Name: Stuffed okra
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 650 gm okra; 2 cm piece of ginger; 3 cloves of garlic; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp each of fennel and fenugreek seeds (see note); ½ tsp nigella seeds; 5 sprigs of coriander; 60 ml vegetable oil (¼ cup); 2 tsp each of chilli and dried mango powder (see note); 1 tsp garam masala

Stuffed okra

This Indian side dish involves plenty of okra, warming spices and toasty flavours.

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

20M

Total

40M

“Okra, or ladies’ fingers as they’re popularly known, are one of the most popular vegetables among Indian communities. This particular recipe is from the north of the country and is one of my favourites.”

This recipe is from the book by Anil Ashokan (Allen & Unwin, $39.95 pbk).

Ingredients

650 gm okra

2 cm piece of ginger

3 cloves of garlic

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp each of fennel and fenugreek seeds (see note)

½ tsp nigella seeds

5 sprigs of coriander

60 ml vegetable oil (¼ cup)

2 tsp each of chilli and dried mango powder (see note)

1 tsp garam masala

Method

Main

1.Cut tops and tails off okra and make a slit along the length. Peel ginger and garlic and chop very finely. Dry-roast and crush cumin, fennel, fenugreek and nigella seeds. Chop coriander leaves finely.

2.Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté well. Add all the spices, including the mango powder, garam masala and coriander leaves. Add a pinch of salt and remove from heat. Cool.

3.Preheat oven to 180C. Spoon some spices into each okra then lay okra on a baking tray, sprinkling any remaining mix on top. Spoon the oil over as well. Bake for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Traditionally, fenugreek seeds are added with fennel seeds right at the beginning. It’s important to watch the fenugreek closely while cooking, as it turns bitter if overcooked. Dried mango powder, also known as amchur, is available from Indian spice shops and
.
Notes

Anil Ashokan