What to do with... okras

I have always loved okras (also called ladies' fingers) and cannot miss an opportunity to cook them. This veggie dish is just one of the many possibilities, and also works well with added ground lamb. Okras are great in stews and veggie curries, and I find they work particularly well with tomato-based sauces.

Okra casserole with home-made spicy tomato sauce: onions, dried Bali chillies, green bell peppers, sous-vide cooked Japanese pimentos fresh bird's eye chillies, red bell peppers, garlic, black olives, tomatoes... lots of tomatoes, okras

Okras in spicy tomato sauce (serves 2/3)

300gr okras

1 large onion, thinly chopped

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1kg tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and cubed

1 dried Bali chilli

2 fresh Bird’s Eye chillies

20 black olives, deseeded and sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt, freshly ground black pepper

·       In a pot, heat the oil and fry the onion until translucent, add the garlic and chillies and stir-fry until fragrant.

·       Add the bell pepper, tomatoes and olives. Cover and let simmer for about 30mn, until the tomatoes are mushy and start forming a sauce.

Add the okra (whole or sliced, according to taste) and cook for a further 25 to 35mn depending on their size, stirring occasionally.

·       Serve with steamed rice or vegetable biryani.