Panch Phoran Crispy Okra - The best okra recipe you'll ever taste!!
Crispy okra, delicately tempered with the panch phoran, the aromatic Bengali spice mix combined with garden-fresh tomatoes! Panch Phoran mix makes a showstopping addition in this recipe. It enhances the flavor and completely transform the character of the dish. It's a ridiculously simple and tempting dish. This is an quick and easy side dish that can prepared in less than 15 minutes. You can enjoy it with roti, stuffed naan or parantha.
My mom recently surprised us with this dish. She is some sort of magician, always set to recreate the recipes and never afraid to play with the flavors and textures. The moment I looked at these beauties, I couldn't resist taking the picture for my blog and post it for you guys. I'm glad, she made this! It's an interesting side dish which you probably haven't heard of. I'm super duper excited to share the recipe with you all.
Before talking about the recipe, I want to draw your attention to this fragrant spice blend of Panch Phoran which is a Bengali 5 spice mix that's ideal for making stir fried veggies. It's a whole spice blend used in Bengali, Nepali and Indian cuisines. This spice mix is a equal quantity of five ancient flavorful seeds - fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel. The best thing is you don't have to toast or grind panch phoran like other spices, they are a whole spice blend and are used as it is in cooking.
There are many ways to cook okra but this one is by far my favorite! I simply love the addition of panch phoran blend. To give a crispy flavor to the okra, sauté it for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat and do not cover the pan. I suggest not to add the mango powder in the dish, as it already has the tangy flavor to it.
Happy Sunday to you all! Have a beautiful one!
PANCH PHORAN OKRA
Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 4 people
Author :
INGREDIENTS
400 grams - Okra
2 tablespoon - Oil
1 tablespoon - Panch Phoran, whole (fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel in equal parts)
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 green chillis, chopped
3/4 teaspoon - Cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon - Red chilli powder
3/4 teaspoon - Coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon - Salt or as per taste
METHOD
1. Wash and clean the okra with a dry cloth. Cut off an inch portion of it's two extremes and simply slit each piece vertically.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add okra and sauté it for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat and transfer it in a bowl and keep it aside.
3. In the same pan heat another tablespoon of oil and add panch phoran mix, allow it to crackle.
4. Add garlic cloves and fry until it turn golden brown, about 40-50 seconds.
5. Next, add chopped tomato and chopped green chillis, sauté it on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add spices - cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to taste, stir it gently.
7. Now add the fried okra in the pan and toss it well. Cover the pan and cook for 4 minutes on medium heat.
8. Transfer the panch phoran okra to a serving bowl and serve it with roti, parantha or stuffed naan.
NOTES
1. Use okra, that's tender and fresh.
2. Wash and dry okra thoroughly before cutting the edges.
3. You can also prefer small proportion of fenugreek seeds in panchphoran blend as it is mildly bitter in taste.
4. Unlike other spice mixes, panch phoran is used whole seeds.
5. To give a crispy flavor to the okra, sauté it for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat (do not cover the pan).