Okra

bhindi · dherosh

The pod that rewards a dry pan.

What it is

Okra is the slim, ridged green pod eaten as a vegetable — tender when young, with a mild taste and a mucilaginous quality (a slight stickiness) that cooking dry, not wet, keeps in check. Sliced and cooked right, it is a delicate everyday vegetable.

Where it comes from

Grown across the subcontinent and much of the warm world, okra is a warm-season vegetable, cooked dry-fried with spices in the north and into fish-and-vegetable dishes in the east.

What it's called

Okra · bhindi (Hindi) · dherosh / bhendi (Bengali) · ladies' fingers.

In the kitchen

The key is dry heat: sliced okra is dry-fried or roasted with spices (bhindi masala) so its stickiness cooks off; adding water or crowding the pan makes it slimy. Choose young, tender pods that snap. In the east it joins vegetable and fish dishes.

What we know about the claims

A wholesome vegetable with fibre and vitamins. No caution beyond choosing tender pods.

Choosing and buying

Everywhere in season, fresh; frozen sliced okra is a convenience but wetter. Choose small, firm, bright pods that snap cleanly.