Sig's Okra and Lentil Stew

• 16 pieces of fresh okra or canned ( but not pickled )
• 1 tsp butter or use oil spray for pan
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled
• 1 small courgette (zucchini ) chopped
• 100 ml passata ( Italian pressed tomato juice )
• 100 grams canned and washed, or ready to eat puy lentils
• 1 Italian , red , sweet pepper
• 1 tsp tikka ( Indian spice mix)

1. First wash and thoroughly dry the okra, if using fresh okra, this is an important step when preparing okra.
2. Then cut the stem end into a pencil like shape without piercing or breaking the skin.
3. Add some butter into pan and fry the okra for about 5 minutes from all sides .
4. Add the sliced onions.
5. With a potato peeler slice the whole of the carrot into the pan , then chop the courgette into the pan add the lentils and the tikka spice.
6. Add half the passata.
7. Add the red pepper and the rest of the passata, simmer gently until it thickens to your liking .
8. I like okra and vegetables in general to still have a crunch, so I make sure I not overcook them .
9. This was really great with rice, but I can think that this would also work very well with a spice mix from Morocco, with cinnamon and such and couscous .

fresh okra, butter, onion, carrot, courgette, passata, italian, tikka

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/356545-sigs-okra-and-lentil-stew (may not work)