WHAT IS OKRA? BHINDI TORI IN URDU: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF OKRA: BHINDI GHOSHT KI RECIPE

OKRA, BHINDI TORI, HIBISCUS ESCULENTA

Okra is also known as gumbo in the southern US states and ladies fingers, and bhindi tori in Urdu. It is also known as Abelmoschus esculenta (Abelmoschus meaning father of musk in Arabic). It is in the mallow family and related to hibiscus.

   When you cook okra you have to be careful not to cut the green pod so that it stays intact and doesn’t release the gummy substance inside it. To clean it you should cut off the tops and the bottom of the pods. It contains a lot of white seeds, and these can be roasted or dry fried, then ground and made into a coffee substitute which is said to be very much like the real thing and much closer to the taste of coffee than other substitutes such as dandelion roots.

   Okra originated in West Africa, possibly in Ethiopia, and was either taken to the US with African slaves, or introduced by the French in the 18^th century. It is used in Creole dishes and is called gumbo, which is a derivative of the word nkrumo, perhaps. It is good with prawns and chicken and other meat too, as you will see if you try the recipe below.

   The gummy substance inside the pods thickens sauces naturally without the addition of flour or cornflour. However okra is not to everyone’s taste and you either like it or hate it. You can deep fry okra as well as adding it to soups and stews, and serve it as a side vegetable.

   Okra is packed with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, C, a number of the B-complex vitamins, and vitamin K; the minerals include zinc, manganese, calcium, magnesium and iron. It also contains some of the essential amino acids. It is good to eat during pregnancy as it helps prevent neural deficiencies in the foetus. It has antioxidant properties and can help fight the free radicals which cause cancer. It also prevents constipation and cleans the colon, thus lessening the risk of colo-rectal cancer and piles. Okra has the best fibre content along with flax seeds and ispaghule (also called psyllium) or plantain. It helps regulate blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol.

   Try this recipe from the Indian subcontinent, okra with meat.

BHINDI GHOSHT

Ingredients

1 kg beef, cubed

½ kg okra

250 gr yoghurt

6 onions, chopped

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tsps turmeric

1 tsp ground cardamom seeds

salt to taste

oil for shallow and deep frying

4 glasses of water

fresh coriander leaves as optional garnish

Method

Top and tail the okra as described above. Wash it thoroughly and dry it completely.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry 2 of the chopped onions until they are golden-brown. Add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, and the two pastes (make garlic paste by grinding 10 cloves of garlic in a blender and 2 inches of peeled ginger root). Stir and fry for two minutes.

Add the meat and cook for 5-7 mins then add the remaining 4 shopped onions and 2 glasses of water.

Cook until the water has gone, then ad the yoghurt and cook for a further 5 mins.

Add two more glasses of water the garam masala and ground cardamoms.

Deep fry the okra for 3-5 mins. Add it to the meat.

Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 10 mins.

Your delicious bhindi ghosht is now ready to serve with naan or roti (chapattis).

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves if you wish.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

GRAINS OF PARADISE: HEALTH BENEFITS OF GRAINS OF PARADISE, USES AND HISTORY: RECIPE RAS EL HANOUT, SPICE MIXTURE

GRAINS OF PARADISE, AFRAMOMUM MELEGUETA

Grains of Paradise have been traded since the 9^th century, and were very popular in Europe. They come from West Africa and were taken across the Sahara Desert by intrepid spice traders. They were used as a pepper substitute as they were cheaper than peppercorns, although now they are a rare commodity in Europe, and more expensive than pepper. There are actually two plants which produce these seeds or grains, Aframomum melegueta and Aframomum granum paradisi. They are also known as Guinea grains and Alligator pepper. The seeds are red-brown and have irregular shapes.

   They come from the same family as ginger and the plant looks a little like the one that produces cardamom seeds. They have a peppery flavour with hints of ginger, cardamom and citrus, and are faintly flowery. You can chew them to freshen your breath and get the full delightful flavour. You can put them in your pepper grinder with black pepper and use them as a condiment, which will give foods added interest. They are used in Ras el Hanout which means Top of the Shop, a Moroccan spice mixture which we give below. They are good to flavour vegetables and go well with potatoes, aubergines, pumpkins and okra. They are also good ground and rubbed into chicken or meat before it is cooked. Try some on your steak. They should be ground and added to dishes about 15 minutes before they are cooked to get the full flavour from them.

   The seeds and rhizomes are used in West Africa in traditional herbal medicines, and are reputedly aphrodisiacs, stimulants and diuretics. Studies carried out on lab rats support the idea that they increase the libido (in rats) and that they can reduce pain and inflammation so may be good to treat arthritis. However they have yet to be tested on humans.

  They were used to flavour the old wine, Hippocras along with cardamoms and ginger, and Gerard, the English herbalist, recommends them to be taken with “Sacke “for stomach problems. They are used in Scandinavian countries to flavour aquavit, and are one of the ingredients of Bombay Sapphire gin, and are used in the brewing of some beers.

   In 1629 they were used by the inhabitants of Norwich in north eastern England to flavour herring pies. They were one of Elizabeth I’s favourite spices and were very popular in the Renaissance. This may be because the wily traders gave them the exotic name of Grains of Paradise in the 14^th century as a marketing ploy so that they could make more money from their sale. In the 12^th century they were half the price of pepper, so clearly traders felt they were not making enough money out of them. 

   The spice mixture below can be added to meat dishes, especially those that have lamb as a main ingredient, but they perk up almost every dish.

RAS EL HANOUT

Ingredients

This recipe makes ½ a cup of spice mixture and you can add coriander seeds, or other spices of your choice to it

2 tbsps grains of paradise

¼ cup cinnamon or cassia pieces

2 tsps ground ginger

2 tbsps turmeric

1 tbsp black peppercorns

2 tsps cardamom seeds (husks removed and discarded)

2 tsps cloves

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Method

Dry fry the spices to release their aroma, then grind together and store in an airtight jar.

This spice powder will keep for up to 6 months.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

  

  

HOW TO MAKE SPICY FISH FINGERS: EASY AND TASTY RECIPE

SPICY FISH FINGERS

Ingredients

1 kilo boneless fish cut into strips

5 tbsps besan (chick pea flour)

5 tbsps cornflour

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp garam masala

salt to taste

2 eggs

oil for frying

Method

Clean the fish and wash then strain well.

Put the besan in a bowl together with the cornflour, spices and pastes and mix well with a very little water. Now add the eggs and stir well to make a batter.

Cover the fish with the batter mixture on all sides and leave for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the fish, for 5 minutes (approximately).

Remove the fish fingers, dry on absorbent paper and serve with chips (French fries) etc.

These have Taste and are a Treat.

HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS PRAWNS IN TEN MINUTES

TEN - MINUTE PRAWNS

Ingredients

250 gr prawns, shelled and de-veined

100 gr mushrooms, chopped

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp oregano or ajwain

2 tbsps brandy

freshly ground black pepper

single cream for garnish

prawn stock

olive oil for frying

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan, and add the garlic, mushrooms and prawns. Stir well and continue stirring for 5 mins, then add the other ingredients apart from the cream (or natural yoghurt). Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve on toast with a swirl of cream.

This has Taste and is a Treat.