Despite the title, this post is not about manicures or cannibalism, haha! ;D
My sole Okra plant (usually called 'Lady's Fingers' in Malaysia and in our national Malay language as 'Bendi')(Scientific: Abelmoschus esculentus) has been fruiting regularly since early October.
Out of the 5 seedlings germinated, only 1 survived the destructive eating habits of both grasshoppers and snails, sigh. I planted it next to the corn stalks in free-draining soil added with garden compost. It is a hardy plant and does not need a lot of tender loving care.
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| Flower buds on top, seed pod ready to flower @ middle & pollinated pod maturing @ bottom |
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| Bee: Yay, sweet honey! |
It is about 4 feet high now and producing flower buds right at the top and also at 1 lower side-shoot.
The buds do not all flower together at once but rather one after another when they are ready.
But when it does flower, the light yellow petaled bloom is very pretty! I think the bee inside the flower thinks so too! :D
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Unfortunately, the pretty blooms only last a day at most and will wilt & fall off leaving the fertilised pod to carry on growing into a yummy edible Lady's Fingers!
Since only 1 mature okra can be harvested at any one time, the plant should be grown in a group to get more okra per harvest.
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| Maturing okra next to emerging seed pod |
I'll wait a few more days to let the okra grow longer and will check
that its tip is still soft & flexible before snipping it off its
stem. Okra gets tough and woody fast and should be harvested before
then.
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| Chopped okra reading for cooking |
And my favourite way to cook okra?
Usually
as a vegetable stir-fry together with minced garlic, brinjal
(eggplant), long beans, four-angle beans & strips of red chillies in
soy sauce.
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| Stir-fried goodness! |
Tried it recently in a sauce made with minced garlic, ginger slices, diced tomato, a bit salt and water and poured over cooked giant river prawns!
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| 'New' dish |
How do you like to eat okra? Denise commented on my previous post that she loves okra soup! I have never tried okra like this!
Would LOVE to read your fave okra dishes :D
While writing this post, I found some interesting information on okra from Wikipedia and here. I never knew okra seeds may be used as a substitute for coffee, did you?
Have a happy weekend (it is Friday afternoon here)!
ada add petai ka? kekeke
ReplyDeleteYou should really catch up with Teong Phing. She also a good gardener like you. Her cili padi plants, okra, kacang panjang and etc all big big punya :)
oh yummy it's getting near to dinner time here at botanic bay, and your prawn dish looks absolutely divine ! But what does Okra taste of ?
ReplyDeletemore of your Malaysian specialities pleeeaaaase !
Hello there - I am happy to meet you! I also have a garden blog on Blotanical; clicking on my name will take you there.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. I knew nothing of growing 'Lady's Fingers' or Okra and now I know what the flower looks like - they're quite lovely!
Thank you for sharing your space with me.
Small Kucing:
ReplyDeleteYes, made Petai sambal tumis too! Oho, does Teong Phing have a blog? Nak 'gali' petua :D Am planning to plant kacang panjang (long beans) & chillies next, just waiting for warmer weather to arrive!
Celine:
That's a difficult one, haha! Well, normally in my stir-fry, okra is cooked until soft but not mushy and when eaten, one can taste this gummy/gel-like substance. If cooked for a longer time, okra turns to mush and will thicken gravy due to the gum/gel. It can also be eaten raw in a salad.
I think by itself, other than the gel/gum texture, it doesn't have a specific taste like say bittergourd or radish and just absorbs flavour from whatever it is cooked with. Phew! I hope that made sense to you, :D
Botanic Bay should have loads of fresh seafood yes? I bet you have whipped up some pretty divine dishes as well! Any chance for a peek? :D
Debra:
Hi! Thanks for dropping by & commenting :D Yes, okra flowers are so pretty. The petal colours ranges from white to pale yellow and its a real pity that I can only admire 1 flower at a time! I am happy you enjoyed my post, I'll be visiting you soon!
That stir fry looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI honestly haven't had okra very often. I've had it breaded and fried before, which was good, and in an Indian dish which I don't remember the name of, which was just okay. I do think I'm going to have to try it in a stir fry now, it looks so good..
Indie: Breaded & fried okra sounds yummy! Made ala tempura (japanese cooking)? Oh yeah, will try that next :D. You are too kind about my stir-fry!! Do have a go at stir frying n let me know the results please.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of indian dishes here too and yes, okra is used extensively in indian style cooking but the okra tends to go mush that way.
This is the first time I heard about the okra seeds and coffee. I love okra in Indian curries.
ReplyDeleteAutumn Belle: These comments on okra dishes is making me hungry! :D I'm thinking of Assam Fish with steamed rice now, haha!
ReplyDeleteTanntoot, that is exactly what I didn't care for about okra in the Indian dish - it was too mushy. I've had it breaded and fried Southern US style. I'll bet it would be awesome in tempura, though. Really, what isn't? :)
ReplyDeleteMy recipe is in Dutch but I could translate it for you if you wish. But I must warn you that the taste and structure is not to everybody’s liking.
ReplyDeleteIndie: Hmm, I think I'll pay a visit to a japanese restaurant next week to "research" this tempura item! :D
ReplyDeleteDenise: Please share the recipe! Hope the other ingredients needed are available here though :D Thanks in advance!