Indian Curry: Okra, Mushroom, Tomato, Onion

Contains:  Nightshades.  Is: Vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, Whole30.  

Aromas and tastes were awesome. (This serving was actually breakfast here, this past Wednesday.)

I’ve been wanting to do a vegetarian Indian okra and mushroom dish for awhile.  Everything else was here to hand, just needed the inspiration towards putting this all together.  Will be getting three good meals out of this.  

Just about cooked here. Aromas are wonderful.  The green not yet mixed in – that’s curry leaf.

The okra (bhindi or vendakkai) is not at all slimy in this recipe – both the longitudinal cutting, and the high acidity of the tomato, defeat any slime.  Personally, I don’t mind the slime, but wanted to cook this the best for the majority of my readers.  Try to find it as fresh as you can – I have the best luck at Indian specialty markets.  Alas, this batch came from a regular supermarket, but was still good enough to pick over and buy.

Onions, mushrooms, okra… lined up for the skillet.

Prep Time:  10 minutes.
Cook Time: 25 minutes.
Rest Time: unnecessary.
Serves: 3.
Cuisine:  Indian.
Leftovers: Oh, boy yeah!

• 1 large onion (about 250 grams / 9 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped.
• 200 grams / 7 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced.
• 200 grams / 7 ounces okra / bhindi, caps removed, sliced once longitudinally, and for the longer pieces, cut further in half or thirds.
• a pinch of asafetida / asafoetida / hing.  (If you don’t have, omit.)
• 1.5 tablespoon cumin seeds / jeera
• 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
• 400 grams / 14 ounces diced or crushed canned / jarred tomato
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons amchoor powder (If you don’t have, omit.)
• Salt and pepper to taste (I didn’t need either.)
• 3-4 fresh curry leaves, coarsely chopped.  If frozen, use one or two more.
• Cooking oil or ghee (I used expeller-pressed avocado oil; might not be Indian, but it imparts no flavor and is healthy.)

Prep everything, and to a large skillet add some oil or ghee.  Bring to a medium-high  temperature.  Add in the cumin seeds, and cook until aroma is released.  Add the asafetida.  Then after a moment, add the onions.

Stir these until translucent, about 10-12 minutes.

Add mushrooms and okra, and cook until the mushrooms are done.  If you need more ghee or oil, add this now, a little at a time and no more.  Mushrooms tend to absorb.

Add the ginger-garlic paste, stir a minute or two.

Add the tomato, and then all the other ingredients/seasonings except the curry leaves.

When the sauce begins to simmer, reduce heat.  Allow to cook at least five more minutes, perhaps ten.  If the sauce is too thick for your tastes, add some water; if too thin, cook down some more.

Test a piece of okra.  If and when it is done to your tenderness liking, you may add the curry leaf.  Stir for another minute, then serve.

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You can serve this over Basmati rice, or you can omit and top with plain yogurt (milk or coconut).  Or have the best of both worlds.  Or do as I did for my first serving, and have this with neither the rice nor the yogurt, for a full Whole30 experience.

This is very much a tasty dish.  Feel free to adapt seasoning amounts to your own preferences – and note that some herbs and spices may be more potent than other batches of the same herbs and spices.  Were I ever to go truly vegetarian… Indian cuisine would have to be a mainstay for me!  (They’ve had generations of doing it RIGHT.)

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We’re sharing this with:

Fiesta Friday (this week’s hosts: Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau and Laurena @ Life Diet Health).

What’s for Dinner – Sunday Link-Up.

Full Plate Thursday.