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Enjoy the spicy flavors of Malaysian cuisine with this tender lady’s finger recipe (okra) in a bold sambal sauce. Sambal lady's finger (sambal okra) is delicious, healthy, and one of the best okra recipes—a must-try for okra lovers!
Lady’s Finger Recipe
Lady’s finger, or okra, is my favorite vegetable. I love it for its unique taste, texture, and even its distinctive slime! Growing up, I used to affectionately call lady’s fingers “slimy vegetables.”
My favorite lady’s finger recipe is sambal lady’s finger, or sambal okra. It’s cooked with Malaysian sambal sauce. Sambal is a chili-based paste typically made from a mixture of chili peppers, shallots, and shrimp paste, with optional aromatics like garlic, turmeric, and lemongrass to enhance its flavor.
My sambal lady’s finger recipe uses fresh okra, sambal, and shrimp. Despite the simplicity of its ingredients, this dish offers robust and bold flavors. It’s incredibly healthy and delicious, often served as a side dish or part of a larger meal. It pairs perfectly with hot steamed rice, making it a staple in many meals.
This recipe truly highlights the best qualities of this unique vegetable, and the cooking method brings out the unique flavor and texture. It’s undoubtedly the best lady’s finger recipe, and you ought to try it out!
Lady’s Finger Vegetable
Lady’s fingers, also known as okra, belongs to the mallow family and is distinguished by its edible green seed pods covered in tiny hairs. In South Asia and Southeast Asia, it is commonly used in curry and stir-fries.
In the southern United States, fried okras are very popular, and it is also a key ingredient in many Creole cuisines, such as the iconic dish gumbo.
Okra lady fingers become sticky and slimy when cooked because of a natural substance called mucilage. This gooey texture helps thicken dishes like soups and stews, and it’s why okra is popular in gumbo—it adds texture and helps bind ingredients together.
Sambal Lady’s Finger Ingredients
My lady’s finger recipe calls for only a few main ingredients:
- Fresh lady’s fingers – for best results in cooking, choose fresh, young and firm pods with smooth, bright green color around 2-3 inches long. Avoid ones that are dry, tough, or fibrous.
- Sambal – sambal is the cornerstone of this recipe. It spices up the ingredients and gives a rich and bold taste profile.
- Shrimp – you can skip the shrimp in this recipe, but adding it can elevate the dish and add a delightful taste.
- Garlic – the aromatic minced garlic completes this stir-fry dish, adding depth and enhancing the overall flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Sambal Okra
Step 1: Trim off the cap and the stem end. Slice the lady’s fingers diagonally. Set them aside.
Step 2: Heat a wok and add cooking oil. Stir-fry the garlic, then add shrimp, followed by the sambal.
Step 3: Add the lady’s fingers and water, stir-fry for a few minutes until they becomes slightly sticky and cooked then stir in the sliced chilies.
Step 4: Dish out, and serve hot.
Helpful Tips For Home Cooks
Here are some helpful tips to ensure your sambal okra turns out perfectly:
- Wash the lady’s fingers thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. Excess moisture can make them slimy when cooked.
- Trim off the cap and the stem end.
- Preheat the wok thoroughly before cooking. Ensure your wok or pan is hot before adding the oil and ingredients. This helps to cook the lady’s fingers quickly and evenly. Cooking lady’s finger vegetable quickly over high heat can also help reduce its slimy texture.
- Avoid excessive stirring while cooking lady’s finger to minimize the slime. You may also toss the lady’s fingers with a little bit of lemon juice before cooking to reduce sliminess.
- Make sure your shrimp are dry before adding them to the wok; excess moisture will make the oil splatter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sambal lady’s fingers, also known as sambal okra, is a Malaysian dish with tender lady’s finger vegetable cooked in a spicy sambal sauce.
Absolutely! You can make sambal from scratch using fresh red chilies, dried red chilies, belacan (shrimp paste), garlic, and shallots. Blend these ingredients to create a smooth and fine spice paste, then cook them (“tumis”) with oil until aromatic and the oil separates from the sambal.Check out the detailed sambal recipe.
No, you cannot use “lady’s finger” (okra) to make tiramisu. In tiramisu, you need a specific type of biscuit known as “ladyfinger,” also called “savoiardi” in Italian. These are light, airy, sponge-like biscuits that are used to soak up coffee and form the layers in tiramisu.
Yes, you can reduce the heat level by using less sambal.
Yes, this recipe is healthy as lady’s fingers are low in calories and high in fiber. It’s also packed with vitamins and minerals.
This recipe is only 109 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Sambal Okra
For a wholesome Malaysian home cooked meal, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Sambal Lady’s Finger Recipe (Sambal Okra)
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200g) fresh lady's fingers, okra, sliced diagonally
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sambal , click the sambal link to get the recipe
- 6 medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 red chili, seeded and sliced
- salt , to taste
Instructions
- Trim off the cap and stem end of the lady's fingers. Slice them diagonally and set aside.
- Heat a wok and add cooking oil. Stir-fry the garlic, then add the sambal, followed by the shrimp.
- Add the lady's fingers and water, and stir-fry for a few minutes until they become slightly sticky and cooked. Then stir in the sliced chilies.
- Dish out and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You can prepare a single portion of sambal for this recipe by blending 3-4 fresh red chilies with 1 teaspoon of toasted belacan or Malaysian shrimp paste.
- Choose young, tender lady’s fingers and avoid large, longer, and bigger ones that appear tough and fibrous. Young okra should be firm, bright green in color, and tender in appearance.
- Wash the lady’s fingers thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. Excess moisture can make them slimy when cooked.
- Trim off the cap and the stem end.
- Preheat the wok thoroughly before cooking. Ensure your wok or pan is hot before adding the oil and ingredients. This helps to cook the lady’s fingers quickly and evenly. Cooking lady’s finger vegetable quickly over high heat can also help reduce its slimy texture.
- Avoid excessive stirring while cooking lady’s finger to minimize the slime. You may also toss the lady’s fingers with a little bit of lemon juice before cooking to reduce sliminess.
- Make sure your shrimp are dry before adding them to the wok; excess moisture will make the oil splatter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I sure am going to make the sambal okra. I love okra and sambal
I add a slice of dried tamarind/assam to prevent the goopiness/slime
Thank you for sharing. Is that the ‘block’ assam? Can you use the liquid one too?
Hi Rasa,
I have been following your blog for a while. Your recipes are great :). I love Lady Fingers Belacan. There’s a Malaysian restaurant near me and I order it whenever this dish whenever I go there. This is a very simple dish to make; however, I am not able to find the Belacan (Malaysian Shrimp Paste). I was born in the Philippines but came to San Francisco when I was 6. There is shrimp paste that we use but it is slightly different from the Malaysian Shrimp Paste. Do you have any idea where I can locate this Malaysian Shrimp Paste and what brand should I be looking for? Again, I would think that it would be easy to find it here in SF (we have such a diverse community). But I have gone to two huge Asian markets and have had no luck. Please help :). Thank you!
You can find Malaysian belacan or shrimp paste at 99 Ranch. You have to look carefully it’s a block and wrapped in paper.
My belacan has gotten hard as a rock. How can I get it ‘soft’ so I can used it? Any idea. Can’t even chop it with a big knife.
You need new ones.
How do you keep a block belacan ‘soft’?
Hi Martha, it’s best to keep belacan in an airtight container.
i just cooked this dish for the very first time today.
yours doesn’t look that sticky though.
any advice to reduce the stickiness a bit?
thanks!
great website!
This is the kind of dish I like. Very simple. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this looks good! I love ladies fingers but it’s very expensive to order at Malaysian restaurants. I will try your recipe.