Before I came to the United States, I’d known okra as lady’s fingers.
I was in primary school in Malaysia when my English teacher first taught us the name of the different vegetables. The strange and awkward name of lady’s fingers deeply imprinted in my mind even though I didn’t like them back then.
In high school, I slowly learned to appreciate okra or lady’s fingers, especially when my mother made sambal okra. I started to love the slimy and sticky texture and its beautiful shape when sliced in pieces. Most of all, I loved the delicious good taste. I eventually fell in love with okra…(get sambal okra recipe after the jump)
Here is a simple sambal okra recipe that I absolutely adore. The addition of dried shrimp adds depth to the taste structure of this simple but scrumptious dish.
Sambal Okra Recipe (Sambal Lady's Fingers)
Here is a simple sambal okra recipe that I absolutely adore. The addition of dried shrimp adds depth to the taste structure of this simple but scrumptious dish.
Ingredients
- 10 lady’s fingers
Spice Paste
- 5 dried red chili, soaked and remove seeds
- 5 fresh red chili, remove seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 shallots
- 1 teaspoon belacan/ shrimp paste, toasted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 20 g dried prawn, soaked and pounded
Directions
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1Bring water to boil, add in the whole lady’s fingers and simmer until cooked. Remove from the wok, chop away ends and cut into strips, set aside.
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2Heat up your wok, pour in 5 tablespoons oil, sauté the spice paste until aromatic with lower heat .
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3Add in dried shrimp, stir-fry until fragrant. Dish onto the cut okras/lady’s fingers, or return okras/lady’s fingers to the wok and toss together. Serve hot.
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Neil
I never remove seeds when making sambal.
A North Sumatran friend (batak tapanuli) told me to crush them
(the seeds) for extra spice and flavour…
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, correct. You don’t have to, it also adds texture. It’s personal preference.