlic and onion

So I tried to re-create this type of dish. I used my basic standard spicy food method with onions, garlic and spices but I kept the "dry" goal in mind to avoid any sliminess.

I purchased young okra - they stocked some fresh young okra at Whole Foods, I read that the larger ones do create a sliminess. I dried them thoroughly with paper towels before slicing and I sliced them into small round disks. I had read tips where people allow it to dry in the sun for about 2 hours and while that sounded like a great idea I didn't have that much time to wait. So I spread it on a plate and let it dry for a few minutes and it worked fine. If I don't have as young okra on hand or if I plan ahead next time I may try the 2 hour sun dry.

Use a large, wide, flat non- stick pan. Yummy chili, garlic and onion.

Typically I get pretty wild with onions and add a ton - and most recipes are forgiving if you increase the onions but for this one I kept the quantity low. Too much onion can add extra moisture so I cut up half a medium onion and even measured it to be able to document. It was about 1/2 cup of diced onions. As is, it came out to a good spice level but feel free to reduce or increase chili or red curry powder as needed. I also used a large, wide, flat non-stick pan so I could allow the pieces to lay flat and not overcrowd each other.

While cooking the okra be sure to move it around occasionally making sure the spices do not burn but at the same time giving it time to cook and brown. The spices, onions and garlic also turn out brown crispy and delicious. You could serve this with roti, as a side dish to other food like dhal and rice, or in regular bread as a sandwich. I am currently continually "taste testing" it as I type up the recipe ;)

Delicious Spicy Sauteed Okra Recipe

Yield ~ 2 servings

Prep time ~ 15 min - 20 min

Cook time ~ 22 min

Ingredients

• ~10oz Okra (washed, dried with paper towel and cut into smallish disks)

• 1/2 cup onion diced

• 1 thai green chili minced

• 2 cloves garlic (crushed) pressed

• 1/8 tsp cumin seed

• 1 Tbsp red curry powder / Durban red masala (reduce if you want a milder version)

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (salt to taste)

• 2 Tbsp olive/vegetable oil

Method

1. Wash and dry okra thoroughly, cut into disks, lay flat on a plate and let sit for a few min. If you have time you could dry it in the sun for a couple hours but that's totally optional.

2. Heat a large, flat, non-stick pan on medium heat and add oil.

3. Add onions and fry until translucent ~ 5min.

4. Add chili, garlic and cumin seed and fry for about 2min.

5. Add red curry powder and turmeric and fry for about 2-3min mixing frequently.

6. Add okra and salt to taste. Saute for 10 - 12 min or until the okra is cooked dry and crunchy. Try to lay the okra flat and spread out in a single layer on the pan and flip/mix often so the spices do not burn.

7. Serve with roti, as a side or in a sandwich.

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