About Ladies Finger/Okra:
Okra (US // or UK //; Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, bhindi,bamia, or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world.
Greenish-yellow edible okra
oil is pressed from okra seeds; it has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in
unsaturated fats such as
oleic acid and
linoleic acid.The oil content of some varieties of the seed can be quite high, about 40%. Oil yields from okra crops are also high. At 794 kg/ha, the yield was exceeded only by that of
sunflower oil in one trial.
The products of the plant are
mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked; the mucilage contains a usable form of soluble fiber. Some people cook okra this way, others prefer to minimize sliminess; keeping the pods intact, and brief cooking, for example stir-frying, help to achieve this. Cooking with acidic ingredients such as a few drops of lemon juice, tomatoes, or vinegar may help. Alternatively, the pods can be sliced thinly and cooked for a long time so the mucilage dissolves, as in
gumbo. The cooked leaves can also be used as a powerful soup thickener. The immature pods may also be pickled. In the deep south of the United States Okra is a delicacy, especially deep fried in oil, after breading. Several cafes and nationwide eating establishments including The Ole Cracker Barrell and the Corral, serve Deep fried okra usually with a side order of a sauce like buttermilk dressing.
In
Syria,
Tunisia,
Egypt,
Albania,
Bosnia,
Greece,
Bulgaria,
Republic of Macedonia,
Iran,
Iraq,
Jordan,
Lebanon,
Turkey, and
Yemen, and other parts of the eastern
Mediterranean, including
Palestine,
Cyprus and
Israel, okra is widely used in a thick stew made with vegetables and meat. In Bosnia and most of West Asia, okra is known as
bamia or
bamya. West Asian cuisine usually uses young okra pods, usually cooked whole. In India, the harvesting is done at a later stage, when the pods and seeds are larger.
It is popular in
Indian and
Pakistani cuisine, where chopped pieces are stir-fried with spices, pickled, salted or added to gravy-based preparations such as
bhindi ghosht and
sambar. It is also simmered in coconut based curries or tossed with ground mustard seeds. In India, it is also used in curries. In curries, okra is used whole, trimmed only of excess stalk and keeping the hard conical top, which is discarded at the time of eating. In South India, Okra is cut into small circular pieces about 1/4 inch thick and stick fried in oil with salt and hot pepper powder to make delicious curry. However, when used in sambar it is cut into pieces which are 1 inch thick to prevent it from dissolving when the sambar is let to simmer.
In
Malaysia okra is commonly a part of
yong tau foo cuisine, typically stuffed with processed fish paste (
surimi) and boiled with a selection of vegetables and
tofu, and served in a soup with noodles.
In
Malawi it is preferred cooked and stirred with
sodium bicarbonate to make it more slimy. It is then commonly eaten with nsima (pap) made from raw maize flour or maize husks flour.
Okra (roasted with margarine)
In the
Caribbean islands, okra is eaten in soup. In
Curaçao the soup is known as
jambo which primarily is made out of the okra's mucilage. It is often prepared with fish and
funchi, a dish made out of
cornmeal and boiling water. In
Haiti, it is cooked with rice and maize, and also used as a sauce for meat. In
Cuba, it is called
quimbombó, along with a stew using okra as its primary ingredient.
In the
Philippines, okra can be found among traditional dishes like
pinakbet,
dinengdeng, and
sinigang. Because of its mild taste and ubiquity, okra can also be cooked
adobo-style, or served steamed or boiled in a salad with tomatoes, onion and
bagoong.
Okra forms part of several regional "signature" dishes.
Frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) is a
Brazilian dish especially famous in the region of
Minas Gerais, and it is the main ingredient of caruru, a bahian food with dende oil.
Gumbo, a hearty stew whose key ingredient is okra, is found throughout the
Gulf Coast of the United States and in the
South Carolina Lowcountry. Deep- or shallow-fried okra coated with cornmeal, flour, etc. is widely eaten in the
southern United States. Okra is also an ingredient expected in
callaloo, a
Caribbean dish and the national dish of Trinidad and Tobago. It is also a part of the national dish of
Barbados coucou (turned cornmeal). Okra is also eaten in
Nigeria, where
draw soup is a popular dish, often eaten with
garri or
cassava. In
Vietnam, okra is the important ingredient in the dish
canh chua. Okra slices can also be added to
ratatouille.
A variety of okra pods with a dark red pigmentation
Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar way to the greens of
beets or
dandelions. Since the entire plant is edible, the leaves are also eaten raw in salads. Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeine-free substitute for
coffee.
Ingredients:
Okra - 1/2 lb
Tomato - 2 diced finely
Onion - 1 medium size ,diced finely
Green Chillies - 1 slit
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds -1 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry Leaf -1 sprig
Turmeric Pd - 1 tsp
Chilly Pd - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tbsp or Whole Tamarind - 1 gooseberry size soaked in warm water for 30 min and squeeze pulp and use water
Salt - as needed.
To Grind:
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Small Pearl Onion - 1
Grind this to a fine paste by adding water.
Method:
1.Cut Okra into rings like below.
2.Heat a pan and add oil,then add mustard seeds.
3.Add Curry leaf and hing.
4.Then add onions .Saute them very well .Add Turmeric Pd and stir well.
5.Add Tomatoes and saute very well.
6.Add Water to cook tomatoes.Add Chilly pd and saute well.
7.Add Okra and keep stirring.Cover and let it cook completely.
8.Once okra is cooked add tamarind paste ,salt and mix well
9.Add Ground mixture and mix well.Cover and let it cook in slow flame for 15 min.
10.Switch off flame and let it sit for 15 min before serving.
