By:Dr.Sirisha Potluri:
Who knew , Okra is an effective anti cancer vegetable. Because of it’s excellent ability to bind to bile acids and remove them from body , it’s perfect to prevent cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases. A lot of vegetables like carrots ,eggplant , brussel sprouts also bind bile acids , but the top three are okra , beets ( beet root) and kale.
We know that those eating more plant-based diets are at a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, which could in part be because of phytonutrients in plants that act as antioxidants and potent stimulators of natural detoxifying enzymes in our bodies. They can also lower cholesterol and detoxify harmful metabolites, functions that can be predicted by their ability to bind bile acids so as to remove them from the body.
Please don’t deep fry okra , it can be stir fried with no oil , or used in curries , soups , sambar , okra and sweet potato pulusu( stew) or delicious spicy okra chutney.
This recipe can be called super food recipe with the added benefits of ingredients like garlic , turmeric and red onions which themselves have myriad of benefits along with okra.
Okra stir fry ( no oil)
Okra ( 25-30)
Red onion ( 1 medium size)
Garlic6-7 cloves
Indian spices ( turmeric , red chilli powder) thadkha ( mustard seeds , cumin seeds , urad dal , channa dal , curry leaves , dried red chilli ) salt to taste
1-2 table spoons of fresh coconut ( optional) can omit this to keep the dish low calorie.
Cut okra into slices as shown in the picture, leave them aside for an hour or so to reduce the sliminess. We can air fry them for 5-7 minutes too if you have airfryer. When I made this recipe I didn’t use airfryer .
In a thick bottom vessel , add thadkha and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, then add thinly diced red onions and sauté, now add okra slices , add turmeric, red chili powder, sauté for 3-5 minutes and then cook it covered for 5 minutes. Now open the lid and add salt according to taste and turn off the stove , now add thinly chopped garlic cloves . If you want add the coconut or you can omit .
Delicious with brown rice , millets , or quinoa make sure to eat lot of curry when compared to grains to get the health benefits.
