Indian Okra

Okra. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I dedicate this recipe and post to my dearest father. A man of phenomenal stomach powers, he is able to eat anything remotely edible save one small thing. Okra: those mucilaginous green pods of moist and somewhat sticky proportions. As a child, instead of monsters in my closet, there were okra stories of horror. Until now, memories of the slimy fuzziness deterred me from the Southern veggie. Because of my father, I didn't even know what this vegetable looked like until today at a ripe old 21 years. It looked at me, this fuzzy jalapeño, and I pinky-promised it's pathetic existence would go unnoticed, no more.

3 TBSP butter
1 med. onion, diced
1 lb sliced, fresh okra (1/4 inch slices...see picture if you were as confused as me)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cook til tender. Stir in okra, tomatoes, and seasoning. Cook and stir for a 2-3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until okra is tender.

Note: Make sure to soak your cut up okra in vinegar for about 15 minutes to relieve the slimyness beforehand.