14 oz. fresh, tender okra
7 med.-sized cloves of garlic, peeled
1 whole, dried hot red chili
7 tbsp. water
2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
4 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. lemon juice

Rinse off the fresh okra and pat dry. Trim the pods by cutting off the ends. The top end is usually trimmed with a paring knife to leave a cone shaped head. A tiny piece of the bottom is just snipped off. Cut the okra into 3/4 inch lengths.

Put the garlic and chili into the container of an electric blender with 3 tablespoons of the water. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Empty the paste into a small bowl. Add the ground cumin, coriander and turmeric; mix.

Heat the ghee in a 9-inch frying pan or saute pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the whole cumin seeds. As soon as the cumin seeds begin to sizzle (this happens within a few seconds), turn down the heat a bit and pour in the spice mixture sitting in the small bowl. Stir and fry for about a minute.

Now put in the okra, salt, sugar, lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons of water. Stir to mix and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until okra is tender. If your okra takes longer to cook, you might need to add just a little more water.