Serves: 4
Total Calories: 927

2 teaspoons Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste or store-bought
1 1/4 pounds small fresh, tender okra, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup peanut oil for deep-frying
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala

1. Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Prepare the okra: cut off a think slice of the stem end of each okra and discard, then cut the okra into 1/3-inch slices. (Cut off and discard the tips only if they look too brown.)

2. Heat the oil in a wok until it registers 350°F to 375°F on a frying thermometer or a small piece of okra dropped into the hot oil bubbles and rises to the top immediately. Add the okra (in 2 batches, if needed) and fry until crisp and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix well with the ginger-garlic paste.

3. Discard all except 1 tablespoon oil from the wok (use this oil for other cooking, if you like.) Heat the oil and add the cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Mix in the yogurt-cornstarch mixture, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling. Cook, stirring, until most of the yogurt evaporates and the sauce becomes thick, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Mix in the fried okra and salt, and cook about 5 minutes, until the flavors are blended. Transfer to a serving dish, top with the garam masala, and serve.

VARIATION: A similar curry can be made using 1 cup canned tomato sauce and 1/2 cup coconut milk instead of the yogurt.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 927
Calories from Fat: 488

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Vegetarian Curries
Anaheim Peppers in Spicy Tamarind Sauce
Bitter Melon Curry
Butter-Cream Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Buttermilk and Cucumber Creamy Curry
Chickpea Pancakes in Curry Sauce
Classic Spicy Curry Sauce
Crispy Fried Okra in Yogurt Sauce
Curried Almond and Poppy Seed Potatoes
Curried Baby White Turnips with Turnip Greens
Curried Eggplant with Hot and Spicy Lentil Nuggets
Curried Fresh Peas or Corn and Potatoes
Curried Jackfruit
Curried Soybean Nuggets
Diced Potato Curry with Pickling Spices
Eggplant Curry with Sambar Powder
Fenugreek Yogurt Curry with Fritters
Green Mango Curry
Haridwar Potato Curry
Hot and Tangy Goan Mixed Vegetables
Hyderabadi Tomatoes in Spicy Tamarind Sauce
Hyderbadi Spicy Eggplants with Roasted Peanut and Sesame Sauce
Kerala Cucumber Curry
Kerala Mixed Vegetable Curry
Lotus Root Balls in Classic Curry Sauce
Mango Curry with Split Pigeon Peas
Minty Green Curry Sauce
Minty Pot-Roasted Potato Curry
Mixed Vegetables in Tomato-Cream Sauce
Mushrooms in Almond and Poppy Seed Sauce
Mustard Greens with Cauliflower Florets
Nani Mama's Yogurt Curry with Onion Fritter
Onion Wedges in Curry Sauce
Peach Halves in Savory Ginger-Peach Sauce
Pot-Roasted Fried Whole Potatoes in Yogurt Curry
Punjabi Chickpea Drops Curry
Punjabi Chickpea Flour Bits in Curry Sauce
Punjabi Mustard Greens
Quick Potatoes and Peas Curry with Tomato Sauce
Quick Punjabi Yogurt Curry
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
Rajasthani Potato Curry
Simple Turnip Curry
Sindhi Mixed Vegetables with Split Pigeon Peas
Sindhi Tamarind Curry with Vegetables
Soupy Gujarati Curry
South Indian Pumpkin Curry with Split Pigeon Peas
South Indian Yogurt Curry
South Indian Yogurt and Coconut Milk Curry with Vegetables
Soybean Nugget Curry with Red Bell Peppers
Spicy Curried Chickpea Drops
Spicy Lentil Nugget Curry with Potatoes
Spicy Okra Curry
Spicy Puréed Spinach Greens
Spicy Yogurt Curry with Spinach Ribbons
Spinach Balls in Green Curry
Spinach, Fenugreek Greens, and Broccoli
Stuffed Bell Peppers in Tomato-Cream Sauce
Stuffed Potato Balls in Tomato and Coconut Chutney Curry
Watermelon Whites in Tomato and Onion Sauce
Whole Cauliflower in Traditional Curry Sauce
Yogurt and Potato Curry
Yogurt-Cream Sauce with Nuts
Zucchini Balls in Creamy Tomato Sauce