Paleo Indian Spiced Okra is crunchy and delicious with Indian spices, shallots and drizzled with a little zesty lemon for a quick and delicious Paleo friendly side dish. 
Why you are going to love our Paleo Indian Spiced Okra
You are just going to love how quickly this dish comes together. Depending on how fast a chopper you are, you can have this dish on your table in about 6-8 minutes. However, the reason why you are going to love this dish is because it is full of flavor and aromatics and the okra are deliciously crunchy. You are going to love that little snap, pop and crunch as you bite into the okra and then the aroma of all of the Indian spices are splash of lemon is going to send you swooning.
Okra is Making a Come Back
Seriously, who knew vegetables could be so delicious and healthy for you too. Paleo Indian Spiced Okra is not only paleo friendly but it is also diabetic friendly, cardiac friendly, low carb, dairy free, egg-free, gluten-free my new favorite side dish.
Roast your Spices
I have more spices in my pantry than the average person with my spice collection on every surface, cabinet and even finding its way into drawers into the living room. Roasting the spices before you grind them takes this dish over the top. In addition, it makes your house smell fantastic.
Recipe and Spice Exchanges
If you do not have all of the spices listed in this recipe, don’t sweat it you can always use the pre-ground spice instead. Some easy alternatives for the spices are you can use 1/4 teaspoon of ground yellow mustard seed instead of whole black mustard seeds. You can exchange fresh coriander (cilantro) or ground coriander for the coriander seed.
You can exchange 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder or fennel seeds instead of fenugreek seeds, but I just love the aroma of fenugreek. If you like a little spice to your dishes , you can add a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes but this is optional. the spices add a whole new level to the simple Paleo Indian Spiced Okra recipe.
More Delicious Vegetable Side Dishes
Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots
How to Cook Shishito Peppers on the Grill
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Bites
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Paleo Indian Spiced Okra
Ingredients
- 1 tsp mustard seeds (can substitute 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
(can substitute with ground coriander) - 1 tsp cumin seeds
(can substitute with ground cumin) - 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder or fennel seeds)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot
chopped - 1 clove garlic
peeled and minced - 20 okra
chopped into 1 cm slices ( 2 and 1/2 cups) - salt and pepper
to taste - 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
optional - 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a wok or frying pan, add the dry whole spices (mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and fenugreek seeds) and cook for about 1-2 minutes over medium heat until to start to pop and crackle. Move from heat and grind spice in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Set aside.
- Add your olive oil to the wok and add chopped shallots and garlic and fry for one minute until aromatic. Add the chopped okra, ground spice mixture of mustard, coriander, cumin and fenugreek and stir fry gently for ONLY 1-2 minutes just until the okra soften slightly but are still crunchy. (DO NOT OVERCOOK or the okra will take on that strange gumbo consistency and instead what we are looking for is crispy and delicious and not sticky at all). Season will salt and pepper to taste, add a sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes if you would like it a little spicy, however that is optional.
- Turn off the wok and sprinkle the okra with a little fresh lemon juice and serve hot. enjoy!
Oh my – I do love okra. I usually use it in gumbo, but I absolutely love the flavors in this recipe! It sounds amazing. I learned years ago that fresh toasted spices are just so much better than the pre-ground. I try to use fresh spices whenever I cook, especially Indian food!
Thank you Danielle. Toasting whole spices makes your house smell amazing too and does wonders for this dish. We hope you give it a try. Take Care
My mouth was just drooling while I was scrolling through! I absolutely love Okra (it was the only vegetable I liked to eat when I was young!) and those spices are just making me so happy inside!! I love buying whole spices and roasting it too! I can eat one entire massive bowl of this! It looks delicious!!
Thanks for your sweet comment Dini! Really you ate okra when you were little? There are so many people that are apprehensive about this vegetable but if they make it in a quick stir fry so that is is still crisp, it is beautiful. I have such a huge spice collection, we have talked about knocking out a wall to add more space for the spices.. LOL However, nothing beats whole fresh toasted spices.
Seeing all these beautiful spices makes me want to throw all my spices out and start over with whole ones! My hubby loves okra so this is going to be a new favorite of his I can tell! Thanks for sharing with Saucy Saturdays!
Thank you dear! Love saucy Saturdays as I always meet so many fun bloggers. You can still make this okra dish with ground spices. Just heat the ground spices up a little bit with the oil before adding the okra and it will be delicious.
Loved that you created this crazy healthy dish. Its so darn pretty! I have hunted high and low for some okra to make, but am struggling to find any. Might have to leave it on my food bucket list and eat it when I eventually get over your neck of the woods. 🙂 Thank you again for your amazing guest post, it has gone off in the social media, so my readers have very much enjoyed visiting with you. Hope you are having a stella week my friend. Hugs and love headed your way. xo
Buona Sera, BAM! I’ve never had okra cooked properly and have steered clear of it ever since. I do love Indian cooking and their spice profiles, though, and probably would like your dish. Must remember not to over cook! I’ll be gone from WP for a couple of weeks, BAM, and hope all will be well with you while I’m gone.
You know how I feel about indian food.. and you are doing it justice here. Love it! 🙂
I thought this might be right up your alley. I bet your spices cabinet and rooms looks like mine.. Next week we are going to have to start to knock out walls and put on an extension just for my spices.. LOL
Haha yes!! That sounds just like my place.
🙂
I’ve never had okra before – at least not that I know of. It sounds delicious and I do love indian spices. I’m going to have to look for some at the store now. 🙂
What a beautiful dish, the okra just looks so cute and delicious!!
This is one great veg dish Bobbi! As a kid I loved okra, but growing up I avoid it for some peculiar reason. Looking at this I am starting to reconsider! Sharing some love around social media!
What a great okra dish. I love all the spices and never had such crunchy okra before, I assumes is was gooey uncooked too. Gorgeous pics!
I have NEVER EVER had Okra before! 😮
What a nice side dish, Ive been waiting for a recipe like this as I was used to order this back in Malaysia when I used to live there. Will give this a shot!
YUM YUM YUM! I’m all about textures in my food so this is my dish! I cannot wait to try this, Bobbi. You are always so creative with your dishes. I never would have thought to cook it this way. Good thing I always have you to turn to for inspiration 🙂 Beautiful photos, too! Love the colour 🙂 Sharing, of course.
Talk real soon – can’t wait!
Stir-fried okra is not really my thing but okra in curries? That’s a totally different story!
This looks like a very healthy but also tasty dish. I love how vibrantly green the okra is. We don’t see okra all that often in our stores so this isn’t a vegetable I cook with very often. I’ll try to find out when and where it’s available xx
I’ve never tried okra before, but it sounds and looks delicious. So good for you too, with lots of health benefits. I love the mix of spices added to this! 😀
Oh! I love okra. And this spicy stir-fry is my family’s favorite, Bobbi. You made it look so beautiful and delicious. YUMMY!
I could go for the spices, but I am not sure about the okra 🙂
Okra is appearing in the markets now and it always looks so tempting. Believe it or not, I’ve never used fresh okra-only frozen- and that has been in bisques. I need to try the real thing and this sounds pretty good!
This sounds like a great way to serve okra! All the spices and flavors sound really good!
Hi Bam, love how you prepared this okra, I bet this is really delicious. I am going to try and grow okra next year in my garden, will pin this!
Love okra cooked anyway, love the flavors in this dish.
I love this flavorful and delicious recipe dear. Looks so perfect!
Hi Bam! I was really interested to read this recipe. I got used to seeing okra recipes while I was living in Greece and to be honest never got on with them very well. But I love the sound of all the lovely spices you’ve used in this recipe. The okra looks so fresh and crisp when it’s cooked like this!
I love okra! And it’s particularly nice with Indian spices. Or in gumbo. Or in … heck, everything! Really nice photos. On my way to check out your guest post!
The first time I had okra was when I went to Tennessee. Okra wasn’t done in Maine and in Tennessee it was called ‘okry’. 🙂 It was overcooked and slimy and I swore I would never eat it again. When I found out it was just because my friend couldn’t cook, I liked it a lot. This really sounds delicious.
LOL, Maureen. This made me laugh so much! I’ve had that experience a few times and I’m always surprised to discover that the food is great when cooked properly!