Okra Fry

Okra (Bhindi) or lady finger is my favorite vegetable. Here in N. America, the Okra available (frozen or fresh) is very tough as compared to the one I've cooked in Karachi. It was a challenge to cook Okra in Karachi because it disintegrated so soon during cooking, but here I can boil it in ginger-garlic paste and aromatic spices to make it absorb maximum flavors without going soft. Even after a good 30 minutes of cooking, the Okra stays crunchy. Here's a recipe of how I cook my Okra.

INGREDIENTS

Okra, 3 cups, chopped
Tomato, 1 cup, chopped
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 tbsp
Butter (non-fat vegetable spread like Smart Balance), 2-3 tbsp
Vegetable oil (canola), 2 tbsp
Yogurt, 2-3 tablespoon
Tomato puree, 2 tbsp, I have used pasta sauce (basil flavored) today, it heightened the taste and added more flavor.
Vinegar, 1/2 cup
Black Caraway Seeds (kalonji), 1/2 tsp
Poppy seeds (khashkhaash), 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds (zeera), 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder (haldi), 1/2 tsp
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder, 1/2 tsp (1/4 if you like less spicy)
Curry leaves 2-3
Cinnamon powder, 2 pinches
Clove powder, 2 pinches
Cilantro (dhaniya), chopped, 2 tbsp (I haven't used it in this recipe but it is a brilliant addition)

COOKING

1. Marinate okra in vinegar for an hour. 
2. In 1 1/2 cup water, boil okra with ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, and red chili powder. 
3. When water has dried, add butter and oil, black caraway seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, curry leaves, cinnamon powder, and clove powder. 
4. Mix the spices well with the okra and fry for a good minute. 
5. Add yogurt and tomato puree and cook well until all the liquid has dried. Do keep some gravy though, it is brilliant when the Okra is all juicy. 
6. Add chopped tomato, and cilantro, cook for about half a minute and it's ready to serve. 

Serving Suggestions

Serve with flatbread (naan) or with poppadums (paapad).