Meatless Okra Curry

Our Meatless Monday was anything but meatless due to the 4th of July (more to come on that), but Tuesday we atoned for that with some Okra Curry. 

Spending a few years in the south, okra was plentiful, and me being the weird kid I was I, loved it. My wife and I headed out to our local farmers market in Culver City after work yesterday and picked up some delicious, fresh, and locally grown veggies.

This is what you need:

1 teaspoon mustard seed 

1 teaspoon coriander seed 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

2 teaspoon ground cumin 

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 cup coconut milk 

12 oz okra 

3 tablespoon vegetable oil 

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped 

2 inch piece ginger, chopped 

1 tomato,  sliced

1 green bell pepper, chopped 

2 chiles, chopped 

This is what you do:

Wash the okra, top and tail, and cut into approximately 1/4" pieces (or leave whole after topping and tailing if preferred). 

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add mustard and coriander seeds for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you cover the pan or the mustard seeds will leap out all over the kitchen! Add garlic, onion and ginger; fry gently for about 10 minutes more. Mix the cumin, paprika, turmeric and curry powder together in a side bowl. Add the coconut milk to make a paste. Add to the pan and fry for a further 10 minutes. Add okra, tomatoes, green pepper and chiles. Cover and simmer very slowly until the okra is tender but not sloppy (about 15-20 minutes). 

You can always add meat to this if you don't want a vegetarian dish. We enjoyed it with rice and some fresh lettuce we had purchased from the market.