Okra and Patatoes Stir Fry

This is kind of Indian but improvised to suit current taste and somewhat nostalgic to me.  Tasty and packed with stuff that is beneficial to health, but you can totally go away with the mustard, fennel and black gram seeds if you wish too.  It’s a great side dish for fish or prawn curries. Best of all you can whip this up in 10 minutes.

Okra and Potatoes Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 15 to 20 ladies fingers, sliced diagonally into ¼ cm thickness
• 2 potatoes peeled and diced thin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin, crushed roughly
• ½ teaspoon coriander seed, crushed roughly
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 5 shallots minced
• 2 to 3 red chillies minced
• 1 cm ginger minced
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seed, fennel seed, and black gram seed mix
• 4 to 5 tablespoon canola oil  
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Mix the diced potatoes with salt,cumin, coriander seed, turmeric and paprika powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wide pan and sauté the potatoes. Potatoes need not be crispy, but must be soft and starting to brown at the edges (if needed sprinkle a bit of water till potato softens). 
• Move the potatoes to the side of the pan and add the mustard–fennel-black gram seed mix. 
• Once the mustard has popped, add the garlic, shallots, chillies, ginger. Cook till translucent.
• Add the ladies finger and stir the mix in high heat, till the slime is gone.
• Salt to taste and remove from the stove.

Serving note : Serve with fragrant rice, bread, or savoury crepes. Elevate this simple stir fry into a wrap using flatbreads or crepe; or as a side dish for seafood courses.

French Beans with Almonds and Cashews

Stir Fried French Beans with Almonds and Cashews

Sometimes, all I want is a delicious 10 minutes dish that is versatile enough to complement main course and is highly nutritious. Furthermore, I eat meat or any form of animal protein only on an occasional basis. Maintaining a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle helps to maintain good health, age gracefully and keep a sharp mind, as my grandmother put it.

Ingredients
• 15 to 20 french beans stringed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 3 garlic minced
• ½ onion minced
• 5 almonds crushed roughly
• 5 cashews crushed roughly
• One or two grate of nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions
• Heat oil in pan
• Add garlic, onion and cook till translucent
• Add the nuts and sauté till light golden
• Add the french beans
• Add white pepper, stir for 2 minute (or till beans are cooked)
• Add salt and remove from stove

Serving note : Serve with fragrant rice, bread, or savoury crepes. Elevate this simple stir fry into a wrap using flatbreads or crepe; a side dish for your main course. Goes well with seafood, meat or tofu.