This is another popular dish with many friends and family. As a child it was often served at the dinner table as we had Okra growing in the yard. My mother grew all kinds of vegetables and this was a firm favorite with her. Okra is best served when it is young and soft. But my mother had ways to use even the hard stalks. She often put them into a pot of dhall which enhanced the flavor.
There are several ways to cook Okra, including stuffing them, cooking them without the ground chili and using dry chilies instead. Those recipes will follow. I will give you just a simple recipe here. Okra tastes really nice with a lot of onions. So if you do not like a lot of onion use less than the amount that I have mentioned below.
Most often I use the frozen variety as it is time saving. If using the frozen variety, please be careful when you add the okra into the hot oil as it will splutter. I would suggest using a spoon with a long handle to to transport the Okra to the pan thus avoiding hot oil spluttering on you. It also helps if you remove it from the freezer at least half hour before you cook. This will allow time for any ice in the pack to thaw.
Once you add the Okra into the hot oil, put on the lid of the pot until you hear the spluttering stop. Then remove the lid as you will have to closely watch this process to see that the Okra does not burn. You will also need to swirl the Okra to ensure even cooking.
In the summer when Okra is so fresh and plentiful in the farmers markets I do purchase it. Please note that cooking Okra by itself in a pan of hot oil will remove the stickiness. After this process you can then proceed to cook it in the regular way.
