crispy okra with yogurt
(vegetarian)

recipe by m-c

just the recipe

what I was looking for

A light, tangy lunch dish.

what I made

Crispy okra raita from our cookbook of the month, Ruta Kahate's 5 Spices, 50 Dishes, pages 92-93.

I just get more enthusiastic about this cookbook as the month goes on. By this point, I'm alteRing the recipes in ways that make them harder and probably less healthy (I'm still confused about substituting butter for oil) because I know they're going to be smashing and I want to notch them even higher.

The new taste for me in these 50 recipes has been turmeric (also known as tumeric), a little rhizome. Under Ruta's tutelage, I've learned that it's a distinct and interesting spice, not just the coloring agent that makes curries curry-colored. The taste of turmeric is mild, a little bitter and a little hot, carnal.

So now, having begun down the turmeric path, I've started using fresh turmeric rather than dried. Yes, it takes some effort to track it down, but luckily I live in Seattle, where there are many Indians and Pakistanis. If you're not so blessed, try Kalustyan's for mail order.

grades for my version

healthy	B	It's that ol' debbil butter again. Otherwise healthy, healthy, healthy.
fast	C	Not fast.
easy	C	Brown-butter tadka is not easy.
cheap	C	Okra. Goat yogurt. Fresh turmeric. Not cheap until there's more demand for all three.
delicious	A	Delish.

yield

Serves one as a main dish.

equipment

   a big frying pan
   a small frying pan with a lid

prepping the okra

ingredients	Ruta scaled	m-c	why?
okra	2 oz. fresh okra pods	4 oz. fresh okra pods	um, ... [1]
Notes
[1]	I was making the dish as my whole lunch rather than as a side dish, so I wanted enough okra to fill me up. What would you call that? Easier? Healthier? Whatever.

If you have the time and the inclination, laying the uncut okra pods out to dry for a day or two before you cook them concentrates their flavor and diminishes their gluish texture. In gumbos and stews the glue is an important contributor, but for frying or deep-frying it just gets in the way.

Don't let the pods touch one another and don't try to dry them on a rainy day or in the refrigerator -- humidity is not your friend here.

the yogurt

ingredients	Ruta scaled	m-c	why?
yogurt	½ cup cow yogurt	½ cup goat yogurt	easier [1]
salt	¼ teaspoon	to taste	no change
sugar	a tiny pinch	a tiny pinch	no change
cayenne	a tiny pinch	a tiny pinch	no change
turmeric	tiny pinch ground	¼ teaspoon fresh grated	tastier
Notes
[1]	Mark's lactose-intolerant, so I keep goat yogurt in the house; the difference between goat and cow isn't sufficient to justify a trip to the grocery store.

In your eating bowl (be sure it's big enough to hold all the okra), whip the yogurt, salt, and sugar with a fork till the mixture is smooth.

Top the yogurt with the cayenne and turmeric, but don't stir them in.

frying the okra

ingredients	Ruta scaled	m-c	why?
oil	1 Tablespoon canola oil	1 Tablespoon peanut oil	tastier [1]
Notes
[1]	Tastier to me, not necessarily to anyone else.

Cut the okra into half-inch slices. (If you've never cooked with fresh okra before, all you need to know is that every part of the pod is good to eat, from the top of its little crown to the pointy tip of its elf-slipper.)

   Film the bottom of your big frying pan with oil, spread the cut okra out in a single layer, put the pan on a medium flame, and let it cook undisturbed till the underside of the okra pieces are dark and crispy, about 6 minutes.

Stir the pieces around to get as many as you can of the uncooked sides facing down. Lower the flame and let the second sides brown, about 4 minutes.

As soon as most of the okra is browned but before any is burned, lay the pieces out in a single layer on paper towels to drain.

the tadka

ingredients	Ruta scaled	m-c	why?
fat	¼ Tablespoon canola oil	1 Tablespoon brown butter	tastier [1]
mustard seeds	tiny pinch	tiny pinch	no change
Notes
[1]	Tastier to me, and honestly, to every single person on the planet. But it is less healthy.

   Put the brown butter and the mustard seeds in your small frying pan with a lid. Put the top on and put the pan over a medium flame. When you hear the mustard seeds crackling, remove the pan from the fire and pour the hot butter and mustard seeds over the yogurt, slightly cooking the cayenne and turmeric. (This gentle cooking is an idea of Ruta's that I haven't noticed elsewhere.)

If you're accustomed to making brown butter, you can make the brown butter and pop the mustard seeds at the same time.

Now dump in the okra, stir everything around, and eat the dish promptly, perhaps with some naan to scrape up the last little bits.

what I'd do differently next time

Cook the okra a little less -- as you can see in the picture above, some of the pieces went beyond brown into burned. (I've adjusted the cooking times for the okra accordingly -- no use in your copying my mistakes.)

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