This is easily my favorite okra recipe, though I must admit to loving plain, crisply fried okra as well. Okra is a vastly misunderstood vegetable. First of all, it should be young and crisp when it is harvested. Then, it should be cooked so its mucilaginous quality (that is, its slimy aspect) is somewhat reduced. Look for small, tender okra. They are the best. Pinkish-red onions in the north and shallots in the south are the onions of India. As shallots seem to be getting larger and larger, I suggest that you use about 3 of the larger ones here. When I was a child, all I wanted for lunch was this okra dish, some chapatis, My Everyday Moong Dal, and a yogurt relish. You may, of course, serve this with meat curries as well.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　12 ounces fresh okra

　　1/4 cup olive, canola, or peanut oil

　　1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　3/4 cup (2 ounces) shallots, or onions that have been peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into fine half rings

　　1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

　　1/4 teaspoon crushed red chilies

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon lemon juice

　　

Step 1

Cut off the top stem ends and the very tips of the okra pods. You can do 3–4 at the same time. Now cut each pod diagonally into 3–4 slices, depending upon size.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a medium frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. A few seconds later, put in all the sliced okra. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes. The okra will have browned a bit. Add the shallots and continue to stir and fry for about 3 minutes so that the shallots brown as well. Now turn the heat to low. Add the coriander, red chilies, and salt. Stir and keep cooking another 7–9 minutes or until the okra is crisp and cooked through. Add the lemon juice and stir to mix.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.