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prasanna
Age: 47 Zodiac: 
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Location: DUBAI, Los Angeles, Chennai
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 Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:19 pm |
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Okra (American English: [ˈoʊkɹə], British English [ˈəʊkɹə], [ˈɒkɹə]), also known as lady's finger[1], bhindi (Hindustani) and gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family (along with such species as cotton and cocoa) valued for its edible green fruits. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus.
The species is an annual or perennial, growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 10–20 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers are 4–8 cm diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The fruit is a capsule up to 18 cm long, containing numerous seeds.
Okra is occasionally referred to by an early, now incorrect synonym, Hibiscus esculentus L. The name "okra" is of West African origin and is cognate with "ọ́kụ̀rụ̀" in Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria. In various Bantu languages, okra is called "kingombo" or a variant thereof, and this is the origin of its name in Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French. The Arabic "bāmyah" is the basis of the names in the Middle East, the Balkans, Turkey, Greece, North Africa and Russia . In Southern Asia, its name is usually a variant of "bhindi" or "vendi".
The species apparently originated in the Ethiopian Highlands, though the manner of distribution from there is undocumented. The Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries used the Arab word for the plant, suggesting that it had come from the east. The plant may thus have been taken across the Red Sea or the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to the Arabian Peninsula, rather than north across the Sahara. One of the earliest accounts is by a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216, who described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with meal.[2]
From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. The lack of a word for okra in the ancient languages of India suggests that it arrived there in the Common Era. The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade[3] by 1658, when its presence was recorded in Brazil. It was further documented in Suriname in 1686. Okra may have been introduced to the southeastern North America in the early 18th century and gradually spread. It was being grown as far north as Philadelphia by 1748, while Thomas Jefferson noted that it was well established in Virginia by 1781. It was commonplace throughout the southern United States by 1800 and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806.[2]
Okra
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 30 kcal 150 kJ
Carbohydrates 7.6 g
- Dietary fibre 3.2 g
Fat 0.1 g
Protein 2.0 g
Folate (Vit. B9) 87.8 μg 22%
Vitamin C 21 mg 35%
Calcium 75 mg 8%
Magnesium 57 mg 15%
Vitamin A (660 IU)
Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Abelmoschus esculentus is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white seeds. The fruits are harvested when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
In Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen,[4] and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean, okra is widely used in a thick stew made with vegetables and meat. In Indian cooking, it is sauteed or added to gravy-based preparations and is very popular in South India. In Caribbean islands okra is cooked up and eaten as soup, often with fish. In Haiti it is use in rice and maiz and also with meat for sauce. It became a popular vegetable in Japanese cuisine toward the end of the 20th century, served with soy sauce and katsuobushi or as tempura. It is used as a thickening agent in gumbo. Breaded, deep fried okra is served in the southern United States. The immature pods may also be pickled.
Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar manner as the greens of beets or dandelions.[5] The leaves are also eaten raw in salads.[citation needed] Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a non-caffeinated substitute for coffee.[2] As imports were disrupted by the American Civil War in 1861, the Austin State Gazette noted, "An acre of okra will produce seed enough to furnish a plantation of fifty negroes with coffee in every way equal to that imported from Rio."[6]
Okra forms part of several regional 'signature' dishes. Frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) is a Brazilian dish that is especially famous in the region of Minas Gerais. Gumbo, a hearty stew whose key ingredient is okra, is found throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States. The word "gumbo" is based on the Central Bantu word for okra, "kigombo", via the Caribbean Spanish "guingambó" or "quimbombó".[2] It is also an expected ingredient in callaloo, a Caribbean dish and the national dish of Trinidad & Tobago. Okra is also enjoyed in Nigeria where okra soup (Draw soup) is a special delicacy with Garri(eba)or akpu.
Okra oil is a pressed seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the okra. The greenish yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid.[7] The oil content of the seed is quite high at about 40%. Oil yields from okra crops are also high. At 794 kg/ha, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.[8]
Unspecified parts of the plant reportedly possess diuretic properties.[9][10]
[edit] Cultivation
Okra flowers range from white to yellow
Okra flowers range from white to yellow
Abelmoschus esculentus is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world. It will tolerate poor soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture. Severe frost can damage the pods.[citation needed]
It is an annual crop in the southern United States.
In cultivation, the seeds are soaked overnight prior to planting to a depth of 1-2 cm. Germination occurs between six days (soaked seeds) and three weeks. Seedlings require ample water.[citation needed] The seed pods rapidly become fibrous and woody and must be harvested within a week of the fruit being pollinated to be edible.[2]
The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" when the seed pods are cooked. In order to avoid this effect, okra pods are often stir fried, so the moisture is cooked away, or paired with slightly acidic ingredients, such as citrus or tomatoes. The cooked leaves are also a powerful soup thickener.[citation needed]
SIMPLE AND Detailed Product Description
Okra (ladiesfingers)
The finger sized length and smooth and slender shape of the okra earned them the
Name ladies fingers. They are usually chopped up and stir fried to make a bhaji.
When cooked properly they become soft and quite slippery. They are quite bland
To taste and the spices usually over power the flavour of the okra. Alternatively they can be used in curries and go well with either fish or meat. Also known as bhindi because when sliced through the middle, the okra resembles the bhindi (spot) worn by some indian ladies on their foreheads. Usage: cooked or pickled-often
Used in creole dishes.
Selection: good-quality okra will be firm, dry and you should feel a soft fuzz similar to a peach on the skin which will have no blemishes. The coloring will be medium to dark green (afew varieties are white) . The shape can be either short and stocky or long and slim.
Avoid: avoid product that is soft, wet, has dark spots on the skin or brown, soft stems.
Fried okra - ladies' fingers
Serves 4
8 oz okra (ladies' fingers)
salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
8 oz Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped basil or marjoram
* Put the okra into a pan, sprinkle with salt, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes, until just tender.
* Drain, pat dry with kitchen paper.
* Heat the oil and add the okra. Add the coriander and cardamom and fry gently for 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
* Mix the paprika with the yogurt and add to the pan. Heat through, stirring, but do not boil.
* Sprinkle with basil or marjoram and serve.
Variations
* Add 2 cloves chopped or crushed garlic with the spices.
* Add chopped spring onions with the spices.
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Some people hate it because of the slime factor, but I don't care. I love it. =)
