I had a friend leave Hong Kong a few months ago, and was given all of her cooking supplies – including 800 grams of polenta. So I’ve been finding ways to use it, as it’s not something I normally have at home.

Given the need to social distance, and reduce our contact with others as much as possible, I’ve also invested in a vegetable box subscription. I opted for the seasonal box, so I get surprised every week with what arrives. In my first box I found okra, something I’ve not eaten in a while. I have made various dishes with okra before, but I wanted to make something that included the okra.

So we, got okra fritters. They’ve got peppers and chilies in them too, so you’ll get lots of flavour and texture. They won’t be to everyone’s taste, that’s for sure – okra seems to be a controversial vegetable after all. But if you do like okra, then I promise that these are delicious and filling. Have it as a side dish with your favourite protein, or make the patties smaller and have them as dippable finger food for when you can have people around for dinner again.

Ingredients

300 grams okra, tops discarded, and sliced into 0.5 cm rounds
2 red chillies, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
300 grams polenta
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
200 ml water
pepper
salt
125 ml canola oil (or other oil, for frying)

1. In a large bowl, combine the polenta, baking powder and salt.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and water together
3. Combine the egg mixture with the polenta mixture, and stir together.
4. Add the okra, chillies, peppers, lime juice and garlic, and combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Over a medium, add the oil to a large skillet or frying pan.
6. Once hot, form the batter into equal-sized patties and fry on each side for about 3 minutes until golden and crispy. I made 10 large fritters with this amount of batter.
7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
8. Serve warm and with raita or tzatziki.