Steamed Okra

On days when I need a simple but nutritious vegetable dish, I turn to steaming the Okra, or more commonly known as the “Lady’s Finger”. “Okra” originated from the Nigerian word “okuru” and its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus.

Okra is low in calories and is a good source of many nutrients including vitamin B6 and C, fiber, calcium and folic acid. It is effective for the prevention of neural tube defects in developing fetuses mainly due to its high content of vitamin B6, calcium, fiber and folic acid. So, expecting mothers – do take note of this!

OK, enough about all those facts about Okra. Let’s get down to steaming this wonder vegetable!

You just need to steam Okra for about 10 minutes (shorter, if you prefer them to be crunchy) and they are ready to be served.

Now, Okra by itself is a very bland vegetable. Add some zing to it by serving them with this Sambal:

Pound together Red Chillies, Chilli Padi, Shallots, Dried Shrimps (pan-fry this in a little oil first) and Belacan (shrimp paste). Add a teaspoon of salt and squeeze some lime juice over it before serving.

There you go… you now have a simple healthy vegetable dish! Try this when you get tired of all the stir fried vegetables!