This made an excellent addition to my lunch salad along with an improvised and punchy dressing of herbed chickpeas and carrot.
The inspiration recipe referred to these as fries and called for them to be curried and served as is with a dip. Since I am having curried roasted vegetables for dinner, and since I am always on the lookout for something that will elevate what could potentially be a boring meal salad, I decided to put my spin on things and turn the fries into croûtons. Also, two tablespoons of oil rather than four cups seemed like a winning proposition and, trust me, these were crisp and yummy even without being deep fried.
This recipe will make enough to top a meal-sized salad generously. These are great with summer fresh okra, but can be made year round with okra from the freezer section.
6-8 okra pods, end removed, halved and each half sliced into three or four pieces lengthwise
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 tsp Tajin spice mix
Prep the okra and put the pieces in a plastic bag or bowl. Add the cornstarch and toss well to combine.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet. As soon as it is smoking hot, add half of the okra pieces and shallow fry for a minute on each side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining oil and okra.
Sprinkle the Tajin over the top of the crispy okra and toss to ensure that all of the croûtons get a hit of the spice mix's citrusy saltiness.
Inspiration recipe, here.