Okra is not something I’ve cooked with before. As I’m always looking to explore new ingredients, I immediately wanted to try this recipe.
Okra, sometimes referred to as “lady’s fingers” is a flowering plant from the mallow family, with the edible part of the plant being the seed pod. Available in both green and a dark red colour, okra is low in calories, with only 30 cal per 100 g.
It also contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, is a rich source of dietary fiber and is high in vitamin C and vitamin k.
When cooked, okra releases a sticky substance, sometimes referred to oh so enticingly as slime or goo, that can be used to thicken soups and stews.
This recipe contains a good deal of garlic, which I adore, but surprisingly when I tasted the finished dish it didn’t taste anywhere near as garlicky as I expected.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 cloves of garlic finely sliced
- 4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g of okra
- 6 tomatoes chopped
- 1 cloves head of garlic separated and unpeeled
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- ½ tsp of allspice
- 2 tbs sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic and sauté until the garlic is soft. Add the okra and cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently, so as not to break. Add the chopped tomatoes, unpeeled cloves of garlic, cinnamon, allspice, sugar, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes .
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Serve cold or at room temperature.
