How to cook slime-free Lady’s Fingers?
Many of us love the lady’s fingers also known as okra. But some cannot stand the sliminess of this favourite vegetable. How do you get rid of the sliminess?
- Keep the lady’s fingers dry before cooking because the slime increases with moisture or water! After thoroughly washing the uncut lady’s fingers, pat dry them with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel. Keep your chopping board, knife, bowl and hands dry before attempting to cut them.
2. Do not add salt at the beginning of cooking lady’s fingers! Take note that salt releases moisture or water in anything, whether it is a vegetable or meat. Therefore, add salt only towards the end of the cooking process.
3. Do not cover the wok or pan with a lid when cooking lady’s fingers. You must remember that when you put on the lid, steam builds up and leads to moisture!
4. A friend told me that her aunt would soak uncut lady’s fingers in a solution of 1000 ml of water and 150 ml of white vinegar for 30 minutes. She would then pat dry the lady’s fingers before cutting them.
5. I learnt to dry-fry the lady’s fingers on high heat in a pan or wok. This is to seal the cut parts to dry out the liquid inside the lady’s fingers before cooking them. The high heat also enhances the flavour and fragrance of the vegetable.
6. Adding a souring agent like tamarind, tomatoes, vinegar, yoghurt, lime juice or even mango powder cuts down the sliminess too.
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