rants & recipes

Had a really yummy Indian dinner tonight - no photo, though - maybe I'll snap one of the leftovers. But honestly, it wasn't much to look at. It was tasty enough, however, that I'm sitting here to type it up and will plan to cook it again. (Makes me sad that it's such a rarity to find decent looking fresh okra here.)

I started with about 8 to 9 ounces of okra. I cut their heads and tails off, sliced on a diagonal and simmer in water plus about 3 tbsp vinegar (which is supposed to reduce the slime). Simmered maybe 5 minutes? Okra was crisp but edible when I drained it.

Whole spice mix:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp corriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

Heat seeds (don't burn them) in 3 tbsp olive oil, in a covered pan.

Powdered spice mix:

• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 tsp garam masala

Make a paste of the powdered spices with a little water.

Vegetables:

• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 large eggplant, peeled, cubed, salted, rinsed, squeezed
• 8 ounce cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, diced
• 2 small, birdseye-like peppers, diced
• maybe 1 tsp micro-planed ginger
• simmered okra

After heating whole spices in oil for a few minutes, add onion, garlic, green onions, peppers and ginger. Add paste of powdered spices. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Add tomatoes and eggplant. I had to add maybe 2-3 tbsp water, to cook at a bit higher heat.

When eggplant is nearly done, add okra.

Cook until all veggies are done, according to your taste.

Notes:

• Improvised from this recipe, and this recipe. (Neither of which call for eggplant - I just didn't have very much okra. But I did have an eggplant that needed to be cooked.

• Next time, I will add more powdered spices for this amount of vegetables. I will probably add an additional teaspoon of paprika and garam masala.  I may add some mustard powder, too. And more birdseye peppers!