Bob,
Did you like this as a dipping sauce for the samosas? I ask this
question because this is a traditional South Indian dish eaten with rice
with a lot of sesame oil poured on top to temper the heat or eaten a
little bit at a time with plain steamed rice mixed with full fat yogurt.
I would not have thought it would pair well with samosas, but I have
never tried it with them either - North-South Indian fusion cusine I
guess :-)

- Kamala.


Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> This is from Julie Sahni's _Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking_:
>
> Beware of this delicacy, for it can be shockingly hot to the unprepared
> palate.
>
> You can substitute green beans, yellow wax beans, lima beans, fresh
> black-eyed peas, sweet green peas, asparagus, carrots, or shallots of equal
> quantity for the okra.
>
> 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
> 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
> 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
> 4 dry red chile pods
> 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow split peas
> 1 tablespoon split white gram beans ("urad dal")
> 3 cups water
> 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
> 1/3 teaspoon ground asafetida ("hing")
> 3 tablespoons light vegetable oil or light sesame oil
> 1 pound okra, tops trimmed and left whole or cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
> 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
> 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
>
> 1. Put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, chile pods,
> yellow split peas, and split white gram beans into a lightly-greased skillet
> over medium-high heat. Roast the spices, shaking and tossing, until they
> turn several shades darker, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a small plate,
> cool completely, and grind to a fine powder using a spice grinder.
>
> 2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the tamarind paste,
> ground asafetida, and the ground spice powder, and mix well. Lower the heat
> and cook the sauce at a simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
>
> 3. While the sauce is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan. When the
> oil is hot, add the okra. Fry the okra, turning and tossing, until covered
> with several brown streaks, regulating the heat between medium and high,
> about 9-10 minutes. Turn off heat.
>
> 4. Add the fried okra to the sauce and continue cooking for another 4
> minutes. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce thickens. Turn
> off heat and add salt to taste.
>
> Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Keeps well covered in the
> refrigerator for 2 days.
>
> BOB'S NOTES:
>
> 1. I substituted carrots for the okra.
> 2. I puréed the sauce before adding the cornstarch. After all, I was using
> it as a dipping sauce for samosas, and a chunky sauce just wouldn't work as
> well.
> 3. If you have trouble finding asafetida, you can substitute 2 cloves of
> garlic paste (either pressed, pounded in a mortar, or scraped on a board),
> though the substitution is NOT authentic (for religious/superstitious
> reasons).
> 4. I don't have a 1/3 teaspoon measure, so I used a scant half-teaspoon of
> asafetida.
>
>
> Bob
>
>