1. Put onion, garlic, ginger & ¼ cup water into blender & blend till smooth.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
3. Add cumin & fennel.
4. After 20 seconds or so, add the paste from the blender & the turmeric.
5. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add the coriander & fry stirring for a minute.
7. Add tomato sauce & cook stirring for 1 minute.
8. Turn off heat.
9. Wash okra & wipe with paper towel.
10. Slice a few pods at a time into ¼" rounds.
11. Turn the heat to medium again under the skillet.
12. Add the okra, salt, garam masala, lemon juice & 6 tb hot water.
13. When the onion paste is bubbling, cover, reduce heat to very low & cook for 35 minutes.
14. Stiri every ten minutes or so.
15. Madhur jaffrey, "an invitation to indian cooking".