Okra in Oil
This is Syrian-style okra in oil, made by frying the okra, then cooking it in a pan with reduced tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, fresh and dried coriander, and finishing with tomato paste and pomegranate molasses. The video confirms that it is a vegetarian dish and can be eaten hot or cold, with additional details such as optional onion and dividing the garlic between sliced garlic and crushed garlic.
A simple vegetable dish where okra is cooked with oil.
Like a light okra stew or sautéed okra.
Cook gently so the okra stays tender and not mushy.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo small okra
- half a kilo tomatoes
- 1 bunch coriander
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 15 cloves garlic
- 1 cup olive oil
- optional onion
- a little pinch of salt
- a little pinch of coriander
Instructions
- Prepare 1 kilo of okra in the kitchen; small pods are preferred. Frozen, dried, or fresh okra may be used, depending on what is available.
- Roughly chop half a kilo of ripe red tomatoes in the kitchen, as for a tomato salad; do not chop them finely.
- Chop 1 bunch of fresh coriander in the kitchen.
- Slice part of the garlic in the kitchen, and reserve the remaining garlic to crush with the fresh coriander at a later stage.
- Fry the okra in a pan over the heat after heating the oil.
- Place 1 cup of olive oil in a pan over the heat.
- Add the sliced garlic to the pan over the heat with a pinch of salt and a pinch of dried coriander, and leave it until softened and lightly pink in color.
- Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan over the heat, over the garlic.
- Add the salt, dried coriander, and white pepper to the pan over the heat with the tomatoes.
- Leave the tomatoes in the pan over low heat until softened and reduced with the ingredients, for about 7 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan over the heat after the tomatoes have thickened.
- Add the fried okra to the tomato mixture in the pan over the heat and stir it well.
- Leave the okra with the sauce in the pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat under the pan to very low, then cover the pan and leave the okra until thickened and cooked, for about 7 minutes.
- Crush the remaining garlic in the kitchen and mix it with the fresh coriander.
- Quickly add the crushed garlic and fresh coriander mixture to the pan over the heat at the end so that the coriander does not change color.
- Add the pomegranate molasses to the pan over the heat at the final stage, then stir the ingredients.
- Raise the heat slightly under the pan at the end until the dish comes together and is ready to serve.