Smoky Wok

What do you do when you are free at home and you don't feel like trawling the malls? You pound belacan! (this is a joke btw) At least that's what I did - I took the chance to make more of my stinkily addictive belacan for today's feature, stir-fried ladies fingers with belacan. So simple - a lot of Malaysians will tell you that they can have about 2-3 bowls of rice with this cheap and easy dish. As I mentioned in my earlier post, Stir-fried Taro Leaves with Belacan , the magical ingredient, belacan is really an acquired taste - I started acquiring this taste since I was a child! Okra is also known as ladies fingers - I remember asking my mom why would people want to cook somone's fingers when I was still a child and of course I heard peals of laughter, at that time I did not understand of course but the shape of the okra does resemble the slender fingers of a lady right?



Closer view



Ingredients:

12 ladies fingers or okra, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp belacan - (I add dried shrimp, dried chillis and shallots to 1 tbsp belacan and pound together)

Method:


Firstly, heat up 1 tbsp cooking oil in a wok or pan. Saute the garlic slices until fragrant and add the belacan. Stir-fry briskly. Add in the okra slices and about 4 tbsps water. Stir-fry till cooked. Serve hot with rice.

My specially treated belacan


Mortar and Pestle is a must for pounding scrumptious belacan