Okra Sambal
Spicy, rich and smooth – this Okra Sambal is an easy 30-minute main dish that’s perfect with an omelette and rice for a simple family meal. The sliminess of the Okras goes well with the sambal gravy, thickening and making it velvet-like. Cooked al-dente, the okras are soft yet crunchy; cooking them for longer makes them even more tender with rice.
While a little blending is needed for the sambal paste since we are making it from scratch, the result is a tasty, sweet and slightly spicy sambal gravy that is fresh and delicious.
This recipe serves 5 adults.
Ingredients
Okra, or lady’s fingers, is the main ingredient. Choose the young, smaller ones as they are quite tender and not as fibrous as the old ones. The sliminess of the okra works so well as its mixes with the sambal, thickening it and adding a smoothness that is delightful when enjoyed with rice. If not available, any hard vegetable that keeps its shape after stir-frying in the pan works as well, such as long beans, or four-angled beans.
One whole, medium-sized red onion is halved, one part to be blended in the sambal, and the other to be stir-fried into the sambal. It adds a lovely sweetness to the dish.
Curry leaves, stripped from the stems, are stir-fried for their fragrance. There is no known substitute for curry leaves, so if it is unavailable, it can be omitted.
Salt, to taste.
Sugar, to mellow out the spiciness of the sambal gravy.
Water to help dilute the sambal paste, as well as braise the okra in the sambal until cooked.
Next are the ingredients blended together to make the sambal:
Shallots, which make up most of the body of the sambal. Used for both fragrance and sweetness, it’s blended as the base for the other ingredients’ flavours.
Garlic, for its sweetness and earthy flavours.
Turmeric, to lighten the colour and for its tangy, citrusy flavours.
Shrimp paste, or “belacan“, as known in Malaysia, is added for umami-ness and a little saltiness. I used a less salty type, so a little more salt is needed when adding the okra. Less salt can be used if yours is the salty type.
Dried shrimp is also used for umami-ness, as well as a slight saltiness to the sambal. It can be lightly rinsed in hot water before using.
Curry powder, for a little curry flavour.
Garam masala, for additional herby, curry flavour.
Chilli paste for spiciness and colour. I made my own, and depending on the chillis you have, it can be made to be spicy, or lightly spicy.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Okra Sambal:
- Blend the sambal ingredients together to make a paste.
- Cut all the okra into bite-sized pieces.
- Fry the sambal paste with oil until well mixed.
- Add red onions and curry leaves and fry until thickened.
- Add all the cut okra, sugar salt and some water.
- Stir and cook to your preferred okra texture.
- Taste and adjust.
- Dish it out and serve it with rice.
Tips
- Turmeric skin can be left on to reduce the yellow staining.
- Do not wait for the oil to be hot before adding the blended sambal paste. Otherwise, the hot oil may splatter when it comes in contact with the wet sambal paste.
- When “dry and paste-like”, the sambal paste should be clumped up together and stick well to the spatula.
- Once cooled, leftovers can be kept overnight in the fridge at most. Reheat until bubbling before consuming the next day.
- Not recommended to freeze.
- Serve with white rice and a fluffy omelette for a complete meal.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Storage Instructions
Any leftovers of this Okra Sambal can be kept in the fridge, in an air-tight container once it is completely cooled. Be sure to reheat until bubbling in a pan over medium heat (takes about 4-8 minutes) before consuming. Do not keep for more than a day as the sambal is well-mixed with the okra’s slimy liquid – which makes it very easy to perish.
I do not recommend freezing this Okra Sambal dish as the okra will lose its crunchiness.
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Okra Sambal
Equipment
- Blender
- Frying Pan
- Turner
Ingredients
Sambal Paste
- 70 g shallots, peeled & washed
- 25 g garlic, peeled & washed
- 5 g turmeric
- 37.5 g red onion, large, sliced
- 10 g shrimp paste, belacan, less salty
- 15 g dried prawns
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 70 g chilli paste, cili boh
- 100 ml water
For Cooking
- 400 g okra, washed
- 25 ml cooking oil
- 5 g curry leaves
- 37.5 g red onions, sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 200 ml water
- 100 ml water, optional
Instructions
- Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, half of the red onions, shrimp paste, dried prawns, curry powder, garam masala, chilli paste and 100ml water until smooth, for about 15 seconds. Set the blender aside.
- Cut the okra by removing the tips, and cutting the body slantingly, about 1/2 cm thick. Set them aside.
- Add the cooking oil and sambal paste to a pan over medium heat. Scrape the sides of the blender to get it all out. Stir until combined, for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Strip the curry leaves from the stems and add them to the pot with the rest of the red onions. Stir to mix for about 6 minutes, or until slightly dry and paste-like.
- Add the okras, salt, sugar and 200ml of water to the sambal paste. Stir until well combined. If the Okra Sambal is too thick, add another 100ml of water. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes for just-cooked, crunchy okra, or 6 minutes for tender okra.
- Taste and adjust as preferred. Switch off the heat.
- Serve hot with some white rice.
Video
Notes
- Turmeric skin can be left on to reduce the yellow staining.
- Do not wait for the oil to be hot before adding the blended sambal paste. Otherwise, the hot oil may splatter when it comes in contact with the wet sambal paste.
- When “dry and paste-like”, the sambal paste should be clumped up together and stick well to the spatula.
- Once cooled, leftovers can be kept overnight in the fridge at most. Reheat until bubbling before consuming the next day.
- Not recommended to freeze.
- Serve with white rice and a fluffy omelette for a complete meal.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!