Why It Works
- Drying okra thoroughly and sautéing it in hot oil before adding liquid helps limit mucilage release, preventing a slimy texture.
- Tamarind’s acidity breaks down okra’s mucilage while jaggery balances the sourness of the tamarind and helps create a glossy, rich sauce.
Okra is a polarizing vegetable. Some people adore its grassy flavor and tender bite, while others recoil at the very mention of its infamous slime. That slick, sticky texture—caused by a substance called mucilage—has earned it a less-than-stellar reputation in certain kitchens. But that same slime is what makes okra so useful in dishes where thickening is the goal. In Southern gumbos, for example, it enriches the broth while thickening it; in West African stews like ogbono and ewedu, it contributes a desirable lush, velvety consistency.
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus, known as lady’s fingers in England and English-influenced countries like India) is the edible seed pod of a flowering plant native to East Africa. Over centuries, it’s traveled far and wide, adapting to countless regional cuisines, and in each one, cooks have found their own way to harness or tame its signature mucilage.
In many Indian preparations, especially dry sabzis, cooks go to great lengths to reduce the vegetable’s sliminess. My family’s recipe for okra—a tangy-sweet Maharashtrian okra sauté—does just that, with help from a few kitchen tricks and regional flavor signatures. When I was gathering recipes for my book The Essential Marathi Cookbook, my father’s cousin, Jyoti Marathe Joshi, shared a version passed down from her mother, Susheela Marathe. My aunt told me that, like many dishes from our West Coast homeland, this recipe features a balance of tart and sweet: tamarind pulp for acidity and jaggery for mellow sweetness. Our people (the Konkanastha community) usually love a bit of sweetness in our savory food, and that’s the case in this dish. Both ingredients also play functional roles: Tamarind’s acidity can slightly denature the polysaccharides in okra mucilage and reduce the perceived sliminess, while jaggery balances the sourness of the tamarind.
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To ensure that the okra is crisp and dry rather than gummy, I thoroughly dry it before cutting. Drying okra before cutting is effective because mucilage is more likely to be activated by water, so starting with dry pods is key. I also cut the okra into large chunks rather than slices, as less cut surface area means less slime released from the interior. A quick sauté in hot oil before the tamarind and jaggery are added to the skillet helps seal the cut surfaces, further minimizing the goo.
The result is tender okra with just enough bite, cloaked in a lush, sweet-sour sauce, with a texture even slime-averse okra eaters will love. It’s an everyday dish that’s bright, bold, and for me, deeply nostalgic. I like it best with a mound of hot rice or a stack of chapatis to soak up every bit of the sauce.
This Sweet and Sour Indian Stir-Fry Makes the Most of an Underrated Summer Veggie
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For the Tamarind Pulp:
For the Okra:
1 pound (453 g) fresh okra, washed, drained, and dried well
3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral oil such as vegetable, avocado, or grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon whole brown or black mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch of asafetida, optional (see notes)
4 tablespoons tamarind pulp and juice from above
2 tablespoons chopped or grated jaggery or brown sugar, plus more if needed (see notes)
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, minced (optional)
For the Tamarind Pulp: In a large metal or glass bowl, cover tamarind with hot water. Soak for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours. Using your hands, press tamarind in the water to separate pulp. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour tamarind-water mixture through it, pushing and pressing on the pulp with hands or a large spoon until all the water and pulp has passed through; discard seeds, skins, and fibers. Cover liquid and pulp and store until needed, up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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For the Okra: Trim stems of each okra pod, then cut crosswise into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces. Keep a paper towel handy to wipe down your knife if needed to remove any slime from the okra.
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Have a splatter screen or lid handy. In a large stainless steel skillet, heat oil over medium-high until just smoking. Reduce heat to low and test the oil with one mustard seed. If it pops right away, the oil is ready; if not, return heat to medium-high for 1 additional minute and retest. When oil is ready, turn off heat, then immediately add mustard seeds to hot oil, cover with a mesh screen or lid, and let seeds pop, shaking the skillet occasionally to prevent them from burning or sticking (it should take about 15 seconds for the seeds to pop).
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Return skillet to low heat and add turmeric and asafetida, if using, and stir until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add okra,turn heat up to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add 4 tablespoons prepared tamarind pulp, jaggery or brown sugar, and water, stirring well to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until okra is almost fully tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
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Uncover, stir, and add salt and red chile powder, if using, and cook uncovered until most of water has evaporated, okra is tender-crisp, and a rich brown sauce coats okra, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and jaggery or sugar, if needed.
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Serve hot, garnished with minced cilantro, if desired.
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Special Equipment
Large metal or glass bowl, fine-mesh strainer, 12-inch skillet, spatter screen or lid
Notes
If using jaggery, a couple seconds in the microwave will help soften it. Then you can chop it just like chocolate with a bread knife. A rasp grater, such as a microplane, works as well.
Asafetida can be found at most Indian grocers. I recommend the powder sold in small jars, rather than large plastic containers, because the plastic can hold the aroma. Keep it tightly shut between uses, otherwise, the smell will pervade your kitchen. While it adds a distinct flavor, you can omit it if unavailable, though it will be less aromatic.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The tamarind pulp can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The dish can be cooked up to 2 hours before serving.
