When people think of okra, they often think of slime and goo, but I’m here to tell you that, with the right technique, the tender green pod might become your new favorite vegetable. 

Growing up in Pakistan, okra was always golden and crisp but also tender, robed in a saucy masala of juicy tomatoes and velvety onions. I still make it this way in my New York kitchen whenever I return from the farmers market with a bag of okra. Following my mom’s recipe, I start with a base of garlic, ginger, chile powder, and turmeric. Then I add the onions and fried okra and simmer everything to meld the flavors.

Sadly, I can’t always find okra at my local farmers market, but a bag of the frozen stuff from the Indian supermarket works great in a pinch. It comes stemmed and sliced, which saves me time in the kitchen; I just cook it a little longer and don’t deep-fry it (the extra water makes it splatter).

When buying fresh okra, look for medium pods that are bright green, dry, unblemished, and no longer than your index finger: The bigger, the tougher is the rule I go by. Okra is surprisingly inexpensive and will keep for about four days, refrigerated in a paper towel-lined produce bag. You can use any extra okra in this Caribbean-Style Sautéed Okra recipe, which is a personal favorite. 

To clean okra, give the pods a rinse, then spread them on a kitchen towel. (They soak up water, so it’s important that they be as dry as possible to ensure proper crisping.) With some quick prep, this stir-fry comes together in no time. I encourage you to sop it up with roti (flatbread), like chapatis or parathas, or to ladle it over basmati rice.

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Chef Maryam Ghaznavi of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina’s Malika Canteen, keeps alive many of the Pakistani culinary traditions she grew up with in Saudi Arabia. Among them are many of the dishes she and her family enjoyed in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan. Sheer khurma is a delicate milk-based pudding, traditionally enjoyed on Eid morning, after prayers, and throughout the day by the guests streaming in and out of the house. The ratio of noodle-to-milk is personal, with some versions thick and spoonable, while others like it soupy and milky. For this version, Ghaznavi has also substituted the traditional raisins with rich medjool dates. The khurma is traditionally enjoyed warm, but is just as delicious straight out of the fridge.

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Fenugreek is a plant traditionally used in South Asian cooking for its leaves and seeds. It imparts a potent fragrance and has a distinct bitter taste. Widely available in Asian markets—especially Indian ones—the leaves may be sold fresh, frozen, or dried, while fenugreek seeds are packaged as a spice. While there’s no substitute for fresh fenugreek leaves in this Parsi-style preparation, the recipe is otherwise highly versatile. Eat it on its own, with a cooked egg on top, or as a side dish with chicken or lamb.

Featured in “India’s Beautifully Bitter Foods.”

*Buy fresh roti from your local South Asian market, or make your own; get the recipe here.

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This recipe will quickly convert bitter gourd haters to fans. Salting the gourd prior to cooking draws out much of its bitterness, and a quick crisp-fry provides a pleasant textural contrast to soft ground chicken. The shiver of sour, in this case, from green mango and tomato, and the roasted flavors and warming spices blends are signature elements of Parsi cuisine. 

Parsi dhana jeera is a fragrant blend of 12 spices, roasted and ground together to create a versatile seasoning that pairs nicely with chicken, vegetables, and even fish, while Parsi sambhar masala (not to be confused with South Indian sambhar) is loaded with mustard seeds, cloves, and fenugreek. Look for premixed versions of both at South Asian markets, or make your own. (Read more about Parsi spice blends here.)

Featured in “India’s Beautifully Bitter Foods.”

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All along the basin of the Himalayas, communities across Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Pakistan co-exist with the Himalayan mountains. Himalayan cuisine, bringing together Nepalese recipes, Tibetan recipes, Indian recipes as well as Pakistani recipes, are as diverse as the people who call the mountains their home. Fertile southern lands are rich with spice-laden foods as a climb up the mountains yields more unforgiving territory. The shift to foods with better shelf lives create a hearty diet rich with butter and meats. Momos, the iconic steaming dumplings made of meat or vegetables, are a classic Himalayan dish. But there’s so much more to explore, like Himalayan curries, noodles, and breads. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Himalayan recipes here.

Turkey Momos with Tomato-Cilantro Sauce

Turkey Momos with Tomato-Cilantro Sauce

These steamed, meat-filled Nepalese dumplings come from Binita Pradhan, the entrepreneur behind Bini’s Kitchen in San Francisco, CA. Get the recipe for Turkey Momos with Tomato-Cilantro Sauce »

Curried Potato Salad

Curried Potato Salad

Subarna Bhattachan, a Nepalese chef living in Lawrence, Kansas, folds a purée of cool yogurt, nutty tahini, and spicy red chiles into his fragrant take on potato salad. Get the recipe for Curried Potato Salad »

Baanhgajor Lagot Gahori (Pork Belly with Fermented Bamboo)

Pork and bamboo feature prominently in Northeast Indian cooking. One example is this braised pork belly, spiced with Thai chiles, garlic, ginger, and turmeric, from cookbook author Jyoti Das. It is inspired by an Assamese tribal dish. Get the recipe for Baanhgajor Lagot Gahori (Pork Belly with Fermented Bamboo) »

Tibetan Rice Pudding

This recipe traditionally calls for “broken rice”, the lowest grade of rice—literally, rice pieces. Broken rice creates a thick, smooth texture. Here we have substituted jasmine rice, which yields a rich pudding but does not break down completely. Before cooking, be sure to rinse your rice to remove a bit of the starch and produce a smooth, not sticky, texture. If the pudding thickens when it is left to stand, stir in additional warm milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Get the recipe for Tibetan Rice Pudding »

Tibetan Beef and Potato Stew

While traditionally made with yak meat in Tibet, a rustic stew is just as delightful made with beef. Get the recipe for Tibetan Beef and Potato Stew »

Tibetan Fried Noodles

Tibetan cuisine enjoys the influences of many different cultures—Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, Nepalese—as well as a wonderful tradition of passing recipes down through the generations, such as this classic dish. Get the recipe for Tibetan Fried Noodles »

North Indian Okra Stir-Fry (Bhindi Masala)

In this quick dish, crisp-fried okra is flavored with garam masala, coriander, chiles, and onions. Get the recipe for North Indian Okra Stir-Fry (Bhindi Masala) »

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