Braised Okra and Tomatoes

Name: Braised Okra and Tomatoes (Masala Bhindi Tamatar)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh okra, rinsed and thoroughly dried; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing; 1 large tomato, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper); 1½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground; 2 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 2 tablespoons canola oil

Masala Bhindi Tamatar

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

One day I selected all my students who weren’t familiar with okra and had them execute this recipe. Hesitant bites gave in to “I can’t eat fast enough”—proving yet again that the right recipe can change the ways of the most doubtful doubting Thomas.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh okra, rinsed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons canola oil
1

Asia
India
Side dish
Main course
Spicy
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

Trim the caps off the okra, being careful not to cut into the pods. Cut the pods into 1-inch lengths.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle and turn reddish brown, 5 to 10 seconds. Then stir in the chiles and cook until they blacken slightly and smell pungent, about 5 seconds.
Immediately add the