Okra season is in swing! This makes me happy. According to the Monash University Low Fodmap Diet app, 3 pods of okra are acceptable on a low FODMAP diet. I have no idea what that means because okra pods range in size from tiny to gigantic. I assume that a serving is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped okra.
The traditional American approach to okra is to either stew it, put it in gumbo, or coat it with cornmeal and fry it. Those can all be good but I am a huge fan of roasting it. It is delicious just tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. But it can also be tossed with any number of other spices. One of my favorites is chaat masala. The brand I have in my cupboard is Shan and it is a blend of different peppers and spices. It does not contain any garlic or onion.
For roasting, I always buy the smallest okra I can find. I don’t use any that are bigger than my pinky finger.
Okra
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425F. Toss okra with just enough olive oil to coat it. Spread it out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large, flat bottomed roasting pan. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven for 15 minutes or until browned in spots. You might want to check it about half way through and give the pan a shake. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with any other spice mixture you might like. Or not. Serve hot.