Okra

Most people have a love/hate affair with the vegetable. The CC naturally loves it.

When he was but a little child, he adored it beyond reason. (Clearly, the CC had advanced tastes even back then.)

The trick with okra that makes it "slimy" is that if it's wet, it has a tendency to leak slime. Cellular-wall decomposition and all that. It needs to be pan-fried at a high-heat and it's absolutely necessary that the okra not be wet. You will get spectacular reaults if you just ensure this simple rule.

You must dry it thoroughly with a piece of cloth or if you are lazy, pop it in a pre-heated oven at very low heat (without allowing it to cook.) Either way, the okra must be bone-dry.

The recipe below is a classic Bengali Recipe. As you might guess, there are similar recipes with variations in the spices all over India with much discussion about which is the "best".

The CC refuses to get into that particular Vietnam. He likes them all and the topic is a bit of a snooze-fest anyway.

This one is quite lovely (particularly because of the fennel and nigella) but why quibble over relative greatness?

Dharosh Chorchori

Ingredients

15 pods okra
1 large onion (sliced into thin quarter-moons)

1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 green chilli (diced fine)

3-4 fresh green chillies

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp panch phoran

salt (to taste)

Recipe

Slice of the stem and tip of the okra. Make a couple of length-wise gashes on the body of the vegetable.

Slit the 3-4 green chillies length-wise with a gash.

Pound the turmeric and finely diced chillies with a tablespoon of water and grind to a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add panch phoran and cook till the spluttering stops. Add the okra. Stir-fry for about 6 minutes. Add salt, the masala paste, the sliced onions and the green chillies.

Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add about half a cup of water. Simmer till the pan is nearly dry.

(Note: This is a "dry dish". It would normally be served with rice, a "wet dish" and a daal.)