blanched okra in sambal

I love okra very very much..
is it okra or ladies fingers ..you may ask
they are the same vegetable... only differ in size
the smaller ones are okra whereas the longer ones are ladies fingers
no matter how it is prepared
be it in curry or blanched or fried they add so much flavor to the dish :)

Both the okra and the sambal are prepared separately



Blanching the okra
wash 8 okras under running water until thoroughly clean
on the stove, half filled a medium sized pot with water and bring it to a boil
toss in all the okras and a pinch of salt and continue boiling for 3 mins
after 3 mins remove all okras from the boiling water and put them on a serving plate
cover the plate with a lid and set aside
this way the okra continues to soften without ruining its shape, color and minerals



Making the Sambal
heat 3 Tbsp cooking oil in a wok and saute 3 Tbsp chili paste + 1 tsp salt till crispy
add in 1 tsp tamarind juice + 1 tsp sugar
stir thoroughly well for another minute and off fire
gently scoop the sambal out of the wok and pour them all over the okra
ta-daaa!!



serve hot
truly delicious when eaten with warm white rice :)



a word on the chili paste
the chili paste used in this recipe were made by myself
it consists of blended dried chilies, shallots, ginger, turmeric, belacan (shrimp paste), sugar and salt