Best Okra Recipe Yet!

Remember how I wondered what I was going to do with okra? Well by fortune, one of my coworkers had a recipe she really liked. I've tried it twice so far and loved it both times. Okra not noticeably slimy.

Don't skimp on the ginger-mango relish! Without it, the recipe would be a bit too 'earthy' for my taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1-2 fresh red chiles, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 green cardamom pods, remove and grind the seeds
• pinch of ground turmeric
• 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 1 pound mushrooms, quartered if large
• 8 ounces okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

For the mango relish:

• 1 large ripe mango about 1.25 pounds
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons grade fresh ginger root
• 1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped
• pinch of salt and sugar

1. To make the mango relish, peel the mango and cut off the flesh from the pit.
2. In a bowl, mash the mango flesh with a fork, or process in a food processor or blender. Mix in the rest of the relish ingredients. Set aside.
3. Place the garlic, ginger, chiles and 3 tablespoons of the water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth
4. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan. Add the whole coriander and cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds. Add the ground cumin, ground cardamom seeds, and turmeric and cook about a minute
5. Add the garlic paste, tomatoes and remaining water. Stir to mix well, then add the mushrooms and okra. Stir again, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the cover, turn up the heat slightly and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the okra is tender but not too soft.
7. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve with the mango relish and rice (like plain basmati)