Tender, young okra are roasted and then combined with a spicy Indian masala for an excellent vegan side dish.
Next to vine-ripened tomatoes, the vegetable I look most forward to in the summer is okra, small, tender okra pods that are impossible to get during the winter. Frozen okra is fine for gumbos and stews, but only fresh okra will do for my favorite way to prepare it, roasted. It’s as simple as putting it in a hot oven and letting it cook, but the flavor and texture belies the easiness of the preparation. Even people who don’t usually like okra will eat it like French fries when it’s roasted and seasoned.
So the other day, I was fixing Dal Tadka for dinner and needed a side dish. I’d just bought some okra that I’d planned on roasting, and I briefly considered using it to make my old Bhindi Masala recipe.
But these okra were young and tender, perfect for roasting, and I couldn’t bring myself to cut them up. So I sort of combined the recipes. I roasted the okra while I prepared the masala, or onion-spice mixture, and then added the okra once it was done. The results were sublime: the smokiness of roasted okra with the flavor of onion, ginger, cumin, and pepper.
Roasted Okra Masala
Ingredients
- 1 pound small tender okra
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pinch baking soda optional
- 1 teaspoon ginger root minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Maldon or kosher salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Trim the stems of the okra if they’re longer than a quarter inch. Place okra on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Okra should be beginning to brown in places but not burned.
- When the okra is almost finished cooking, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of baking soda, if you want to speed up the cooking. Cook until onion begins to soften and then add the ginger root, garlic, and cumin and cook for another minute. Add turmeric and garam masala and cook for another minute, adding a tablespoon of water if the spices start to stick. Add the roasted okra and salt, if you use it, stir well, and cook for another minute or two.
More Okra Recipes
- The original Roasted Okra recipe–don’t miss it!
- Okra and Lima Bean Masala
- Stewed Okra and Tomatoes
- Pickled Okra from Hell Yeah It’s Vegan
- Cajun Spiced Okra at My Vegan Cookbook
- 30 Minute Curried Okra, Tomatoes and Chickpeas by Melomeals
Enjoy!
Emma
Love okra but don’t cook it nearly enough. Thanks for the tip about the onion- that one’s new to me!
Art Scott
This looks scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you! ~Scott
John Ullman
My favorite recipe is Okra Etouffee, page 99, in the cookbook I produced for my boss, “Cookin’ with Queen Ida”. (http://www.amazon.com/Cookin-Queen-Ida-Revised-Edition/dp/0761500065) It tastes best when you play the eponymous CD while you cook.
Lisa
Hi Susan, I made your kale salad recipe and loved it and now subscribe to your blog. My question about the okra is: When roasted like this does it reduce the slime factor? I only put this stuff in gumbo because I really dislike the texture, even fried it is sometimes slimey. Thanks so much. Lisa
Susan Voisin
The great thing about roasting is that it completely gets rid of the slime. I hope you’ll give it a try!
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today
Okra is new for me. I mean I’ve never had it or at least I don’t remember. Thank you for sharing. I like to try new things.
Tami@Nutmeg Notebook
I have to admit that I have never cooked okra. Yours looks delicious and I just might have to give it a try.
moonwatcher
HI Susan,
This looks wonderful! If I ever get lucky enough to find fresh okra up here in northern Idaho, I’m trying it!!
Absolutely beautiful photos too. Such texture and color!
xoxo
moonwatcher
Anne
Looks great and I am excited about a new way to try okra! Wondering if it’s my mobile version, but don’t see the link to garam masala. Thanks!
Marcia
Good morning Susan,
My Mother used to cook okra (being the Southern Belle she was) for us but it was always slimy and I hated it. I have not had it since because I cannot get that taste and texture out of my mind.
I have copied your recipe and put it in my file and at some point I will try it, but I’m in no hurry! The picture is pretty and I’m sure the dish would be much better than Mom’s way so there is hope! Thanks.
Kalyn
Do you believe I have never had fresh okra! This looks delicious.
Going Veggie
LOVE this! Found you on Flipboard and added this recipe. As soon as all this rain in Georgia stops, we’ll be overrun with okra, so… bring on the recipes!
Amy at NoWheyNoCow.com
I haven’t had much experience with okra, but I’m so excited to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Ann
This looks great and I do love okra. Thanks
Lara
Really like this a lot. Although Okra is not my favorite, I do love it now and then but struggle with how to cook. Will try this for sure. Thanks. Great post.
rika@veganmiam.com
Mmmmmm! Roasted okra! That’s a great idea! That’s an ingredient I would love to use on the new grill!
Sharon Herbitter
I think you meant to include a link to your garam masala recipe, but I’m not seeing it…
Susan Voisin
Sorry about that! The garam masala recipe is included in this one: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/01/black-eyed-pea-masala.html
S
Okra is one of my favorite vegetables to roast. I love sprinkling it with some hot curry powder
Andy W
Agree. Love okra with curry for sure. I almost think it’s a fairly underrated vegetable. Great recipe. Will try this one.
Alison Bowling
I have seen these strange looking veg in the supermarket and have never bought any because I was told they are slimy when cooked. Maybe I will try them your way and then make a judgement call.
Brittany @WeHeartVegan
I have never tried okra before, but this recipe is giving me incentive to give it a go! Is there any specific right and wrong to purchasing okra?
Susan Voisin
Just get the smallest okra you can find, make sure it doesn’t feel “woody,” and check to see that when you bend the tip, it snaps off rather than just bends.
Veronica
Very nice blog/site. I have only looked over briefly, and will look forward to spending more time in the future.
Good job! Thank you!
Jeff @ Cheeseburger
I’ve never cooked okra before but that photo has made me want to try it. It turned out great! Very delicious!
Sally
OMG The roasted okra is to die for. I actually went and paid money for okra to make more. I have not fancied it up yet with the onions – but we have tried several spices on the okra itself. Y’all HAVE to do this! 🙂 sally
bikehikenc
I LOVE the roasted okra and this will be a nice twist! I have tons in the garden now and thanks to your great site I started roasting it last year and now it is our fav way to eat it! We call them okra fries!
Sally
This is my second comment on the roasted okra – just to say that I have been eating this a couple of times a week for a while now and it is making summer o so much better. I live in Central Texas where we still have HOT and okra flourishes here. Thanks Susan. I even had to buy more curry powder and now have a shaker for my curry powder 🙂
And – okra is pretty filling too. And I completely agree about getting rid of the slime – it is GONE.
Vanessa
I made these okra tonight and they were absolutely wonderful. Great and easy recipe!
Kim Winson
This is terrific! Made it into a meal by adding rice and navy beans, with additional salt, cumin, and garam masala.
Farah
Okra what say in English but me being an Indian we say it ‘Bhindi’ and the recipe is ok and good with it. There are more recipes of it to make it more tasty and delicious.