Australian Gourmet Traveller - (03)March 2019 (1)

Stir-fried okraSERVES 2

Okra, also known as ladies’ fingers, divides people – some love

it, and others hate it for its mucilaginous quality. Stir-frying it briefly,

however, means the okra is less slimy in texture, and it’s also fast

and delicious. Look for bright green pods with no blemishes and

tips that will snap off like fresh green beans.

Tomato and spring onion omeletteSERVES 2

There are hundreds of variations of this super-easy and popular

home-style dish. Add whatever ingredients you have to hand, but

the key is to keep it simple.

4 eggs

½ tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Pinch of sugar

60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

2 spring onions, thinly sliced,

some reserved to serve

1 large tomato, cut into thin

wedges

Thinly sliced long red chilli,

to serve

Oyster sauce or tomato

sauce, to serve

250 gm okra

2 tbsp vegetable oil

10 gm (2cm) ginger, finely

chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely

chopped

1 long red chilli, seeds

removed, thinly sliced

2 tbsp chicken stock or water

1 tbsp light soy sauce

¼ tsp caster sugar, or to taste

Coarsely chopped

coriander, to serve

1 Blanch okra in a large

saucepan of boiling salted

water until bright green and

crisp (10 seconds; see cook's

notes p152). Drain, refresh, then

drain well and pat dry with paper

towels. Trim and discard stems.

2 Heat a wok over high heat.

Add oil and swirl to coat. Add

ginger and stir-fry until fragrant

(30 seconds), then reduce heat

to medium, add garlic and

chilli and stir-fry until soft and

fragrant (1 minute).

3 Add stock, soy sauce and

sugar, bring to a simmer, then

add okra and toss to warm

through. Season to taste and

top with coriander to serve.

1 Whisk eggs, Shaoxing, soy

sauce, sesame oil and sugar

in a bowl with chopsticks or

a fork until well combined.

2 Heat a well-seasoned wok

or non-stick frying pan over

medium heat and add vegetable

oil. Add spring onion and stir

until soft but not coloured

(30 seconds to 1 minute),

then add tomato and stir until

softened (1-2 minutes). Add

egg mixture, increase heat to

high, and cook until edges

begin to set but centre is still

wobbly (1-2 minutes). Fold one

side over to the centre, then

the other, overlapping to form

an open-ended envelope.

Turn out, scatter with chilli and

reserved spring onion and serve

with oyster or tomato sauce.

56 GOURMET TRAVELLER