It is our hope that this crisis that the whole world is facing together will unite us – that we forget our differences and stand together; that we be grateful for what we have and lend a hand to those who are wanting; that we never forget that we are one people, one world, one earth. We are stronger together.
Today is Good Friday. Christians around the world remember the death of Christ, Jews just observed Passover 2 days ago, Muslims prepare to celebrate Ramadan, Sikhs prepare for Vaisakhi. But the one event that every person in the world is thinking about daily is the coronavirus Covid 19 and the current pandemic. Never did I imagine that I would be living in a pandemic in my lifetime. Nearly every city and town around the world have imposed lock-downs/shelter-in-place/circuit-breaker measures. Despite the variations in details and name, they all serve to try to suppress and slow the spread of the virus.
We have been eating at home continuously and variety is becoming crucial to keep meals interesting. Grocery deliveries are hard to come by as demand is so high now, so we only re-stock fortnightly and in bulk (well, 2 weeks’ worth of supplies. ‘Bulk’ is a misnomer and is relative, as 2 weeks of fresh food is all that we can stock in our wee fridge). Nonetheless, we are just glad that we are able to access fresh food.
I opened the chiller and see some okra, left over from a week ago when I used some to make a Vegetable Spicy Shrimp Curry. I had chosen okra because they keep well (and so they had!) but I knew better than to push my luck. Tired of the usual Sambal Okra, I thought to try an Indian recipe**, recalling that okra features high on some Indian or Punjabi dishes. Kurkuri Bhindi, as it is known in Hindi, okra is seasoned with delicious, earthy spices and deep-fried till crispy. I did not have all the South Asian ingredients on hand and on account of the country-wide shelter-in-place measures, I made do. The verdict? Earthy, spicy, crispy slivers that felt more like eating a snack than a vegetable. The trusty taste-tester claimed that the ‘spices are delicious’! Served with steaming coconut rice and hot soup, it truly felt like being in a cocoon of warm embrace.
Tips:
- Wash and dry okra thoroughly on paper towels. Place under the sun for 10-15 minutes if possible, turning once to ensure all sides are nicely dried. Keeping them dry is the key to avoiding the gooey substance from becoming a thick slime when they are cut.
- The okra is air-fried twice. The first 8 min will result in a brown, slightly charred okra and tastes just fine. The second 5 min will bring about a nice crisp, which is ideal for a snack or as finger-food.
- If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can also deep-fry the okra.
- 2 cups okra (ladies' fingers), diced or thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp 5-spice powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Japanese chilli spice powder or chilli powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp flour
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl to make the masala. Place dried okra into the bowl and coat thoroughly.
- Add oil and mix very well. Let the okra sit for 15 min in the marinade. Heat the air-fryer at 320F/160C. Air-fry for 8 min, shaking once after 4 min and again at 8 min.
- For crispy okra, air-fry again at 390F/200C for another 5 min.
The okra is air-fried twice. The second time is to make it crispy which is ideal for a snack or as finger-food.
Alternatively, deep-fry the okra in very hot oil.
