Instructions: Okra also known descriptively as ladies fingers are the green pods of a tall annual Abelmoschus esculentus which can reach a height of 2 metres / 6 ft. The plants green pods are covered with a light prickly skin so the okra pickers have to wear gloves to protect their fingers against skin irritations. The pods can vary in size enormously according to the variety. They have to be handled gently so that they do not get bruised or worse squashed as this will allow their mucilaginous juices to pour out.

Okra which originates from Africa has a sweet taste and a pleasurable melting texture. To prepare it you have to pare the conical head lightly with a slanting movement and then trim off the black tip at the other end very slightly. (To simplify matters you can just cut the top horizontally but be careful not to cut too deep.)

Okra is mostly used whole and intact in the Mediterranean but there may be instances where it is first sliced to allow its mucilaginous substances to be incorporated in the dish for instance in the classic New Orleans gumbo.

Okra contains a good amount of vitamin A and a smaller amount of vitamin C.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.