Information about Lady Finger (Okra)

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Information about Lady Finger (Okra)

• Ladyfinger which is flowering plant in the mallow
  family also know as okra. It is a common food
  plant with high medicinal value in tradition
  medicines. Nutritional contents of this wonderful
  plant are thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid,
  Vitamin 6, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K,
  Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium,
  Manganese, Niacin, Iron, Zinc and Copper, Protein
  and High in Dietary Fiber.Okra is good natural
  treatment for weight loss and to maintain optimum
  health.

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The name "okra", most often used in the United
States and the Philippines, is of West African
origin and is cognate with "?k?r?" in Igbo, a
language spoken in Nigeria.2 Okra is often
known as "Lady's Fingers" outside of the United
States.3 In various Bantu languages, okra is
called "kingombo" or a variant thereof, and this
is the origin of its name in Portuguese
("quiabo"), In the United Kingdom it is often
called as "bhindi", from its Hindi name "bhindi"
or "bhendi".
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The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with
supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West
African origins. Supporters of a South Asian
origin point to the presence of its proposed
parents in that region.It is most popular in
Pakistan and India, where chopped pieces are stir
fried with spices, pickled, salted or added to
gravy-based preparations like Bhindi Ghosht or
sambar. In western parts of India (Gujarat,
Maharashtra), okra is often stir-fried with some
sugar.
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Description of Lady Finger (Okra)

• The leaves are 1020 cm long and broad, palmately
  lobed with 57 lobes.
• The flowers are 48 cm diameter, with five white
  to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot
  at the base of each petal.
• The fruit is a capsule up to 18 cm long,
  containing numerous seeds.
• Lady Finger is cultivated throughout the tropical
  and warm temperate regions of the world for its
  fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white
  seeds. It is among the most heat- and
  drought-tolerant vegetable species in the
  worldbut severe frost can damage the pods and
  will tolerate poor soils with heavy clay and
  intermittent moisture.

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In cultivation The seeds are soaked overnight
prior to planting to a depth of
12 cm.Germination occurs between six days
(soaked seeds) and three weeks. Seedlings require
ample water. The seed pods rapidly become
fibrous and woody and must be harvested within a
week of the fruit being pollinated to be
edible.The fruits are harvested when immature
and eaten as a vegetable.
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1Okra flower bud and immature seed pod
2Okra plant while flowering before the fruit
emerges.
4Lady's finger
3Okra seed pod
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Nutritional ValueThe following chart itself
explains the nutritional value of the Lady's
finger or Okra1It is low in Sodium, Saturated
Fat and Cholesterol, thus, an ideal diet for
human consumption2High in Dietary Fiber,
Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, thiamin, Vitamin
B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Manganese, Protein, Riboflavin,
Niacin, Iron, Zinc and Copper.
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Health Check1The Lady Finger is popular for
its diuretic properties. It has been used in the
treatment of urinary tract infections for many
years now and in many countries of the
world.2Lady Finger is a very valuable source of
nutrition. It can help with the following health
conditions1. It helps relieve constipation2.
It helps control blood sugar as it curbs the rate
at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal
tract.3. It helps in healing acid reflux4. It
contains soluble fibre which helps in controlling
the cholesterol level in our bodies.5. It
contains insoluble fiber too which keeps the
intestinal track healthy.6. Lady Finger helps in
reducing risks of deadly diseases like cancer
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Lady Fingers Nutrition (half-cup cooked Lady
Finger) contains Calories 25 Dietary
Fiber 2 grams Protein 1.5 grams
Carbohydrates 5.8 grams Vitamin A 460 IU
Vitamin C 13 mg Folic acid 36.5
micrograms Calcium 50 mg Iron 0.4 mg
Potassium 256 mg Magnesium 46 mg
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Okra Vendaka Masala Pachchadi Recipe

1) Lady Finger 800 gm 2) Cashew nuts 15 gm 3)
Coconut milk 60 ml 4) Coriander powder 15 gm 5)
Cumin (zeera) seeds 2.5 gm 6) Curry leaves 10
7) Grated coconut 1/3 cup 8) Groundnut oil to
deep fry 9) Mustard (sarson) seeds 1 tsp 10)
Onions, chopped 125 gm 11) Red chilli powder 1
tsp 12) Red chillies, whole 3 13) Salt to taste
14) Tomatoes, chopped 1 cup 15) Turmeric
(haldi) powder 2.5 gm 16) Lentils (urad daal)
husked and split 4 tsp 17) Yogurt 120 gm
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1. Wash, pat dry and cut the okra into 1 inch
pieces. 2. Heat the groundnut oil in a Sauspan
and deep fry the okra on medium heat till crisp,
about 5-6 minutes. 3. Drain and reserve the oil.
4. Put the cashew nuts and the coconut in a
blender, add coconut milk and make a fine paste.
5. Heat 75 ml of the reserved oil. 6. Add cumin
and mustard seeds, urad daal, whole red chillies
and the curry leaves. 7. Keep it over medium
heat till the seeds begin to crackle. 8. Add
onions. Keep frying till golden brown. 9. Stir
in the tomatoes, then add red chilli powder,
turmeric, coriander and salt. 10. Keep stirring
till the fat surfaces. 11. Reduce the flame, add
the coconut paste and stir again for 2 minutes.
12. Remove from the fire and add yogurt. 13.
Stir, add 400 ml/1 2/3 cups water. 14. Return to
heat and begin to boil. Simmer. 15. Add the deep
fried okra and cook till gravy seeps in. 16.
Transfer to a shallow dish and serve with boiled
rice.
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Final Dish