Okra Rice

I first heard about Okra when one of my friends was talking to me about the Indian restaurant Bundobust . She was telling me that the Okra fries are delicious, and similar to courgette fries. Courgette fries are quite possibly my favourite thing in the world, so I wanted to give the okra fries a go.

This meant that I had a large bag of okra left, and it was taking up a lot of room in the freezer, so I started cooking it. It is actually incredibly easy to cook, you basically just have to fry it for about 10 mins (even from frozen).

So, I’ll just tell you a bit about Okra before I write down the recipe. Okra, otherwise known as ladies’ fingers or bhindi, has SO many health benefits. Apparently, it can lower cholesterol, improve digestion, improve vision, boost skin health, prevent certain cancers, strengthen bones, improve cardiovascular health, protect the immune system, lower blood pressure, and protect heart health! Sounds good to me!

Ingredients

• Packet of microwaveable rice (or you can cook your own rice)
• 1 big handful of chopped okra (mine was pre-chopped frozen from Asda).
• Coconut oil
• Quorn chicken pieces
• Soy sauce

Method

• Add coconut oil to a pan, then when it has heated up, add in the okra. (If the okra is icy from the freezer, it will melt and be watery, but its ok).

• Add the onion and Quorn chicken. Stir everything about and let it all cook for about 10 minutes. You can add more coconut oil if it starts to run out.
• Once it is almost done, add the rice to the pan, and stir it all in. (The rice will soak up any extra water from the okra’s melted ice).
• Add seasonings if you like, I used paprika, cayenne pepper and chilli powder, (I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to spices, but it tasted ok).
• Then its ready to go. I love it with soy sauce ?

And there you go! I kept the hob on 5 (6 being the highest) the whole time. This is a delicious and healthy dish, the amount this yields is enough for two people, or you can put half in your lunch box for the next day!