Sainsburys! You have ripped me off in the past where you charged me over £1 for 100g of okra...that's about 10 pods! Overpackaged too! I feel terribly lucky that I've got a number of small grocers a stone's throw from my new-ish flat now. And no Sainsburys! (But there is a Morrisons but I'm trying to avoid it like the plague - it's difficult but it is made easier by the fact that my favourite Lebanese/Polish grocer opens late every day.) Anyway, I can buy huge handfuls of okra for much less than a pound and they feed us quite well. It now seems to be our last-minute vegetable, when we cannot think of what to cook and we want something fast. Quick trip to the shops, grab a few large handfuls of okra, and cook. And here's the recipe (and I usually agak-agak the quantities - a Malay term meaning 'estimate'):


Bhindi Bhaji
about 300g okra, cut into 1cm chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder (just add it to taste - mine's seems to be quite potent
salt to taste
fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

Easy peasy, this is. Fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add all the spices and fry until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and fry until they are soft. Add the okra and stir into the mix. Cover and cook until desired doneness is achieved. Uncover and stir occasionally to avoid burning the bottom. Garnish with the cilantro.


I tend to stock my cupboards pretty well with oils, vinegars, spices, noodles, pastas, rices, etc. for a whole myriad of cuisines: Peranakan, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, some Korean, some Japanese, all the Mediterranean cuisines. And there are always onions, garlic and tomatoes around.