This sweet and acidic Indian pan dish is taking the optimistic summer vegetables

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Why does it work

Drying Okra thoroughly and sautéing it in hot oil before adding liquid, helping to limit mucus release and prevent a slimy texture.
The Tamarind acid collapses in Okra, while Jaggery balances the acid of the Tamarinde and helps to create a shiny, rich sauce.

Okra is a polarizing vegetables. Some people love their grass -covered taste and their delicate bite, while others fall back on their notorious mucus. This chic, sticky texture that was sent by a substance called mucus called mucilage-in certain kitchens it deserves a less than outstanding reputation. But the same mucus is what Okra makes so useful in dishes in which thickening is the goal. In south gumbos, for example, it enriches the broth while it thickens it; In West African stews such as Ogbono and Ewedu, it contributes to a desirable lush, velvety consistency.

Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus, known as Lady’s fingers in England and English influenced countries like India) is the edible seed capsule of a flowering plant based in East Africa. It has been far and wide for centuries and adapts to countless regional cuisine, and in each individual the chefs have found their own way to use or tame their characteristic mucus.

In many Indian preparations, especially the dry Sabzis, the chefs are great efforts to reduce the slenderness of the vegetables. The recipe for my family for Okra-a livening Sauté by Maharashtrian Okra-Hat exactly that with the help of some kitchen tricks and regional aroma signatures. When I collected recipes for my book The essential Marathi cookbookMy father’s cousin, Jyoti Marathe Joshi, shared a version passed on by her mother Sushela Marathe. My aunt told me that this recipe, like many dishes from our home country on the west coast, contains a balance made of cakes and sweet: Tamarind pulp for acidity and hunting for gentle sweetness. Our people (the Konkanastha community) usually love a little sweetness in our hearty meal, and this is the case in this dish. Both ingredients also play functional roles: the acid of Tamarinde can easily have the polysaccharides in the Okra mucus and reduce the perceived slimming, while Jaggery balances the acidity of the Tamarind.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma

To ensure that the Okra is rather crispy and dry than rubber -like, I dry it thoroughly before cutting. The drying of Okra before cutting is effective because the mucus is more likely to be activated by water, so that the key is decisive with dry pods. I also cut the Okra into large pieces and not in slices, since less cut surface is released from the interior. A short roast in hot oil in front of Tamarinde and Jaggery is added to the pan to seal the cut surfaces and continue to minimize goosebumps.

The result is delicate okra with just enough bite, wrapped in a lavish, sweet sauce, with a texture that will even love Schleimaverse Okra Ester. It is an everyday dish that is bright, brave and deeply nostalgic for me. I like it with a hill of hot rice or a stack of chapatis to absorb every piece of the sauce.

This sweet and acidic Indian pan dish is taking the optimistic summer vegetables

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For the Tamarind pulp:

For the Okra:

1 pound ((453 G) fresh okraWashed, drained and dried well
3 tablespoon ((45 ML))) neutral oil Like vegetables, avocado or grape oil
1 teaspoon all brown or black Mustard grains
3/4 teaspoon Floor turmeric
prize from AsafetidaOptional (see notes)
4 tablespoon Tamarinde Pulp and juice from above
2 tablespoon chopped or rubbed Jaggery or brown sugar and more if necessary (see notes)
6 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Diamond kosher saltPlus more to taste; Use half as much of the volume for table salt
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri Chile powder (optional)
2 tablespoon fresh coriander Leaves and delicate stems, chopped (optional)

For the Tamarind pulp: Cover Tamarind with hot water in a large metal or glass bowl. Soak for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours. Press Tamarind in the water with your hands to separate the pulp. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour the Tamarind water mixture through you, press and press the pulp with your hands or a large spoon until the entire water and the pulp has been passed through. Throw away seeds, skins and fibers. Cover fluid and cellulator and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma
For the Okra: Try the stems of each okra pod and then cut across 3/4 to 1-inch pieces. Keep a paper towel at hand to wipe your knife off if necessary to remove a mucus from the Okra.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma
Leave a spray screen or a lid at hand. In a large stainless steel pan, get the oil over medium -sized to smoking. Reduce the heat to low and test the oil with a mustard seed. If it appears immediately, the oil is ready; If not, give the warmth for 1 additional minute at medium high and test them again. When oil is finished, switch off the heat, add the mustard grains to hot oil immediately, cover it with a stitch screen or a lid and let the seeds get in. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent you from burning or sticking (it should take about 15 seconds for the seeds to burst the seed).

Serious food / Jatin Sharma
Back the pan on bad heat and add to stir for about 15 seconds when using turmeric and Asafetida until you are aromatic. Add Okra, heat up the heat to medium and cook for 1 minute long with constant stirring. Reduce the heat to low and give 4 tablespoons of prepared Tamarind fruit meat, Jaggery or brown sugar and water, and stir well to combine. Cover and cook with occasional stirring until Okra is almost completely tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma
Loosen, stir and add salt and red chili powder if they are no longer used until most of the water has evaporated. If necessary, taste with salt and hunts or sugar.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma
If you are desired with chopped coriander with chopped coriander, serve it.

Serious food / Jatin Sharma

Special equipment

Large metal or glass bowl, fine mesh sieve, 12-inch pan, sharpener or lid

Notes

If you use Jaggery, you can soften in the microwave for a few seconds. Then you can chop it like chocolate with a bread knife. A Raspel grater like a microplan also works.

Asafetida can be found in most Indian food dealers. I recommend the powder sold in small glasses and not in large plastic containers because the plastic can hold the aroma. Keep it firmly between the uses, otherwise the smell penetrates your kitchen. While it gives a clear taste, you can omit it if it is not available, even though it is less aromatic.