Indian Cheesecakes in Rose Pistachio Cream, aka Ras Malai

   This hasn't been my favorite summer. With all the family stuff afoot there hasn't been a  whole lot of entertaining going on. In fact there's been a lot less than usual. The last big dinner we had was a few weeks ago when our friends were visiting from Finland. When people come from that far away one simply has to roll out the red carpet, kill the fatted whatever and break out a really special dessert. I thought about a number of possibilities. I wanted something sweet but not too sweet, rich but not too rich. The weather was hot so no frying, an no baking would be good, and I wouldn't kick "make ahead" out of bed for eating crackers.

   Ras Malai, a Bengali dessert of  small lightly poached cheese patties seemed to be perfect. Of course to be really authentic it would mean making a batch of paneer cheese, and I wasn't up for the trouble that would take. I'd read some recipes where ricotta cheese was used instead, as a sort of light, easy, substitute. Light you say? Easy? I was in. As it turned out there was a sale on Ricotta cheese. Ras Malai it was going to be.

   The idea of  trying to make anything formed out of ricotta cheese that would keep it's shape were slim to none. When I make Italian cheesecakes, usually a bit of flour is used as a binder. The Ras Malai recipes I had looked at, suggested that cream of wheat would be a good addition to the flour and help these things keep their shape during the poaching.

The last time I'd tried poaching anything, the results weren't so very pretty. There had been the Floating Island debacle of two years ago. There was that.

And that.

And yes, I know what they look like. Moving on, I decided I would not like to repeat that adventure. I wanted these little patties to hang together without looking like horse puckies. And, so they did.
 
 

Ricotta Patties In Rose Cream, Sauce

Here's What You Need:

One 15oz container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup and 1 Tbs of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of water
2 Tbs and 1 tsp of quick cooking cream of wheat
Seeds from 5 green cardamom
1 and 1/2 tsp of rose water
1/2 cup of whipping cream
A small handful of finely chopped pistachios

Here's What To Do:

Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water in a deep pan or skillet.
Stir until all the sugar is dissolved, and it comes to a boil.
Turn down the heat, put a lid on things and simmer it all for about 10 minutes.
Mix the flour, cream of wheat, and ricotta together into a dough.

Knead it for about 10 minutes.

I found that I needed to add a bit more cream of wheat to make things stick together. It didn't seem to hurt anything. Use your judgement because it's important that these cheese patties don't dissolve while they're poaching.

Roll the cheese mix into about 2 dozen small balls.
Place a single cardamom seed into the center of each ball.

Press it in and then shape the balls into patties.
I made mine on the flat side so that they'd poach through.

Poach the patties in groups in the sugar syrup, 5 minutes on one side, then flip them and cook them another 4 minutes.

As they cook, pull them out of the syrup and stick them in a serving bowl.
When all the cheese patties have been poached, turn up the heat and boil down the sugar syrup to 1 cup.
Add in the rose water.

Pour the syrup over the cheese in the bowl.

In a small pot add 1 Tbs of sugar to 1/2 cup of whipping cream.
Bring the cream to a boil then take it off the heat. Let it cool thoroughly.
Pour the cream sauce over the cheese patties.

Mix everything together so that the flavors combine and all the cheese patties are covered.
Put a lid on the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight.
To serve it up, put 2 cheese patties in each bowl and spoon cream sauce over them.
Sprinkle pistachios over the top and serve them up!

   Cool, refreshing, aromatic, and lightly chewy, these cheese patties are just the creamy taste that's perfect after an Indian feast. This can be made 2 days ahead of whenever it's going to be served, so that's an added benefit. The way I look at it, the last thing I want to worry about the day of a dinner party is what dessert's going to be.

   Coming up next I get on the 5 minutes ice cream bandwagon. What, you've never heard of 5 minute ice cream?? Yes, it's really ice cream and yes it's really 5 minutes no kidding. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori
 

The Mango The Avocado and The Pom Part 3. The Anti (oxidant) Cocktail

   One thing I've learned living in Wine Country is that not everyone drinks. Or at least not everyone drinks all the time, everywhere. There are events, occasions, and reasons to want something cool,  refreshing, and non-alcoholic. I always welcome a party that offers me something more than the conventional soft drink as an alternative. I drink a lot of water, and as I've mentioned before, I wasn't brought up with the soda habit so any soft drink I'm going to be interested in had better bring the tart and tamp down the sweet. Which brings me to my final quick fix for those hot weather holiday parties. A Pom Anti-Cocktail.

   I might call it the  Anti Cocktail because it's a virgin (blush blush) that is, no alcohol. Or I might call it an Antioxidant Cocktail because pure pomegranate juice is packed with antioxidants. Either way this one hits the spot, and when there are all those random traffic checkpoints on The Fourth of July  weekend, you'll be glad you chose this.

Non Alcoholic Pomegranate Cocktail

Here's What You Need:

A bottle of PomWonderful pure pomegranate juice
1 or 2 Tbs of Kaffir Lime Simple Syrup use one to start with and check for sweetness
Ice cubes
Plain mineral water
Lime wedge (optional)

Here's What To Do:

Pour about 1 inch of pomegranate juice into a tall glass.
Add in the Karffir Lime syrup.
Drop in some ice cubes.
Gently pour in the mineral water.

Top with a lime wedge.
It's kind of cool to serve it this way as I like that blend of colors from dark to clear, but definitely stir it up before you drink it.

   Tall, cool, not too sweet, and it'll definitely keep you out of trouble this holiday weekend.
 Wishing my fellow USA'ers a Happy National Birthday and I hope everybody who's celebrating this week has a great time. I know we will.

   Coming up next , a very fast, gluten free, Indian alternative to the usual pasta or potato salad served at Summer Cookouts. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

The Mango, The Avocado and The Pom Part 1. Three Quick Fixes for the 4th of July

   I don't know how it happened so fast, but it seems like the 4th has just come up out of nowhere ready to bite me on the ass! We've been working hard to get the revisions on our pilot script turned in before all the stuff that's going to hit the fan next week involving my mom's surgery and assorted parent wrangling. I've actually found myself wondering what day it is. Not like" is it the 29th or the 30th," but like in days of the week.  Monday Tuesday, Friday. That sort of thing. This usually happens when work gets intense and we're burrowing away.

   What also happens at those times is I go on a simpler cooking schedule. I look for things I can do quickly and  easily to pep up plain cooking, always welcome since when work gets hectic, the first thing to suffer can be the menu. I cook lunch which is our main daily meal, about 6 days out of 7. Cooking an Indian menu, there are endless variations and twists, but sometimes (like now)  there's not always time for that.

   It's been hot around here too after a relatively cool summer, so there's that to take into consideration. Who wants to run a hot stove,which leads to running air conditioning.  So even though I've got about 5 or 6 new Indian recipes I'm eager to write about, I figured I'd share these very simple things one can do with just a few seasonal ingredients and almost no cooking.

   One of my mom's favorite movies is The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover .

 Now this is a movie that's definitely not for everyone, and I include myself in that category. But Fran for some perverse reason, loves it. Here's a sample.



   I love most of the films of Peter Greenaway, and of course anything with Helen Mirren, but I've just never been able to dock with this one. Fran thinks it's freaking hysterical. Maybe I need to give it another shot. After all, what can you say about a film whos costumes were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. It'll take you right back to those late 80's Madonna, Grace Jones videos. What I do love about it though is the title, which I'm lifting here, and why I'm calling this little excursion into fast dishes The Mango, The Avocado, and the Pom.

Part 1.

Balsamic Mango Salsa

 
Here's What You Need:

1 large mango or 2 small mangos
1 jalapeno pepper finely diced
3 Tbs of  chopped fresh cilantro
I small red onion finely chopped
3 Tbs of Mango White Balsamic Vinegar
Salt to taste.

Here's What To Do:

Peel and cut the mango into bite size cubes.
Mix it together with the  other ingredients.
Let it sit for a bit before serving.
That's it.

   Now if you've never heard of Mango White Balsamic Vinegar before, you're not the only one. Neither had I before I ran into one of the guys from this local company  Sonoma Harvest at coffee one morning. He had a bottle of coconut oil with him, and of course anybody carrying a bottle of coconut oil around Sonoma is definitely gonna get a look see from me. We got talking and he ran out to his car and started bringing in stuff for me to taste. There were some unusual and interesting flavors and he gave me some products to take home and play with.

   I loved the idea of some of the flavors I use in my Indian cooking turning up in vinegars. The salsa was the first time I used it, and it added a nice, acidic layer to the sweet mango and hot chili. I'm definitely going to be doing further experiments. I also love the idea of supporting a local business. Some of our neighbors up here in Sonoma make some of the best edible, drinkable stuff you'll find anywhere. Right now these products are available in RL only on the shelves of Sonoma Market here in town or online, but they tell me they may be coming to a town near you soon. If you can get your hands on some I recommend it as a change from regular balsamic.

   Coming up next I move along to the avocado as dessert. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Gin and Tonic. A Virgin's Tale

   Last week was a pretty difficult one dealing with my Mom's cancer diagnosis and her obsession with parking in San Francisco. Thankfully, everything now seems to be under control. She's had all her tests, and is cleared for surgery. She's got her date with the doctor booked for July 6th and is planning some sort of awesome revenge appearance at some sort of dinner dance party set for 2 weeks after the surgery. Seems she's having a feud with some friend of hers about who's sitting at what table, with whom. Something about tickets bought in advance, and my mom feels dissed.

   "Fuck 'em " she said to me on the phone (her words not mine). "We're going to that party, if I have to crawl there. Rose can sit with her fancy friends... I don't give a shit. I'll show her"

   Okay. If that's what it takes to get her through this, you go girl! I always thought laughter was the best medicine but evidently revenge really kicks ass. My mother is Italian after all, and if she wants to go swanning into some church benefit party two weeks after surgery like Michael Corleone, who am I to stop her? After all what can you say about somebody who thinks Mae Rose Prizzi is a role model?



   I got a voice mail this morning. I picked it up and it was my mom reading me the Webster's definition of feisty, (her doctor called her feisty) and she wanted to know if I thought being called feisty was an insult.

   "No", I explained. "Feisty is Shirley Mc Laine. Feisty is Betty White." She seemed happy with that definition. Plotting revenge, parsing the definition of feisty, wondering if her doctor is dating anyone. It's going to be a busy next two weeks.

   So far during the last week, there have been moments when I have just wanted to check out mentally and go for the buzz. That however, is not an option. When dealing with Fran, one must have one's wits about one, and it's important to live in the reality-based community 24/7. So when the real thing won't or can't do, I always say go for the illusion.

   Which brings me to my quest for a tall, cool Summer cocktail that refreshes without altering any reality. A drink that allows you to put your feet up while still keeping a head on your shoulders for emergency revenge parties. I decided to experiment with some of the simple syrups I've been brewing and see if I could cook up a pleasing alternative to one of Alan's favorite Summer cocktails. I figured Alan would be the perfect subject to test my skills on (after all he grew up in Westport Connecticut, total Madmen G&T territory where they're born with swizzle sticks in hand). I wanted to see if I could make a fake cocktail just as tasty as a real one.

   That brings me to my virgin G & T.

Virgin Gin and Tonic

What you need:

2 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
30 juniper berries
4 or 5 peppercorns
2 limes
tonic water
fizzy mineral water
fresh mint leaves


Here's What to Do: 

Mix together 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar.
Bring the mix to a boil and take it off the fire. Add in the juniper berries and peppercorns.
Put a lid on the sugar water mixture and let everything steep for about 1 hour.
Pour the mixture through a strainer, leave out the juniper berries and peppercorns and pour the flavored simple syrup into a clean bottle and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

Tear a few mint leaves up, and muddle them in the bottom of a tall slender glass.
Add in 3 Tbs of the juniper simple syrup.
Add 1 Tbs of fresh lime juice
Swizzle everything together.
Add ice.
Fill the rest of the glass with a mix of 1/2 tonic water, and 1/2 mineral water.
Mix well
Squeeze a wedge of fresh lime into the mix and pop the wedge on the edge of  the glass.

   So how did it work? Pretty damn good. We had a three day heatwave in Sonoma this weekend and we were in the middle of writing this pilot we're working on. He wanted something tall and cool and refreshing. If it wasn't a work day a G&T would have been perfect. So, I made him one of these.

   "Whaddya think?"I asked him. "Is it okay?"

    "Tastes great" he said. There was a pause. "I keep expecting the buzz"

   Bingo!

   So if you're looking for a non-alcoholic drink this Fourth of July weekend for whatever reason, you might try one of these. You won't be sorry.

   I had some doubts the other day when I posted about what we were going through on the family front here, but I was so wrong about being worried. It really helps to share these things even though it goes against all my Italian and Hollywood omerta. I want to thank all of you who've reached out to me. I really, really, really appreciate all your good thoughts and wishes for my mom's recovery. I think the fact that she's "feisty" is going to go a long way. Now if I can just keep her from hiring a hitman to take out Rose, we'll be in good shape.

   Coming up next, quick pickles for all your summer barbecues. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Caramelized Fennel Salad, The Sensible Side Of The Green Fairy

   My family likes to cluster all their main events. Not for us the birthday in May or January, or the wedding in June. No, we like to slam all major life events such as birthdays and weddings together in one month, preferably in one week that also contains one major religious/seasonal or national holiday. So Alan and I celebrate our anniversary, Chanukka, Christmas, his birthday and New Years all within the space of about 12 days. My parents have done us one better. They have my dad's birthday, Easter and their anniversary all within the space of four days. Don't ask me why we do this, but we do. I think it has something to do with mnemonics, or a memory trick, or too many viewings of Memento. Either way, it works out to no one in our family ever forgetting anyone's special day.

Sort of like this:

or this...

Only more festive and with cake. Always with cake.

   So this last week has been a crazy time around here, what with the holiday, birthday, and anniversary celebrations all occurring. What I usually do is toss a big Easter lunch or dinner at which all the other events can also be acknowledged. Sort of killing three birds with one meal. So yesterday, which I'm still cleaning up from today, was a family Easter lunch.

   With the pressure of so many family events in a short space of days, I'm always looking for simple quick and easy, but at the same time special enough for a holiday gathering. So, when I was cruising around the internet looking for something interesting, I ran across a recipe in Bon Appetit for Arugula Salad With Oranges and Caramelized Fennel by Kate and Scott Fogarty. The reason  the recipe caught my eye was because it included one of my favorite springtime vegetables and something I think is very underrated on the American table. I'm talking about you fennel. I consider fennel a crossover vegetable which is important around here since I usually cook Indian food, and my parents will only eat Italian food. Fennel is a vegetable found in both cuisines. Small world indeed.

   I've been reading a lot about fennel pollen lately. Paula Wolfert gave me a small pouch of it to try about a year or so ago and I've been using it ever since. Fennel seed is a staple in my kitchen, and the fennel bulb with it's licorice, anise scent is one of my favorite vegetables. It's also amazingly good for you and has been used for medicinal purposes for millenia. Even my ancestors the ancient Romans, had a thing or two to say about fennel: "Semen foeniculi pellit spiracula culi" translates as "the fennel seeds make blow the arsehole". So there's that.

   On the sexier side, fennel was one of the key ingredients used to manufacture Absinthe, or as it was known to addicted painters and mad poets....The Green Fairy.

   But I'm not talking about exotics here. I'm talking about the lowly fennel bulb, found right now at most markets pretty damn cheaply. One large fennel bulb or two small ones will give you enough fennel to feed 8 hungry relatives this salad. Did I say it was easy too?

Arugula Salad With Oranges and Caramelized Fennel

Here's What You Need:

1 large or 2 medium size fennel bulbs trimmed and cut vertically into about 12 wedges. Keep some of the core attached.
6 fresh thyme sprigs
6 Tbs  of good olive oil divided in half
1/4 cup of sherry vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
4 oranges, all peel and white pith cut away.  (I used blood oranges for contrast) Slice them thinly crosswise.
10 oz of baby arugula

Here's What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the fennel wedges together with the thyme and 4 Tbs of the olive oil in a large bowl.
Coat everything well.
Arrange the fennel on a large cookie sheet sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the fennel in the oven turning each wedge over once, about 20 minutes on each side.
It will be nice and browned on the edges and caramelized when the fennel is done.
Set it aside. You can do this part at least 2 hours ahead of time, just let it stand at room temperature.
 I had some time to kill  so to relax I played my uke for a bit.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and 2 Tbs of olive oil.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add in the fennel and orange slices and arugula.
Mix everything together well.
Plate it and serve it up.

With fresh fresh crusty artisan bread and a good olive oil for dipping, this should get even your toughest customers through the first course.

   As to the entree, this was where I pulled out the big guns...Suvir Saran and his amazing meatless ragu recipe from his Masala Farm cookbook. Did it work? Coming up next I tell the tale of the most difficult eater in the world, my mother. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori.

Pumpkin Koftas, Meatless Meatballs For Meatless Monday

   Halloween has always been one of my favorite Holidays. I used to love the cold and foggy dark of San Francisco nights where I could barely see my candy bag in front of my face. Halloween as a kid meant the rare thrill of being out after dark, and the ability to run wild with a gang of neighborhood kids for a few magic hours.  It meant flickering candles in the mouths of shrieking jack o' lanterns, the sighing of the fog horns, the running slap of tennis shoes on the damp sidewalks and the barking of the seals on nearby Seal Rocks. Anything might happen on a night like that.

   Of course forgetting the costume and free candy part, that was what most nights in the Sunset district of San Francisco (otherwise known as The Outside Lands) were like. It was a sort of Bronte growing up, and it left me with a permanent soft spot for dark, dank nights when the clock falls back, lying in bed listening to the bark of seals, Halloween, and Jack O' Lanterns in the raw, aka Pumpkins. Yes, I'm a pumpkin freak. I admit it. The fruit/vegetable that can be sweet, savory and also scary? Dude, that's what I call versatile! I'm talking Justin Timberlake-acting-dancing-singing versatile. Except Justin Timberlake isn't vegan cause he, like the rest of us is technically made of meat.

   Well, we're smack in the middle of pumpkin season and there are a lot of things that can be done besides going all Nip and Tuck on them, Jack O' Lantern style. Now I happen to have a few (make that a buttload of) pumpkins around. I'd planned on carving and candeling them for Halloween but got too lazy, and so when Halloween rolled around, it was just Alan and me and Patsy the Husky and Johnny Depp (the neighbors cat) and nothing got done.

   So something had to be done with these pumpkins, and fast. Last year I'd had a similar intention and decided to store my extra pumpkins in the garage. Well, one thing led to another and I located one of the pumpkins sometime in the spring. Okay, I didn't exactly locate it. You couldn't miss it. Only it wasn't quite a pumpkin anymore. It was more like a pumpkinish  bathmat, all orange and fuzzy.

   This year I was determined that wasn't going to happen again. I had no excuses for neglecting my gourds because pumpkins aren't just for carving anymore. There are a whole raft of other  things  that one can do with them besides let them rot in the garage. One can make pies, and pasta sauces, breads and cookies, purees and gnocchi. One can also make  meatballs. Well, not really meatballs, more like meatless-balls otherwise known as koftas.

   Koftas are delicious, little puffy bites. Koftas can be made of anything, spinach, flour, bread, potatoes, yams, you name it. The ingredients are mixed with chilies and spices and a bit of garbanzo flour (besan). Usually they're deep fried, but in the name of holiday sanity and health,  I decided to saute/fry mine in a smaller amount of vegetable oil. Serve koftas in a sauce, or on a platter as finger food with a spicy dipping sauce. They're easy to make and perfect for the holiday season ahead.

Pumpkin Koftas

Here's what you'll need:
  1 small sugar pie pumpkin (about 1 and 1/2 lbs or 4 cups) peeled and grated
  2  fresh green serrano chilies seeded and stemmed and finely chopped
  1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
  1 tsp of salt
  1 Tbs of fresh lime juice
  2/3 cup of chickpea (garbanzo flour)

Here's What To Do:
 Peel and grate the pumpkin in a food processor and set it aside.
 In a bowl, combine the pumpkin with everything else.

  Pour in the lime juice for moisting.

  Get your hands in it and mix it all around. Massage that pumpkin.

  Roll it into little 1 inch balls.

  Cute.

  Heat some vegetable oil in a kadhai or wok. I used enough to come halfway up the little koftas but not enough to cover or deep fry them.
 When the oil is very very hot, add in the koftas.

  Roll them around until they brown and crisp up. Then take them out with a slotted spoon and set them on a plate with a paper towel to let them drain.

   These should be served with a sauce, either for dipping or poured over the koftas. The sauce I  used for the pumpkin koftas was a spicy spinach sauce. Since pumpkin is mild, this sauce hots them up and makes the flavors pop. And since the koftas must be served and eaten hot, the best thing is to make the sauce ahead of time, and this spinach sauce can be made a day ahead. Keep it in the fridge and heat it up before using.

 Here's What's In It:
  1 bag of fresh  baby spinach
  4 Tbs of vegetable oil
  A  2 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped
  2 fresh green serrano chilies slit up the mmiddle
  1 bunch of fresh mint
  1 and 1/2 cups of water
  1 tsp of salt

 Here's What To Do:
  In a skillet or wok or kadhai heat the oil.
  When the oil is hot, toss in the chopped ginger and chilies. Stir all that around and saute it a bit, then add in:
  The spinach

  The mint.

  Cook everything until the spinach and mint start to wilt, then turn down the heat and add in the water and salt.

  Turn down the heat, put a lid on things and let it all simmmer for about 15 minutes.
  Take it off the heat.
   Put everything into a food processor and blend it up into a puree.

  Serve it when it's done with the koftas, or pop it in the fridge to use later. Use a little or use a lot.

   I love these pumpkin koftas, vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, perfect for meatless Monday feasting. It ticks all the boxes no matter how you eat. Even carnivores love 'em. I'm not talking about Patsy or Johnny Depp the cat, but the other major carnivore around here, Alan.

   I'll be making more of these koftas over the holiday season using a variety of vegetables. I think they'll be perfect on party platters. In fact coming up next  the traditional holiday sweet potatoes get an Indian tune up. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Sorry H8ers..Okras' Back In Town

   Poor okra. Nobody loves her. She is a joke worse than spinach. The mere mention of her name at a party sends guests running for the hills. Nobody wants to have dinner with her. Every time her name comes up it's the same old thing..."No! Don't have her...She's slippery, she's slimy " Where's the love?
   Imagine growing up Okra. Those traumatic family reunions, you know when all the Malvaceae  clan get together. Don't even mention Thanksgiving. Sitting at the table with her beautiful older sister, international sex symbol Cocoa, the Angelina Jolie of the food world. I mean she just happens to be a natural aphrodisiac. Hello? how's a girl to compete?
   Of course there's her extremely successful older brother Jute, you know the Carpet King? He's all business and tough as nails. Everybody's really, really proud of him. There's perky younger brother Mallow, as in Marshmallow, always fun and another big favorite. Even her stinky Uncle Durian is sought after in certain circles. But poor poor Okra is the red headed step child of her family.., and I say that as a red head. So it's time for Okra to get a little respect. Props.
   As someone who cooks Indian food, I love working with okra, aka bindi or ladies fingers. It's a big favorite of the Indian kitchen. It's not always a favorite in my own kitchen however. Alan has been a slow convert to okra. He's got a major fear of "the slimes" so I usually go for a recipe that's spicy and crispy. But on the other hand, that's only one of many, many ways this vegetable can be cooked.
   The other day I saw beautiful okra at the market and I just had to have them. I told Alan we're having okra for lunch. Of course he wanted to know how I was going to fix it. "Not crispy," I told him "but you'll like it. It has yogurt.., and coconut!" One reluctant agreement later I was prepping my lunchtime okra. It didn't take long to have it on the table.

Okra Coconut Curry

Here's what to do:
Rinse and dry 1/2 lb of okra. Cut it into 1/2 inch slices.

Soak 2 Tbs of uncooked rice in  6 Tbs of water for 15 minutes.

 While all that is going on, heat 2 Tbs of oil in a skillet or kadhai.
 When the oil is hot toss in:
  1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
  1/4 tsp of fenugreek
  2 dried red chilies
  10 fresh or frozen curry leaves (these can be found at Indian and many Asian markets.)

 When the mustard seeds start to pop add in:
  2 medium red onions thinly sliced
  3 whole green chilies slit

Stir fry everything together until the onion is translucent.
Mix 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric into 2 cups of plain yogurt and set aside

Take the soaked rice and the water it was soaking in. Place it into a spice grinder or blender and whirl it into a paste.

Add the paste to the yogurt turmeric mixture, and set it aside.
Turn up the heat to high on the onions and chilies and add the okra to the mix

Stir fry everything for about 6 minutes until it's about half cooked through.

Turn down the heat so things don't curdle and pour the yogurt rice mixture into the pan.

Add salt to taste, stir everything together and let it all cook for another few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Drizzle with 1 Tbs of coconut oil and serve it up.

   Put it together with rice or any sort of vegetable, or even a Western style entree, and you are all set. This is not your crispy fried okra. This is a creamy South Indian style okra curry that can bring the heat. If you 'd rather not have all the chilies, you can always scale things back a bit no problem. If you like okra, you'll love her in this silky yogurt gown, and if you're an okra h'8er this may just change your mind because as I've discovered, coconut is the vegan equivalent of bacon. It seems to make everything tastier.
   Coming up next, I take advice from Glutenfreegirl and give Jovial Gluten Free Pasta a road test.
 Follow along on Twitter @kathygori