Okra

Called bindi in Hindi and Urdu, derosh in Bengali, and vendaikai in Tamil, okra is commonly known as ladies’ fingers in English in the Subcontinent. It is the pod of an annual plant, Hibiscus esculentus, and has light ridges down its length. Okra may be only an inch long, or as long as 5 or 6 inches; the pods taper to a point. Buy the smallest, most tender, and brightest green okra you can find. A staple of the African and southern American kitchen, where it often goes by the African name gumbo, okra is widely sold in North American groceries as well as in South Asian grocery stores. It can be cooked whole in salted water, rather like asparagus, then simply dressed with a vinaigrette, but in the Subcontinent it is simmered or fried in many inventive and delicious ways. It has a slightly mucilaginous texture when cooked that okra lovers find irresistible. See Spiced Tender Chopped Bindi, and Ladies’ Fingers Curry.