Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin #30MinuteMondays

This blistered okra with garlic and cumin is much healthier than fried okra

 but just as addictive! It's also paleo, gluten-free, and vegan.

How do you feel about okra? I always hated it in gumbo and other gummy preparations as a kid, but quickly fell in love with fried okra. Last year I even made a paleo version of fried okra that's really good, but it's not super quick to make. 

My love for okra eventually expanded to include bhindi masala, an Indian curry where the okra is cooked with plenty of ginger, garlic, onion, and tomato, and there's a recipe for that in my cookbook. While delicious, bhindi masala also takes a little time to make.

When I scored some really beautiful okra at the farmers' market, I wanted to cook it quickly in a way that would highlight its intrinsic flavor while minimizing its intrinsic gumminess. A little research indicated that cooking okra briefly over relatively high heat would be most likely to achieve those results.

I was so happy with how this recipe turned out! Slicing the okra lengthwise provides a nice surface for browning while preserving the attractive silhouette of the pods. (Did you know okra is also known as lady fingers? Move on over, cookies whose sole purpose is to make tiramisu!) The recipe starts with getting a cast iron skillet nice and hot, then adding butter or oil. Whole cumin seeds, garlic cloves, and dried chiles are added next, infusing the cooking fat with savory and subtly spiced flavor and a gentle, warming heat. The okra are added next and cooked for about ten minutes, turning a few times, until nice and browned. Add a hefty sprinkle of flaky sea salt and that's it! Non-fried okra that you won't be able to stop eating.

The finished lady fingers are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, without any gumminess at all. I made these as an afternoon snack and could have eaten them all myself, but wanted to make sure other people liked them, too--and they did! Two other adults and three children enjoyed them immensely. While dubious at first, the kids ended up fighting over the last few pods.

To make this more of a meal while still keeping things nice and quick, you could add a couple of crispy eggs or serve the okra alongside curry butter shrimp. If you have more time, I think this would go swimmingly with stuffed lamb burgers or kratiem prik thai short ribs.

For more fast and easy paleo dishes, check out the other recipes in the 30 Minute Mondays series: pesto shrimp bake with squash and tomatoes, caramelized salmon with basil chile oil and pickled vegetables, grilled shrimp skewers with creamy sesame slaw, rainbow salad with grilled chicken and raspberry walnut dressing, and roasted shrimp and asparagus with green goddess dressing.

Blistered Okra with Garlic and Cumin
Yield: 2-3 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons ghee, avocado oil (for vegan version), or butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-4 dried red Thai chiles
10-15 garlic cloves, peeled and halved if large
1 pint fresh okra (about 2/3 pound), trimmed and halved lengthwise*
Sea salt

*I cut off any brown parts from the caps and tips of the okra that need it, but some do not require trimming. If your okra comes with stems, be sure to remove those.

Heat a very large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add your cooking fat of choice (if you use butter, be ready to add the other ingredients quickly before it burns, and turn the heat down a bit if necessary). Add the cumin seeds, chiles, and garlic and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until the seeds are popping and the garlic is beginning to brown. Add the okra, stir once, and then cook, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until blistered and tender.

Season liberally with sea salt (Maldon is especially good here) and serve right away, removing peppers before serving or warning your diners not to actually eat them.

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase on Amazon after clicking one of my links, I receive a small commission (the price you pay is not affected).  Thank you so much for supporting my blog!