又中又英｜Okra

Column 1175 Tue May 10

Not many Chinese dishes use okra. When I was living in Hong Kong I often ate in Chinese restaurants but rarely saw dishes made with okra on the menu. Okra is sometimes called lady’s finger because it is long, slender, and finger-shaped. It is very popular in the Middle East, India, and the southern part of the US. In India it is used in a curry or stir-fried with curry power. Okra is called bamya in the Middle East. Bamya is also a popular Middle Eastern dish. It is a stew made with okra, tomatoes, and meat such as lamb. A stew is a dish made with meat and vegetables and cooked very slowly in liquid in a covered pan.

Okra is sometimes called gumbo in the southern part of the US. Gumbo is also the name of a popular dish in the US state of Louisiana. As I explained in my previous column, gumbo is a stew made with sausage meat, chicken or seafood, onions, celery, green bell pepper, tomatoes, and seasonings. Okra is added to thicken the stew. Okra is used to thicken the stew because it is very sticky and slimy. The word "slimy" comes from the word "slime" which means a sticky liquid substance such as the sticky liquid produced by snails. If you cut an okra you can see a sticky substance that feels like glue. Some dishes use tomatoes, lemon juice, or vinegar to make the okra less slimy.

Okra is a very healthy vegetable which is low in calories but high in vitamin C and fiber. I love eating okra. When I was in Hong Kong I used to buy okra in the supermarket. It is inexpensive. I washed the okra, cut off the ends, and then cut them into small round pieces. I then stir-fried them until brown with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. This removes the sticky feeling of okra. It is a very good appetizer. Try it!

不是许多中菜会用上秋葵（okra）。我还在香港居住时，常在中菜馆吃饭，但很少会见到用秋葵（okra）来煮的餸菜。Okra即秋葵，有时叫作 lady’s finger，因为它修长、纤细而像手指。它在中东、印度和美国南部非常受欢迎。在印度，它会用于咖喱，又或是用咖喱粉来炒。秋葵（okra）在中东叫作 bamya。Bamya也是一道很受欢迎的中东菜，它是用秋葵（okra）、番茄和肉例如羊肉所煮成的stew 。A stew 就是炖菜，用盖上盖的煲，以汤水慢煮肉和蔬菜。

秋葵（okra）在美国南部有时叫作 gumbo。Gumbo也是美国路易斯安那州一道很受欢迎的菜。正如我在上一篇文章中解释过，gumbo即秋葵炖菜（stew），是用香肠肉、鸡或海鲜、洋葱、西芹、青灯笼椒、番茄和调味料煮成的，加上秋葵（okra）就能令炖菜（stew）变得更浓稠。用上秋葵（okra）可令炖菜（stew）更浓，是因为它非常黏和 slimy—— slimy是来自 slime一字，意指黏液，例如蜗牛所分泌的黏液。若你切开秋葵（okra），你可以见到感觉像胶水般的黏液。有些菜式会用上番茄、柠檬汁或醋去令秋葵（okra）不那么黏糊糊的（slimy）。

秋葵（okra）是一样非常健康的蔬菜，卡路里低但含丰富维他命C和纤维。我喜爱吃秋葵（okra）。我还住在香港的时候，就经常在超市买秋葵（okra），它并不昂贵。我会冲洗秋葵（okra）、切去两端，再切成小圆块，然用少许橄榄油、盐、黑椒粉把它们炒至啡黄色，这就能把秋葵（okra）黏乎乎的口感除去。它是一道非常好的前菜，大家试试吧！

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻