jyoti @ His Lotus Feet

There is no middle ground when it comes to eating okra; either you get it or you don’t get it. Professing you like okra because of its perfect ridge and tapering ends (where I think the name lady’s finger originated) does not make sense. You have to like the totality of this plant—it’s not only its beauty but also its uniqueness that separates okra from the rest of the vegetables; its pearly white small seeds and most of all the gummy substance that gives okra its special character. One of my relatives eats cooked okra by slitting and scraping the seeds. Why? She says she hates the slime. What? She swears she likes okra.

Do you know that okra is native to Africa? In addition, do you know the name okra is an African name? It was first cultivated in Ethiopia or in W. Africa, and then spread to North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. The migration of okra to the New World was the result of the traffic in slaves, arriving in America during the 17^th century. From India, it spread to South East Asia then to China.

You will find the use of okra in America through Creole cookery and Cajun food. What is amazing is their use of the glutinous texture in their dishes. They never try to hide it. Slicing the pod is not enough; they still add, “file”, a powder made from sassafras to add more gumminess in their “gumbo soups”. In the south, they made okra fritters by adding cornmeal and deep-frying them. I have to add this, too: they pickle em’.

In the Philippines, they cook them as it is by just boiling them with a pinch of salt, like my mother’s way of simplifying her cooking; or they add them to “Pinakbet” or “Sinigang”.

India’s wealth of spices makes them creative in using okra in their dishes. Besides braising them with tomatoes, they also dry cook them by using oil and spices to prevent the so-called gummy-attack.

Let us talk about Europe. Have you seen Europeans eating okra? I have not seen one, sorry. However, somebody told me that this is widely eaten in the South of France and some parts of Spain.

Here is how I use okra in my everyday cooking at home and in the café:

Okra Phoran

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons Panch Puran (a blend of Indian spices)

½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 green chili, chopped fine

4 cups okra sliced into 4ths, ends removed

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Sea salt, to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and stir panch puran until toasted and brown for a minute.
2. Add ginger and green chili; cook until chili is soft and ginger is brown, 2 minutes.
3. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and sugar. Continue stirring until okra is brown and soft, 3 minutes.

   Taste and adjust seasonings.

4. Normally, I serve it as a side dish, but I like it as an appetizer, too.

    

    

   “Pinakbetan”
   

   It’s a popular dish in the Philippines, but I digress from the true nature of the dish. I didn’t use fish sauce which is usually one of the main ingredients of this dish. Instead I used bean sauce, which is also available in oriental stores. Actually, replacing the fish sauce in this dish is one of the biggest “transgressions” vegetarians can commit in Filipino Cuisine.

    

   2 tablespoons canola oil

   1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

   2 medium tomatoes, chopped

   1 green chili, chopped

   ½ teaspoon asafetida or hing

   1 cup okra, ends removed and sliced into 4ths

   1 small eggplant, sliced in half moons

   ½ cup string beans, cut to 1 inch pieces

   1 cup calabaza or similar, sliced medium

   2 tablespoons bean sauce, or to taste

   ¼ cup water or more as needed

   Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

    

   1. In a large skillet or medium-size pot, heat oil and add ginger. Stir until golden brown for a minute.
   2. Add tomatoes, chili and hing. Cover and stir from time to time until the tomatoes are cooked, 2 minutes.
   3. Add the rest of ingredients. Cover and stir occasionally until vegetables are cooked but still firm, 3 to 4 minutes.
   4. Taste and adjust seasonings.
   5. Best serve with rice.

   Tip: optional

Add 1 cup of tofu or tempeh, cubed and deep-fried.