Vegan Recipe: Okra & Potato Bake with Mint Sauce

Okra. O. Kra. Ladys Fingers. Kingambo. Bhindi. I am intrigued by these pointy fuzzy pentagonal vegetables and have tried countless okra recipes to find one that would make me love them. Don't get me wrong I haven't been actively avoiding them, but like many I sometimes find them a little hard to season and can be put off by the sliminess of a little okra action.

So the other day, when I was flipping through the Dock Kitchen Cookbook, I was pleased to find a new recipe for okra that I hadn't tried before that looked simple and lovely. I made a few vegan alterations, added a sauce, and the results were delicious.

I also discovered that if you only slice them longways, that the sliminess is reduced significantly!

Okra & Potato Bake with Mint Sauce

Serves 2

For the Okra Bake

olive oil
1 large red onion
2 cloves garlic
100g potatoes
3 tomatoes
100g okra
1 teaspoon cilantro aka coriander seeds
pinch pepper
tablespoon lemon juice

For the Mint Sauce

2 heaping tbsp vegan mayo
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp chopped onion

1. Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces and boil in a large pan until soft. 
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in in a skillet or wok and fry the onions and garlic and coriander seeds until soft. And the tomatoes and then cut the the tops of the okra and then slice it long ways and add to the mix. The potatoes should be soft now too, so add them in. Season with pepper, add in the lemon juice.
4. To finish off, transfer the mix to a roasting tray and bake for about 5 minutes while you whip up the sauce...
5. Mix vegan mayo, mint, onion and lemon juice together in a small bowl for quick sauce.
6. To serve remove okra mix from the oven and serve with splashes of minty sauce. Just gorgeous!