Okra is an ingredient I never ate growing up, and really was not familiar with at all until fairy recently. Now that I’ve discovered it, I absolutely love cooking with it. I especially like making it Indian-style because it lends itself so well to Indian flavours. This recipe was taught to me by my boyfriend’s mom, who also gave me some fresh okra from her garden. Needless to say, fresh okra is just amazing in this recipe.

This makes for a really great side dish and goes well with other Indian dishes, like chana masala and butter chicken. It is a healthy addition to your meal and contains lots of fibre, vitamins and minerals (thanks to the okra and the tomatoes).

This recipe has been adapted to be low FODMAP. For more information on the low FODMAP diet, check out my article. The main ingredients swapped out of the recipe to make it low FODMAP are garlic and onion. I’ve opted to replace the garlic with garlic-infused oil, which you can find in most grocery stores. Another option is to sauté garlic in regular oil and then remove it before adding other ingredients. I’ve replaced the onion with green onion, but make sure to only use the green segments because the white parts are higher in FODMAPs. If you prefer, you could also replace the onion with chives (fresh or dry). Other flavour-enhancing ingredients that I used are ginger, tomato, and spices.

If you are not following the low FODMAP diet and would prefer to make this recipe in a more traditional way, you can do so by replacing the green onion with regular diced onion and by adding some minced garlic.

Note: many people don’t like okra because it can become “slimy”. This is not an issue in this particular recipe because the okra is sautéed (which dries it out) before it is added to the masala. If you prefer, you can also dry the okra by baking it in a 375F oven for about half an hour.

Yield: 4 servings | Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 200-250 grams fresh okra (about 15-20 pods)
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 4-5 green onions (green tops only), sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 tbsp coriandre powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Wash and throughly dry the okra with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Cut off the ends of the pods, then chop the pods into inch-wide segments.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, heat up 1 tbsp of the garlic oil. Add the okra and sauté until lightly browned and no longer wet (about 10-15 minutes). Remove the okra from the skillet.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of garlic oil to the skillet. Add cumin seeds and sauté for a minute until fragrant. Add the ginger and sauté for another minute.
4. Add green onion, diced tomatoes and spices to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have broken down. If needed, add a bit of water to get the sauce to desired consistency.
5. Add the okra back into the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the okra is soft. Taste and adjust as needed.

Nutritional Information