Curry Elvis Cooks - Fusion Cuisine Recipes and Food Philosophy

This is the last side dish for the "Ladyfinger Lamb" meal. Ladyfinger is in fact another name for okra. Anybody who has had gumbo soup knows what okra is. I've had some friends tell me they don't like okra because it gets gooey when cooked. While this is true, it is in fact the reason I like it. If you don't like it gooey, just add okra a bit later so it cooks less. But do try okra to experience its subtle taste and surprisingly varied textures. Note: My recipe uses frozen okra, but some Farmers' Markets have fresh okra available right now. So take advantage of availability and leave the frozen stuff for some other day. [If you just can't stand okra, just remove it from this recipe. The double-cooked roasted sesame potatoes are a treat in themselves.]

This side dish, despite having potatoes, turns out to be quite a light dish. That's because the potatoes are boiled before they are roasted.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1-2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 small boiled potatoes, cooled (preferably in the fridge) and large diced
• 8-10 pieces of ladyfingers (okra), frozen. They can be cut or whole. They get less gooey if they are whole.
• 1-2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp haldi (turmeric)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper flake [optional]
• Italian seasoning (any mix of dried parsley, thyme, oregano, etc.)
• White sesame seeds [Actually optional, despite the name of this dish. They just add another dimension of crunchy taste.]

Preparation

• Add the butter to a carbon steel or non-stick pan and set heat to high. When butter starts melting, add cooking oil so that the butter doesn’t burn. Immediately turn the heat down to med high.
• When butter has melted and mingled with the oil, add the potatoes and okra and toss regularly for about 2 minutes. (The butter will help caramelize the potatoes, which will cause the pieces to be partly crunchy and partly soft, giving an incredible mouth feel.)
• Dust the curry powder over the potatoes and okra. Toss for about 1 minute to cook the powder.
• Sprinkle salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flake, and turmeric. Toss for another 2 minutes.
• Turn off heat and remove pan from hot stove element. Sprinkle on sesame seed evenly over potatoes and okra. Serve immediately, if possible.

Presentation

• Serve with the other side and starter dishes for the Ladyfinger Lamb meal.
• Serves one.

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://curryelviscooks.blogspot.com