Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Okra and Onions

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about a year ago, i was watching the dr. oz show and he was talking about alzheimer’s disease.

**side note: now for those of you who do not know me, i tend to have a bit of memory lapse every now and again. sometimes it worries me because i completely forget what i said 5 minutes ago and greg will remind me and i will say, “i said that?” or how about yesterday when i intentionally put my water into the fridge to cool it and then wandered around for the next 20 minutes irate and demanding, “where is my water???” ha. i worry myself sometimes…**

so i was particularly interested in dr. oz’s tips on preventing alzheimer’s. he had 3 tips (or more, i cannot remember) hehe. but the one i DO remember was cumin. apparently this spice does wonders for the brain.

what did i do next? i immediately went to a local indian food restaurant and dined on cumin. rational response, right?

since then, i have been IN LOVE with indian food. not only are the spices so flavorful, making each dish incredible bite-for-bite, but i have found that most ethnic foods have some of the best selections for vegetarians.

i wanted to be able to start creating some of these dishes at home so i decided to tackle one of my favorites: bhindi do piazza (okra and onions). and since it is that time of year where okra is in season, it’s time to visit your local farmers’ market, grab a bag full and play around in the kitchen!

Okra and Onions - Fork & Beans

my version of bhindi do piazza.

Okra and Onions Recipe

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 15-20 ladyfingers (okra), cut into 1 inch pieces (stems and ends discarded)
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch cube ginger, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp tumeric
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • handful of cilantro, chopped (did you know that cilantro is also referred to as coriander leaves? look at me, i’m getting alton brown on all of you!)
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • brown rice to serve with (optional)
DIRECTIONS
  1. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add okra and saute for approx. 5-7 minutes or until a little bit tender yet still firm. Remove from pan and place on plate.
  2. Add remainder oil (1 Tbs) into saucepan and throw in onions and saute for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add in garlic and ginger and allow to cook through (1-2 minutes).
  3. Put the tomatoes and all the spices into onion mixture (cumin, cayenne and tumeric). Stir until aromatic (no more than 10 seconds).
  4. Put okra back into the pan and heat up for another 1-2 minutes until hot.
  5. Throw in the lemon juice and cilantro at the last minute. Give it a quick stir.
  6. Season with salt to taste if needed. Serve immediately on top of brown rice.
Namaste.

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