Bamya Alicha

Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by Daniel Mesfin is one of the books D gave me early in our marriage. I like the book. Simple recipes, easy to follow. The only thing I would have liked more is to have pictures of each of the dish along with the recipe on that page. The book does have assorted pictures of dishes spread around the book, though, with the caption and all.

Anyway, I use it as a guide more than following recipes to the letter. So, this recipe of Bamya Alicha, which is a spicy okra stew/side, usually served with Injera, is not strictly traditional and is not per the recipe in the book, thanks to my chronic inability to follow any recipe to the letter :)

Ingredients
½ package frozen cut okra
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1-2 red chilies
2 Tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic crushed or minced
salt to taste

spice powders:
2 tsp paprika powder
2 tsp allspice powder
1-2 Tbsp cayenne pepper powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
2 tbsp canola oil
½ cup water

Preparation

1. heat the oil in a pan, add the tomatoes and sauté till soft
2. add the ginger and garlic, sauté till fragrant
3. add the cut frozen okra (no need to thaw - usually it is par-cooked and doesn't take long to cook through), some water, and some salt
4. cover and simmer till okra is tender
5. stir in the spice powders, simmer some more; adjust to taste