Street Food - Bhindi chatpatti (Spicy fried okra)

Serves 4–6
2 tbsp Greek-style yogurt
1½ cups chickpea flour
1½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
21⁄4lb (1kg) fresh okra
1¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges, for serving
1To make the batter, spoon the yogurt into a large bowl. Sift in the chickpea
flour, and whisk together to blend. Add the chili powder and ground cumin.
Continue whisking while slowly adding cold water, a few tablespoons at a time,
until the batter is the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thin, simply add a
little extra yogurt. Season well with salt and pepper, then set aside while you
prepare the other ingredients.
2Cut the okra in half lengthwise. Place in a colander and rinse thoroughly
under cold water. Let drain for a few minutes, then give the colander a
good shake to drain off any excess water. Turn the okra onto a clean towel, and
pat dry to remove any moisture.
3Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. To test that the
oil is hot enough, coat a piece of okra with the batter and drop into the oil.
It should sizzle immediately; if it doesn’t, let the oil get hotter before adding any
more okra. When the oil is ready, take a handful of okra and dip into the batter.
Carefully drop the battered okra into the hot oil, scattering them across the
surface of the oil so that they do not stick together. (It is important to cook the
okra in batches; otherwise the temperature of the oil will drop and the okra will
become soggy.) Move the okra around the pan as they are frying, separating
them with a slotted spoon. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown all
over. Remove from the oil and drain well on paper towels. Keep warm while
you continue cooking in batches until all the okra is used.
4Sprinkle with salt and serve in a large stack with lemon wedges to squeeze
over—the acidity of the lemon complements the spicy okra. Alternatively,
make small parchment paper cones, securing the edges with toothpicks. Fill
each one with some of the fried okra, and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice
before serving at once.
Okra, or bindhi, is cooked
in many different ways in
all sorts of Sri Lankan and
Indian dishes. For best
results it should be fried
in a little oil until golden
brown with a nutty taste,
then added to other
vegetables or covered with
a sauce. This recipe is very
simple and is eaten as
a snack in many parts of
Sri Lanka and India. When
I first had okra this way, I
found them so delicious
that it was difficult for
me to stop eating them.
These work well at the
start of a large meal.

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