Stuffed and steamed okra and baby potatoes cooked in a spicy tomato and yoghurt masala.
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: curry, okra, potatoes, vegetarian
Servings: 4
Author: Sanjana
Equipment
Tawa or large frying pan. Cast iron works best but any flat pan will do.
Ingredients
400gfresh okra
400gbaby potatoes
For the stuffing masala:
100graw peanutscoarsely ground
4tbspgram flour
1tbspground coriander seeds
1tbspground cumin seeds
1/2tspasafoetida
8large cloves garliccrushed
1tbspgrated ginger
1tspred chilli powder
1/2tspturmeric
2tspsalt
2tspsugar
100gfresh corianderroughly chopped
2tbsptomato ketchup
1/4tspbicarbonate of soda
4tbspany cooking oil
For the tawa masala:
3tbspany cooking oil
1tspmustard seeds
1tspcumin seeds
1/4tspasafoetida
4large cloves garliccrushed
200gchopped tomatoes(fresh or tinned)
75gyoghurt
100mlwater
1tspturmeric
2tspred chilli powder
1/4tspground cinnamon
1/2tspsalt
2tspsugar
2tbspfresh coriander leaves, to serve
Instructions
To make the stuffing masala:
Place the following ingredients into a medium-sized bowl: ground peanuts, gram flour, ground coriander and cumin seeds, chilli powder, turmeric, salt, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, asafoetida, garlic, ginger, tomato ketchup and fresh coriander.
100 g raw peanuts, 4 tbsp gram flour, 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds, 1 tbsp ground cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp asafoetida, 8 large cloves garlic, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 100 g fresh coriander, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it's smoking hot. Pour the hot oil over the ingredients in the bowl. Be careful, it will sizzle. Stir well to form a paste.
4 tbsp any cooking oil
To prepare the vegetables:
Wash the okra in plenty of running water and then completely dry them using a tea towel. Wash the potatoes.
400 g fresh okra
Leaving the okra stem intact, trim just the very base of it, usually where it's turned a little dark. Take a tiny amount off the tip of the okra. Use a small, sharp knife to make a slit down the length of the okra, but not cutting all the way through. Repeat for all the okra and then carefully prize them apart to make enough room for stuffing.
Make similar slits down the length of the baby potatoes, being careful not to cut all the way through. You should be able to prize them apart just enough to get the stuffing/masala paste in there. Don't worry if some do split, since the paste will be hold them together quite effectively.
400 g baby potatoes
Use clean fingers to stuff both the okra and potatoes with the cooled stuffing masala. Reserve about two tablespoons of stuffing masala for the sauce.
To cook the stuffed vegetables:
Bring a large pot of water with two steamer baskets to the boil. Place the baskets inside the steamer. Steam over a medium-high heat until tender. The okra will take around 8 minutes and the potatoes around 10 minutes but keep checking them. Once both are cooked, remove from the steamer and set aside.
To make the tawa masala:
Place a tawa or any large, flat-heavy based pan like a frying pan or paella pan over a medium heat. Pour the oil into the pan and allow it to heat up.
3 tbsp any cooking oil
Add mustard seeds and wait for them to finish popping. Add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, garlic and reserved stuffing masala paste. Sauté for 90 seconds before adding the chilli powder, turmeric, salt, sugar and chopped tomatoes. Cook for a further 60 seconds, stirring all the time.
Add the yoghurt and immediately mix, cooking until oil begins to separate from the sides of the paste, about 4 minutes. Add the water and ground cinnamon. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes until the sauce thickens and looks glossy.
75 g yoghurt, 100 ml water, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Arrange the steamed okra and potatoes on the tawa and brush all over with the masala. Cook on the tawa for 3-4 minutes until everything is heated through. Do not move them around too much. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve.
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, to serve
Video
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container (refrigerated) for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly before serving. It's best to reheat this in the microwave. Do not add extra water when reheating as this will turn the okra slimy.