Thanh Hà

Đậu bắp (okra) may have arrived in Việt Nam from West Africa generations ago, but its place in local kitchens is now firmly rooted thanks to its reputation as a wholesome, versatile ingredient. Long valued for its health benefits, the slender green pod has been transformed by home cooks and professionals alike into an array of flavourful dishes, said Master Chef Phạm Tuấn Hải.

Diners can find okra fried with beef, pork or shrimp; boiled and dipped in chilli juice or a tangy sweet-and-sour sauce; grilled over charcoal; juiced; deep-fried in a light batter; or simmered into fish sour soup. It also appears in pork and okra rolls, steamed preparations, and plates of okra stuffed with minced meat, Hải said.

“Almost all dishes cooked from okra are savoury but I like most okra stuffed with minced pork and okra fried with shrimp,” Hải said.

With its subtle flavour and tender texture, okra continues to inspire cooks across Việt Nam, quietly strengthening its status as a staple on family tables.

Tasty great okra dishes such as okra fried with beef, pork and okra rolls and others are often present in locals' meals. — Photo dienmayxanh.com

Ingredients to cook the dish include minced pork 300g, okra 400g, purple dried onion, garlic, fresh green onion, tomato ketchup, chilli juice, sugar, broth mix, fish sauce and pepper.

First, mince the dried onion and garlic, then mix half of them in a large bowl with the minced pork, broth mix, sugar, pepper and half a teaspoon of fish sauce, and combine well, Hải said.

The next step is to clean the okra, cut it vertically, remove the seeds and use a small spoon to stuff the mixed minced pork into the okra, then steam it for 15 to 20 minutes, he said.

Boiled okra dipped in mixed sour and sweet sauce is very enjoyable. — Photo cooponline.vn

“The sauce plays an important part of making the dish more enjoyable,” he said, adding how to cook it.

Put a pan on the heat, pour in a tablespoon of cooking oil and, when hot, add the minced garlic until its fragrant smell rises. Then add two teaspoons (tsp) of tomato ketchup, one teaspoon of chilli juice, half a teaspoon of broth mix, one coffee spoon of sugar, pepper and a little vinegar, and stir well until the sauce thickens.

The steamed okra stuffed with minced pork is placed on a plate and topped with the sauce.

Okra fried with shrimp is among dinners' options. — Photo dienmayxanh.com

The dish is fragrant with an aromatic flavour from the soft okra, the rich taste of stuffed minced pork and the sour and sweet sauce, so it would never feel greasy for eaters, said Hải, noting that it can be eaten with hot rice.

Apart from okra stuffed with minced pork, Hải said he also liked okra fried with shrimp.

“I often cook the dish twice a week because my children like it so much,” Hải said.

Ingredients to cook the dish include okra 300g; prawn shrimp 200g; minced garlic one tsp, fresh green onion, coriander, sesame oil, oyster oil, soybean sauce, broth mix, sugar, salt and pepper.

Apart from a material to cook many tasty dishes, okra also helps to bring stable monthly income to many local households. — Photo baodantoc.vn

Clean the shrimp and remove the black thread on its back. Clean the okra, cut it into two or three parts and parboil it in water mixed with a little vinegar to reduce its mucilage. Boil the shrimp with one tsp salt for five minutes until cooked, then place it in a bowl to cool. Peel off the shell, cut off the head and tail, then marinate it with ¼ tsp salt, one tsp sugar and ½ tsp broth mix, and stir well.

The last step is to fry the shrimp with a quick stir, then add one tsp sesame oil, one tsp oyster oil and one tsp soy sauce before mixing it with the okra for two more minutes. Top with chopped fresh green onion and coriander.

With these simple cooking processes, a perfect dish will please eaters with sweet and firm shrimp and soft okra that are well seasoned and slightly spicy, Hải told Việt Nam News.

In addition, okra is said to be effective in treating constipation, gout and urinary tract infection, said herbalist Hoàng Minh Phúc from the Hà Nội Centre for Traditional Medicines. — VNS