Roasted okra

I love okra slime. I love to dump viscous sliced frozen okra into a spicy tomato sauce, cook it just a little bit, and eat it with all the goo. Eat it on top of grits. Yum.

Most people don't share my fondness for the slime (I also like the Egyptian soup melhoukia which shares okra's vicousness), and this recipe is for them. It is based on something that they used to serve at the salad bar where I used to work. Alfonso, who used to prepare dishes for the salad bar, told me his recipe, and here is my version:

Roasted Okra

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Wash and dry about a pound of fresh okra (I use a combination of the green and the dark purple).
3. Put the okra in a large bowl and toss it with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil, or a bit less if you are dieting. Add 1/2 to a full tablespoon of curry powder (I almost never use curry powder, as opposed to individual spices, but make an exception here), salt to taste, and about 1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) if you have it, and toss well again until the okra is well coated.
4. Put okra on a large, lightly greased or sprayed baking dish (I use a large jelly roll pan lined with foil to make clean up easier). If you didn't use amchur, sprinkle with juice of about 1/2 lemon. Roast between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on how tender you like it.
5. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Even okra haters will love this dish. The trick for non-slimy okra is to cook it uncovered, ideally whole, and with some acid, like amchur, tamarind, or lemon. The microwave also does wonders with okra -- for some ideas here, see Julie Sanhi's Moghul Microwave. Many of her recipes are adaptable to other flavor combos.