So the following post is edited (slightly) from a comment I made on my friend Beverly’s blog, OneWeekCloser. Bev has been posting weekly about what she’s doing with her CSA box. Unlike wimpy me, Bev subscribes to a full-share in a more traditional CSA — The Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. So she has a bounty of vegetables to deal with every week — whether eating, freezing, or giving away. I’m quite impressed with her industriousness! I’m reposting here because after I read the whole thing, I realized I had gotten carried away and it was standalone post on its own!

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Growing up in a Southern home (not always physically located in the South, but always there from a culinary perspective), fried okra was my absolute favorite vegetable. Ever. I still love it. When I visit my folks in the Ozarks of Mo, I try to get my fill and request Mom to cook hers and if we’re eating out, I noodge us towards restaurants that might serve it. No Shame.

I can find fresh okra occasionally in the grocer’s produce bin, but the quality can be a bit iffy (oversized and tough or dried out). I can find it reliably in the frozen section – which is fine for gumbo … not so good for the fried stuff of my childhood. So Bev’s offer of some fresh organic red okra got me drooling.

So what did I do with it? My own crazy delicious riff on bhindi masala, which is India’s take on fried okra. It had the texture of my childhood okra — some crisp some tender some slippery — but the flavors were Indian.  Here’s what I did:

• Wash the okra. Watch out for the hairs that can be rather prickly!
• Trim and discard the stem. Slice thru vertically from the pointy end, leaving the stem end attached. Kinda like a V shape. If you cut a couple all the way thru — no worries — just cook ‘em anyway.
• Heat a wide skillet (mine is 10″) over medium heat and add a glug or two (2 – 3 tablespoons?) of oil. I used a blended vegetable oil.
• Add the okra. Let it cook down, stirring occasionally. You will NOT get super crisp okra with this method (you have to deep fry it), but you will have some crispiness. When it is cooked to your desired tenderness, remove it to a heatproof plate or bowl.

• Finely slice a large shallot into rounds. Add it to the remaining oil in the skillet — you may need to add a teaspoon or two more oil. Fry it until it starts to brown a bit.
• Add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, ground chipotle powder (or other chile-only powder) to taste, and a couple tablespoons of your favorite curry. I used a madras curry powder that had cumin, coriander, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, and about 10 other things. Use a curry blend that you like! Cook the onions a couple more minutes with spices — they need the oil and the heat to fully bloom.

• Put the okra and any accumulated oil back in the skillet. Turn off the heat and stir everything together gently — just until the okra is warmed back up. Serve as a side to just about anything!

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As it was date night, I served it with a panko-crusted plaice (skinny white fish labelled origin SE Asia) and some prosecco. And Top Chef. I also bought more okra the next day so I can make it again RSN!