[2 Recipes] Stir-fry Okra With Anchovies Or Prawn

Stir-fry Okra with Anchovies

Frankly speaking before this I hardly eat or cook okra at home because I don't really like its sticky texture. But my view towards this edible green pod changed after Grace taught me how she prepares her signature Sambal Okra during one of her visit. And in this post, I would be sharing a few way to prepare this "super" vegetable which is high in fiber, rich in various minerals plus consuming Okra regularly can also helps to loose weight too.

Okra - 羊角豆

Okra (羊角豆) has a slightly fuzzy pod that contains rows of edible seeds that release a sticky liquid when sliced or cooked. When choosing okra, go for those that are firm and bright in colour which is around 10 cm long as those bigger ones tend to be tougher. Furthermore okra can be used for either stir-fry, steamed or grill depending on your preference to prepare the dish.

For the two recipes below, I added some Hae Bee Hiam or also know as spicy dried shrimps sambal which is one of the popular condiment used in Singapore. Although it might look simple (not eye catching) but trust me it will helps to enhance the taste of your dish to another level. Besides that, this condiment can also be used for cooking seafood and other vegetables like kang kong (water spinach) or sweet potato leaves too.

Note:
- You can get ready made bottled sambal chilli and hae bee hiam from most leading supermarket in Singapore at condiment section.

STIR-FRY OKRA WITH ANCHOVIES

(Yield: 2  | Preparation: 5 minutes  | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 12 Okra (ladyfinger - 羊角豆 about 250g), sliced diagonally 0.5cm thick
• 30g Anchovies (whitebaits - 银鱼)
• 1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 2 Small Chilli, seeds removed
• 2 Shallot, sliced
• 1/2 Tablespoon Hae Bee Hiam (optional)
• Splash of Fish Sauce (鱼露)

Method:-
1. Preheat frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, fry whitebaits (rinse and pat dry) till slightly golden brown in colour.

2. Add shallot and garlic then sauté till fragrant.

3. Add okra, continue to fry for 1 minutes. Stir in hae bee hiam, chilli and fry for another 1 minute (you can add in splash of water at this stage; about 30 - 50ml) or till okra is slight soften.

4. Lastly season with fish sauce and simmer for another 10 seconds to absorb the flavour.

STIRY-FRY OKRA WITH PRAWN

Stir-fry Okra with Prawn

(Yield: 2  | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 7 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 10 Medium Prawns, shelled
• 12 Okra (ladyfingers - 羊角豆 about 250g), cut into 1cm slices
• 2 Tablespoons Hae Bee Hiam (spicy dried shrimps)
• 4 Clove garlic, minced

Method:
1. Preheat frying pan with some oil, sauté half the amount of minced garlic till fragrant, add in prawns and continue to fry till almost cooked through. Dish up and set aside.

2. Next with the same pan, add in 1/2 tablespoon of oil plus remaining minced garlic. Give it a quick stir. Add in sliced okra and fry till colour changed (around 1 min).

3. Stir in hae bee hiam and continue to fry till okra soften, add in the prawn.

4. Cook for another 30 seconds, season with light soy sauce or chicken stock powder.

香辣虾仁羊角豆

材料：
１２根羊角豆（秋葵, 250克），切大约 1cm 片
１０只中虾，拨壳
２汤匙香辣虾米
4瓣大蒜，切碎

做法：
1. 热锅加入少许的油，爆香一半的蒜末然后倒入虾仁（稍为用绍兴酒和玉米粉调味）炒到几乎熟透盛起备用。

2. 接着加入1/2汤匙油和剩余的蒜末用快速翻炒,再放羊角豆炒约1分钟至变深绿色。

3. 最后拌入香辣虾米继续炒至羊角豆变稍为化，加入虾。

4. 淋上些酱青或鸡精粉调味，熄火即可上桌。

Other than Okra added in the Fish Head Curry (recipe), I also prefer having them stir-fry with some sambal blanchan or spicy dried shrimps chilli (hae bee hiam) which makes it a very appetizing dish to go with steamed white rice. And if your family cannot take spicy food, omit the chiili and do a normal version with either shrimp or anchovies will be great too. Indeed there are many ways which you can prepare Okra such as: stuffed it with minced meat or fish paste (like yong tau foo), steamed it and drizzle with some tomato egg sauce / minced meat with oyster sauce and etc depending on your preference.