Pan Fried Okra (Bhinda Shaak)

Bhinda Shaak, which I guess is basically pan fried okra with Indian spices, was my brother’s and my favorite food as a kid. In fact my brother just requested this dish for his birthday dinner at home a few weeks ago.

This is an adaptation of my mother’s recipe. It’s funny because as a kid I felt like okra was always hit or miss with other Indian kids I grew up around. They loved it or hated it- and most people hated it. But the reason was the slime! When people tell me that now, I am quick to say that our recipe has NO SLIME! Okra is delicious when cooked in this style, and is really good for you! It’s high in fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K. It’s relatively low calorie and keeps you pretty full due to the fiber content.

There’s a couple of tricks to eliminating the slime including wiping down the okra before cutting them, letting the cut okra sit for 15-20 minutes, wiping down the spoon while sauteeing (I usually use a wooden spoon), and adding a little yogurt at the very end if needed. Doing all of this is well worth the effort to get delicious, flavorful okra without the slime. The key is really keeping the moisture level as low as possible, and coating it in oil really helps with this.

I don’t like slimy okra either, but this dish is NOT slimy! When you take away the slime factor, the only thing left is deliciousness. Give THIS okra a try and you might find that it’s your new favorite veggie!