Okra Chaat Recipe

Serves 6 to 8

This might be Snackbar’s best-​known dish — ​thin strips of flash-​fried okra tossed in chaat masala. In mid- to late July, when my backyard okra begins producing pods, I know that Snackbar’s farmer-​suppliers will be knocking at the back door with okra soon. That’s when we add this chaat — ​the catch-​all term for savory snacks in India — ​to the Snackbar menu.

The idea for this dish came from chef Suvir Saran. Cooking a pop-​up dinner at Snackbar in the fall of 2009, he served his version of fried okra, which had become a hit at his Michelin-​starred restaurant Dévi in New York City. The recipe involved cutting the okra very thin lengthwise and frying it until crispy without using any breading. I had never seen this technique before that night. In fact, I was afraid that the okra wouldn’t hold its texture through service. I was wrong. The dish turned out to be one of the finest okra preparations I had ever tasted.

The following year, as soon as okra came in season, I decided to develop a new dish based on the technique I had learned from Chef Saran. The result was this okra chaat. It was a hit with the guests, including one local writer who mentioned it in a magazine. Word spread, and okra chaat has been a part of summer at Snackbar for a decade now. I think its appeal lies in its twist on a traditional Southern favorite, fried okra. Most of our diners are familiar with cornmeal-​breaded fried okra. In this batterless preparation, the flavors take center stage. What was once a local novelty is now a local favorite. I hope one day you’ll join us in Oxford and order it. Until then, here is the recipe. Serve it as an appetizer or cocktail snack.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups neutral oil, such as peanut or canola
• 2 pounds okra pods, wiped clean and tough tops trimmed
• 1½ tablespoons chaat masala (store-​bought or homemade, page 8), divided
• Salt
• 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and minced
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup seeded and diced tomatoes
• ⅓ cup chopped dry-​roasted peanuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons cane syrup or sorghum syrup
• Juice of 2 limes