Category: Vegetables and Salads

Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala)

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Behold, my favorite Indian dish of all time. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that this is a no-slander zone when it comes to okra. Adapted from Food & Wine, this version of bhindi masala is a little bit different in that it includes finely chopped peanuts for an extra dose of heft and flavor.

Serve with rice or flatbread, or if you’re like me and can’t help yourself, eat straight from the pot with a spoon.

Ingredients:

For the bhindi masala:

  • 1 pound okra
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds 
  • 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped serrano chile
  • 1/2 teaspoon chickpea flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

For tomato tarka:

  • 4 small tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Make the bhindi masala: cut okra crosswise into 1-inch pieces, and arrange a single layer on a baking sheet. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until cut sides feel dry, 1 to 2 hours.
  2. Make the tomato tarka: pulse tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, 8 to 10 pulses. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-low for 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds; cook, stirring often, until seeds begin to pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sugar, chile powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt; stir in tomatoes. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and a spoon leaves a trail when pulled through sauce, about 20 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside.
  3. Make the bhindi masala: heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add fenugreek; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and sizzling, about 10 seconds. Add okra; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and charred in spots, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in peanuts, cilantro, salt, sugar, cumin, garlic, serrano chile, chickpea flour, coriander, turmeric, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and peanuts are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Remove from heat.
  4. Mix tomato tarka into the bhindi masala over medium-low, stirring often, until warm, about 2 minutes. Serve on a platter and garnish with additional cilantro.

Eggplant with Black Garlic-Tahini Sauce

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Summer may be over but I’m still happily working through the last of the warm weather produce. This buttery eggplant with a tangy, deeply garlicky, and creamy sauce is one my favorite eggplant dishes that I made this year.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 4 peeled black garlic cloves 
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 red Fresno pepper chile, thinly sliced
  • 6 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant (about 3 eggplant), roll-cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
  1. Process 1/4 cup water, tahini, black garlic, mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Set tahini dressing aside.
  2. Stir together chile, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
  3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a cast-iron skillet over high until a wisp of smoke rises from skillet. Add half of the eggplant to skillet; immediately stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring often, until just tender and browned in spots, about 6 minutes. (Skillet will appear dry.) Transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and remaining eggplant.
  4. Reduce heat to medium. Add cooked eggplant, chile mixture, and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until eggplant absorbs chile mixture, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Spread 1/2 cup tahini dressing on a platter. Top with eggplant mixture, and garnish with green onions.

Okra Fries

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Six years ago, I tried the famed okra fries at Dishoom, London’s ode to Parsi cuisine. The entire meal was a revelation but it’s the okra fries that really stole my heart.

London may be eleven hours away from the Bay Area, but I bought the Dishoom cookbook so I can keep eating their okra fries on demand. Adapted from the cookbook, these okra fries make a salty-crunchy appetizer or side dish alongside any South Asian meal. Serve with tamarind chutney instead of ketchup, of course.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound okra, rinsed, patted dry, and trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Avocado oil, for frying
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
  • Tamarind chutney, to serve
  1. Slice okra in half lengthwise. Mix the garlic, ginger, chili powder, and four teaspoons water. Add the okra and mix well to coat thoroughly.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pan to medium-high.
  3. Mix the chickpea flour and cornstarch. Add the okra and toss gently to coat.
  4. Carefully shallow-fry the okra in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with chaat masala, and serve immediately alongside tamarind chutney.

Avocado, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

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Here’s the world’s easiest (and most satisfying) summer salad for when you’re short on time but need something to go with that barbecue or potluck. Use top-quality produce here for a salad that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes, washed and cored
  • 1 large avocado, halved, pit removed, and peeled
  • 3 Persian cucumbers
  • 1/2 small red onion
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Quarter the heirloom tomatoes and cut them into thin slices, then place in a large bowl. Thinly slice avocado halves and gently add to the bowl. Thinly slice cucmbers and red onion and add to the salad bowl.
  2. Top vegetables with grated garlic, vinegar, parsley, and olive oil, then gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Marinated Portobello Mushroom and Pesto Sandwich

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I’m not a huge sandwich person, and I rarely seek them out, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this flavor bomb of a sandwich I made recently. Garlicy pesto, meaty mushrooms, tangy sourdough, vinegary peppers, creamy mozzarella — this sandwich has it all.

Maybe I’m a sandwich person after all.

Ingredients:
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 pound portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • Salt
  • 1 12-inch wide sourdough baguette or boule, halved lengthwise, toasted
  • 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves
  1. Place pesto in a large bowl. Remove stems and gills from portobello mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of mushrooms in a single layer in skilled and cook until they start to sizzle, then wrap the bottom of a second heavy skillet that is small enough to nestle into the first with foil and use it to press down on mushrooms evenly. Cook, pressing down, until mushrooms shrink and are deeply browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Remove top skillet; season mushrooms with salt. Turn mushrooms over, add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, and re-cover with foil-lined skillet. Cook, pressing, until second sides of mushrooms are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with pesto. Repeat process with remaining mushrooms and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil. Toss mushrooms in pesto to coat.
  2. Rub cut sides of baguette with garlic. Arrange mushrooms on bottom half of bread, then layer mozzarella on top. Top with cherry peppers and basil. Close and cut in quarters to make 4 sandwiches.