Garlic Okra
蒜蓉秋葵
We might not usually associate okra with China as it does not appear in many dishes. Indeed, although it was probably grown in China for around a hundred years, it only became readily available in the last fifteen years or so. China, always one to embrace new vegetables, took okra under its wing and it’s found its way onto the table thanks to it’s health benefits, and the slimy, crunchy, furry texture. For many, that odd sliminess is off-putting, the strange strands of something sticking to the okra with every bite, but in Chinese cooking, texture is key - there’s nothing worse than a food that doesn’t intrigue in the mouth.
As with most vegetables cooked in China, they don’t like to mess around, and instead let the veg speak for itself. Just a few ingredients hiding underneath the flavour of the okra.
Serves 3-4 as a side
Ingredients
12-15 Okra (about 200g)
5 cloves of garlic - finely diced
1 birds eye chilli - finely diced (seeds removed)
1 tablespoon - sesame oil
2 tablespoon - light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
Splash of Chinese vinegar
Method
Boil a saucepan of water with a few drops of oil added to the water (this keep the vegetables looking green), and cook for 2 minutes, then drain and plunge into iced water.
Chop the stalks off the okra fingers, and then layer the fingers on a serving plate, stacking them like a pyramid.
Heat a small frying pan on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of sesame oil, then half of the diced garlic with the chilli. After 10-20 seconds, add the rest of the garlic, the soy sauce, sugar, salt and vinegar.
Pour the sauce over the okra and put on the table. This is a ‘cold dish’ (liang cai) so it’s better to leave the okra until they cool down to room temperature (or even fridge-cold) before eating.
