August (Crystal)

Not-Fried Okra

1lb. fresh Okra
1 medium to large onion, sliced into long pieces
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
oil
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1. Wash and dry okra pods.

2. Score okra pods without slicing through them.

3. Sauté onions in oil.

4. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, red pepper, and turmeric.

5. Add okra and salt and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Cover and let cook approx. 10 minutes, until okra is tender but not mushy.

7. Cook uncovered until moisture has evaporated. Stir gently; okra pods should remain in one piece.

8. Serve with rice or bread.

Gastrography

As a Southern girl, I grew up believing that okra grew with breading already on it. I simply could not imagine eating it any other way. Although I hated vegetables as a child, I would gobble down fried okra any day of the week. Then again, fried vegetables hardly count as vegetables at all.

This dish has become a summer favorite for taking advantage of the abundance of late-growing okra. There is something truly satisfying about eating whole pods of okra; okra in its full form, recognizable as a vegetable and not just as a little piece of hot fried goodness. I cooked this for my family once when they visited, and they were actually impressed. None of them had ever had not-fried okra, either.