Wok-Fried Okra with Garlic, Chili and Sichuan Peppercorn
There are a lot of really great Sichuan restaurants that have popped up here in Brooklyn Chinatown over the past few years. I eat at a few of them quite often. Many of these restaurants usually have a menu item that is often titled something along the lines of “dry wok okra” or “griddled okra”. The dish that arrives at the table is very simple, yet profoundly savory and satisfying. The perfect accompaniment to an otherwise assertively seasoned and spiced meal. I have been attempting this dish at home over the past few weeks and now I can comfortably say that this is pretty darn close.
This dish is VERY simple and easy to prepare. The okra is quickly blanched and then stir fried with garlic, ginger chilies, sichuan peppercorns, and a few pieces of red bell pepper. Everything is then seasoned with salt, MSG and some chicken bouillon powder. Unless you are REALLY opposed to using MSG and bouillon powder in your food (you need to get over that, BTW), don’t skip those two ingredients. They really add to to savory character of the dish. The blanching process also does a nice job of removing some of that slimy texture that you often find in okra.
Goes well with:
- Steamed Jasmine Rice
- Twice cooked pork
- Mapo Tofu
- Stir-fried shredded pork with hot peppers
- Chinese-style steamed eggs with minced pork and shallots
Wok-Fried Okra with Garlic, Chili and Sichuan Peppercorn
Equipment
- Wok (or a combination of a large saute pan and a pot for boiling the okra)
Ingredients
- 12 oz okra (about 5 cups)
- 4 oz red bell pepper (half of a large pepper)
- 8-10 whole dried heaven facing chili/Tianjin chilies (2-3 Tbsp after cutting)
- 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorn, green or red
- 1 inch piece of peeled ginger
- 6 large cloves of garlic
- 3 Tbsp neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn….etc)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1/4 tsp MSG
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash the okra, remove any long stems if present, and cut the okra in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Remove any seeds and cut the half bell pepper into roughly 1 inch pieces.
- Slice the ginger into 1/8 inch slices.
- Smash the garlic cloves with the side of the knife and roughly chop. Set the ginger and garlic aside together.
- Cut the dried peppers into 1/3 inch pieces. Discard stems but keep the seeds if you like it spicy. You should have about 2-3 of chilies after cutting.
- Add 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns to the cut chilies and set these aside.
- In the wok (or in a separate pot if you are stir-frying in a saute pan), bring 6-8 cups of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Add the okra to the boiling water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Until the okra is just starting to get tender.
- Use a strainer or colander to drain the okra. Keep hot okra aside while you empty and rinse out the wok.
- Place the wok (or the saute pan) back on the stove and heat 3 Tbsp of neutral oil over high heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the dry chilies and Sichuan peppercorns to the wok. Cook for 2-3 seconds, until the peppers start to darken in color but are not burnt
- Before the peppers burn, immediately add the garlic, ginger and red ball pepper to the wok and stir fry over high heat for about 15-30 seconds. Keep an eye on the dried chilies to make sure they don't burn.
- Add the cooked okra back into the wok and stir fry for about 20 seconds.
- Season the okra with the sugar, salt, msg, and chicken bouillon powder. Stir fry for another 20 or 30 seconds.
- Taste the okra and adjust the seasoning if necessary. It should be savory, and well seasoned.
- Serve with steamed white rice alongside other dishes if you like.
