North African Spiced Okra and Rice

Okra is possibly one of my favourite vegetables yet I only cook it on occasion as most people are a little put off by the texture. I have had some sensational okra dishes all over the world and this recipe is a reflection of many of them. This recipe is super fast and easy to put together especially if your in a rush, as such I have used a jar of tomato passata and a spice blend to save time and money. There is nothing worse than having to buy twenty different ingredients for a recipe that you might only use a few times. As always play around and find the recipe that suits you. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g fresh Okra

• 1 glug of really good olive oil (i use Calvi from Lario fine foods in Sydney)

• 1 Brown onion roughly chopped

• 1 red pepper shredded

• 1 clove of garlic also roughly chopped

• 500ml of home made tomato sauce (or 1 bottle of really good pasta sauce like Stefano’s)

• 1 can of organic chickpeas

• 1 tablespoon of Zatar spice mix (Herbies is a good one)

• 1 tablespoon of Spanish spice mix (spice&co make a good one)

• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder

• Coriander to garnish

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan.

2. Fry the onion and pepper until soft over a medium heat adding the garlic at the end.

3. Add the okra and gently fry.

4. Add the sauce with half the volume of water (250ml)

5. Add spices, seasoning and chickpeas with the half the volume of the liquid in the can.

6. Simmer for 20minutes

7. If too thick add some water if too thin reduce a little longer.

8. Adjust with extra spice and seasoning to taste.

9. Garnish with coriander

10. Enjoy with some rice.