Okra

In an Indian or Pakistani restaurant, okra is my husband's constant vegetable side dish. Called 'bindi' in Urdu, this long, thin, green veggie always manages to be succulent and just the right combination of mushy and textured. Spiced to the max and slopped generously onto a big piece of naan, it can be pretty darn tasty.

So why is it that I find it so intimidating? Once, many years ago, I tried to make okra and it was disastrous. Slimy and stringy, it was more like gristly seaweed than anything else. I've been scared off since.

But now I am committed to being more experimental. Since my mother sent me a great Indian cookbook from America, I've stocked up on spices galore and am ready to try it again... Wish me luck.