Turkish garlicky okra

Okra is favoured in Turkish cuisine, and interestingly, it is used as a thickener for stews and soups. But, like us in India, they prefer not to have the slimy palate feel. They get around this by adding lemon or lime juice that is added to the dish to prevent the mucilage from forming.

This is a simple dish, easy to make yet so delicious. The baby okra is soft and tender, without the slime, and the tomatoes add an acidic, mild sweetness to the dish. It is perfect as a side dish with grilled meats or on the meze table, served with pita bread.

This is a fantastic cookbook by a British chef who specialises in Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisines. It is filled with recipes for kebabs, stews, other Turkish favourites, and some more contemporary dishes. Everything I have cooked from this book has been fantastic; it is one of my favourite Turkish cookbooks.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tomatoes, finely diced

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

12 oz. okra, see note below

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lime

NOTE: I like to use baby okra for this recipe. I pick out ones that are about 1-1 1/2 inches long and very soft. I only cut off a bit of the stem, leaving the pods intact.

Method:

Heat the oil in a deep-frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are lightly golden in colour.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar and cook for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down into a sauce. Add a touch of water if the sauce is too thick.

Add the okra and water, then mix well. Simmer, sealed, for 12-15 minutes, until the okra is very soft.

Serve hot, garnished with parsley.