Name: Ladies’ Fingers Curry
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Sri Lanka
Ingredients: 2 green cayenne chiles, thinly sliced; ⅓ cup chopped shallots; ½ pound okra, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups); 1 tablespoon Maldive fish, or substitute 1 teaspoon bonito flakes, finely ground (optional); ½ teaspoon turmeric; ½ cup canned or fresh coconut milk; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon coconut oil or sunflower oil; ½ cup water; 5 or 6 fresh or frozen curry leaves; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mangoes & Curry Leaves

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 2005

About

In Sri Lanka, as in many other places that were colonized by the English, okra is known in English as ladies’ fingers, and it is usually chopped crosswise into short lengths before being cooked. Even though the sauce has the deep flavor of a long-simmered dish, this curry is very quick to make.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil or sunflower oil
5 or 6 fresh or frozen curry leaves

Method

Heat a medium heavy pot over medium heat, then add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the curry leaves, then the cumin, shallots, and chiles, and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the okra, turmeric, Maldive fish or bonito, if using, salt, and water. Stir briefly to mix, then cover and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the okra is just tender.

Add the coconut milk and heat alm