Crispy Okra Fries & Red Cabbage Slaw
It doesn't just stop at sweet potato fries! Okra or bindi isn't something I thought I'd introduce into my palate but it's a great vegetable that turns crispy when shallow fried. Baking them in a tray drizzled with olive oil would probably get the same results, although I haven't tried! These okra fries have been coated in a besan flour and spices to give them an extra crunch. I find that these fries are light enough to add to a salad. I decided to complement the fries with a red cabbage and cashew slaw, but these fries would accompany a meat entree brilliantly!
Servings: 3-4 portions
Prep+cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients for okra fries
- 500g okra, washed, tops cut off and split in half
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 60g besan flour (also called gram or chickpea flour)
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
1) Wash the okra and pat dry to remove moisture, cut tops and split in half.
2) In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper, chilli powder, ginger and garlic paste and coat the okra. You could also use a freezer bag, put the mix in and toss the okra in the bag to coat them quickly.
3) In a hot pan, drizzle olive oil and shallow fry for about 2 minutes and then place on absorbent kitchen roll. Serve with a sweet and sour chilli or tamarind sauce.
Ingredients for red cabbage slaw
- 1/2 head of red cabbage, washed
- 2 large carrots
- 2 radish
- 1 avocado
- 1 red onion
- small handful of cashews
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise/ sour cream
Instructions
1) Shred the red cabbage, onion and carrot into equally thin slices.
2) Cut the avocado and radish into thin wedges and layer on top.
3) Sprinkle a handful of cashews before adding dollops of mayonnaise or sour cream and tossing well to ensure the salad is well coated. Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil before serving to inject moisture back into the salad.
