Roast okra with spicy tomatoes recipe

Roast okra with spicy tomatoes recipe

When cooked just right, okra is plump and tender, with a flavour somewhere between asparagus and aubergine. Their soft texture is perfect for squashing between warm flatbreads. Here, the fruit – yes, technically a fruit – is stirred through a fragrant tomato sauce.

To avoid any unwanted gloopiness – which has, regrettably and unfairly, come to tarnish okra's reputation – be sure not to trim the stalks too close to the head, so they remained sealed.

Recipe from Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan. Published by Bloomsbury on 12 July 2018, RRP £26.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 0.5 tsp coriander seeds
  • 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
  • 0.2 tsp ground allspice
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 0.2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 400 g can of plum tomatoes
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • 500 g okra
  • 4 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 0.5 tsp coriander seeds
  • 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
  • 0.2 tsp ground allspice
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 0.2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 14.1 oz can of plum tomatoes
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • 17.6 oz okra
  • 4 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 0.5 tsp coriander seeds
  • 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
  • 0.2 tsp ground allspice
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 0.2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 14.1 oz can of plum tomatoes
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • 17.6 oz okra

Details

  • Cuisine: Palestinian
  • Recipe Type: Okra
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Preparation Time: 20 mins
  • Cooking Time: 40 mins
  • Serves: 4

Step-by-step

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F/gas mark 6.
  2. Trim the okra by cutting off the stalks, but do so carefully by not slicing too close to the main pod: you want to keep each pod sealed so the seeds don’t spill out, as this way the okra will remain firm while cooking.
  3. Place the okra on a large baking tray, drizzle over 2 tablespoons light olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15–20 minutes until the okra is tender but still firm.
  4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons light olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until it is soft.
  5. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds by placing them in a dry pan over a low heat and stirring for a minute or so, until the aromas are released.
  6. Crush the toasted seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and add them to the onion with the allspice, garlic and chilli flakes. Fry for 2 minutes.
  7. Add the tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  8. Once the okra is out of the oven, add it to the tomato sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, splashing in a little hot water if the sauce looks a bit dry.
  9. Taste, adjust the seasoning and drizzle with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil just before serving.

This recipe is from Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan. Published by Bloomsbury on 12 July 2018, RRP £26. Photography by Matt Russell.

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