Mix and Match Subzi

There is a modest list of vegetables- cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, eggplant, peas- that I consider the "old faithfuls". They are available no matter what the season is, and we seem to like them cooked every which way. If you get tired of a vegetable by itself, you can always mix and match it with another to keep things interesting.

And that is how the cabbage from the crisper teamed up with okra from the freezer to become Recipe #17: Cabbage-Okra stir-fry, inspired by this recipe from My Treasure...My Pleasure. I would never think to cook cabbage with okra- and that's why I love food blogs so much, because of the big and small things I learn every day.

A lot of people won't cook with frozen okra. For me, it is very rare to find good fresh okra so I can either embrace frozen okra or put up with an okra-free existence. I chose the former and have learnt to cook frozen okra in a way that it doesn't get slimy. The disclaimer here is that tolerance levels for okra-slime vary and this might not work for everyone.

The "secrets":
1. Pouring frozen okra straight into the hot pan (don't thaw out).
2. Using an open pan and never ever ever covering the frozen okra as it cooks.
3. Of course, just as for fresh okra, don't even think of adding water to okra as it cooks.
4. Add salt at the very end, after you turn off the heat, because salt draws out moisture.
5. Patience. It can take a while for the okra to get browned and flavorful in the open pan.

To make this subzi, here is the way I adapted the original recipe:
1. Heat oil, temper with
mustard seeds
cumin seeds
curry leaves
2. Add onion, saute, then add
turmeric
red chilli powder
coriander-cumin powder
3. Add shredded cabbage and frozen okra.
4. Cook, stirring once in a while, until the subzi is cooked through and the cabbage is slightly browned.
5. Turn off the heat, then stir in salt.

To go with the cabbage-okra stir fry, I made a cheater's mango dal. I simply pressure-cooked toor dal, then stirred in a generous amount of mango thokku (grated mango relish, see recipes here and here; the one I used was made by V's mom) and salt. What- don't look at me like that. It was delicious!

Here's the meal:

There's still time to sign up for a 7-day recipe marathon from the 25th to the 31st of December. I have 14 intrepid bloggers on the list; check this post for details if you would like to join us.