veg curry in silver dish

Make this easy Okra Curry to tantalise everyones tastebuds

Okra Curry

Curry is one of those foods which I thought was only for buying from a take-away or restaurant. When a few of my Bengali friends explained their cooking methods to me, I decided to experiment and ever since then, I use curry as a quick and easy dish!

You can use a blended spice mix for this (curry, garam masala etc.) but if you have individual spices, it will make the taste far superior. Cumin in my eyes is the best individual curry spice to have, followed by corainder powder, then turmeric.

The Curry Recipe

Frozen okra is needed for this recipe and is now becoming more widely available in supermarkets. Alternatively, try your local Asian foodmarket as it is something they will most likely stock. Chickpeas are fabulous in a tin, as are chopped tomatoes and any other vegetables can be fresh or frozen.

Okra & Chickpea Vegetable Curry

A quick and easy plant based curry ideal for weeknight dinners.

Course: dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chickpeas, curry, okra, plant based, vegan, vegetarian
Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth
Gather
  • splash of oil of choice
  • 1 medium courgette chopped
  • 1 medium carrot chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 bag frozen whole okra (approximately 300g)
  • 1 large handful frozen butternut squash
  • 1 tin tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • *optional 1/2 teaspoon of garlic granules
  • *optional pinch red chilli flakes
  • *optional handful fresh coriander (to serve)
Prepare
  1. In a large pan, heat the oil, then add the courgette and carrot and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the garlic.

  2. Add the okra, mix in and cook until defrosted (approximately 5 minutes).

  3. Throw in a handful of frozen butternut squash, followed by the tomatoes, tomato puree and chickpeas. Stir in, cover and cook for five minutes on a medium heat.

  4. Sprinkle all the spices over (cumin, coriander, turmeric, curry – and garlic/chilli if using), then stir in, and cover again. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for 10 more minutes.

  5. If using, scatter fresh coriander over immediately before serving.

  6. Enjoy!

What do I need?

You can (as with most of my recipes), make this okra curry as easy or complicated as you wish! I have created this recipe to make it a quick weeknight dinner, but you could easily make it more elaborate with a few additions.

If you are new to cooking or your kitchen needs a refresh, here are a few useful things for this recipe. I receive a small commission if you click and purchase through these links (this is at no additional cost to you)!



Serving

You can serve this curry with your favourite grain, with poppadoms, a raita, salad or why not try with Lentil Pakoras, Alternatively, make a night of it and add a couple of extra dishes such as chana saag paneer, delicious lentil daal, or saag aloo.

Storage

This curry will store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Bear in mind that the flavours will develop and intensify the longer it is left. This will also store in the freezer for up to three months – remember to label and date it!

Sharing

I hope you try making your own delicious curry and see how easy it is to recreate this at home! I love seeing your adaptions and interpretations of my recipes and I’d love to see your curry photos!

What will you serve your curry with? Please share and tag me @LifeDietHealth or using #LifeDietHealth on InstagramPinterest,  Facebook or Twitter.

Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!

I hope to speak with you soon

Laurena x

5 Comments

  • tulips79 1st July 2021 at 20:31

    Hi Laurena, you’ve brought back childhood memories of eating okra stew🙂 Mum would buy it fresh from Turkish or Kurdish grocers. I did buy some frozen a while back but I don’t think it went down too well with hubby though, who’d never eaten okra before- it just meant more for me! I always serve curry with (mostly white) basmati rice- a classic and the best in my very humble opinion☺️I sometimes infuse the rice with a bit of cinnamon bark and clove for an aromatic kick (if that’s even a term lol).

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 1st July 2021 at 21:10

      Ooo, okra stew sounds good Eva, was it tomato & onion based? The first time I had okra was when one of my Zimbabwean friends cooked it for dinner about 20 years ago and all I remember was it being gloopy and slimy! I now buy frozen mini okra and they are great – no slime! White basmati is a favourite in this house too, although I do love the nuttiness of brown! I might borrow your idea of cinnamon bark in the rice – that sounds fab!

      Reply
  • tulips79 2nd July 2021 at 12:38

    Yes it was tomato and onion based, and yes, I can imagine the slimy texture would be weird if you’re not used to it lol. Good idea about the mini ones for less slime👍 I do agree with you about the nuttiness of brown rice (especially long grain)☺️Enjoy the footie this weekend, we were pleasantly surprised the other day 😜 Hope all’s well with you x

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 6th July 2021 at 08:05

      Haha… I thought about you when the football was on! I did wonder what the atmosphere would be like there! 😛 More footie tomorrow! 🙂

      Reply
      • tulips79 6th July 2021 at 18:53

        🤞

        Reply

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