Okra with Khopra!

Delicious medley of Okra, Coconut and Ginger!

Okra is one of the most under rated vegetables - often mixed with other ingredients to pack punch. I personally love it a lot and like to often make this Gujarati style dish. The coconut, ginger and chilly paste used here packs a punch and blends well with the wonderful flavour of Okra.

Ingredients:

1/2 Kg Okra / Ladies Fingers - cut long into quarters or thinner
1 Cup FRESH Coconut - coarsely chopped (called Khopra in Gujarati!)
1 Table Spoon / Piece of Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies - according to your taste
Salt to taste
Tempering: Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Turmeric powder, Hing. To taste.
1 Table Spoon Oil

Preparation:

• Wash your Okra thoroughly and dry them on paper towels well. Wet okra = sticky, Dry Okra = crunchy! Cut them well into long strips.
• Make a coarse paste of Coconut, Ginger and Chilly. Do not make a fine paste - very important.
• Heat a pan, add oil and temper with Cumin Seeds (Jeera), Mustard Seeds (Rai) and Asafetida (Hing) according to taste. Add 1/2 Tea Spoon of Turmeric too.
• Add Okra, saute well for 15 mins or till tender but still crisp. Add salt. Keep stirring every 2 mins to ensure the Okra doesn't stick or become sticky. A handy tip here is to add about 6-10 lemon juice drops evenly to ensure the Okra doesn't stick.
• Add the Coconut, Ginger and Chilly paste. Mix well.
• Serve hot with Rotis or as a side dish - it's incredible!

Enjoy!

Ps: Special thanks to my friend Falguni Bhojani for recommending this wonderful title!