Fried spiced okra

“These crispy, fried shards of okra are so much more in the flesh than on paper. All I can tell you is that there have never, ever been any leftovers from this dish the multitude times I have cooked them. They need to be cooked just before serving as they do not reheat well.” Anjum Anand, Anjum's Australian Spice Stories

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g okra, wiped clean with damp paper towel, topped and tailed
• 40 g (⅓ cup) gram flour
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp dried mango powder

Instructions

Slice the okra lengthways into quarters and if they are quite large, slice any large pieces further lengthwise. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle over the gram flour and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan to a moderate - high heat. Cook the okra in 2 batches, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes or until the okra is crisp with bits which are a rich golden brown colour and others still deep green. Drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with the chaat masala, chilli powder, salt and dried mango powder and toss well. Serve hot.

Anjum's Australian Spice Stories starts Monday 4 April 2016 on Food Network Australia. Visit the program page for recipes and more.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.