Bendir

Our Ulam series continues....... and the ulam of the month is a fruit! It is a 
vegetable as well.  As you may already know, quite a few ulams fall in this 
category, among which are tomato, cucumber, chilli, bitter gourd, beans like 
four angle bean and long bean, and brinjals like Terong Bulat, Terong Rapoh, 
Terong Telunjuk, Terong Peparu, Terong Bulu, Terong Pipit and Terong Putih.  
There is also the bizarre Beka, a Kelantan favourite and they pronounced it as 
Buoh Beko.  This is actually a fruit of the leguminous Bonglai or the Midnight 
Horror (Oroxylum indicum).  There are yet many more that falls within this class 
of Ulam but for this month we will look at the common Ladies Finger or Okra or 
the more familiar Bendir.  The Kelantanese name for it is Kace Mior if I am not 
mistaken.  Where I grew up, the Terengganu folks call it Kacang Lendir, a name 
gotten from its mucilaginous sap that gives the fruit a slimy texture. 

Its scientific name is Hibiscus esculentus and synonymous with Abelmoscus 
esculentus.  If you are wondering if it is related to our Bunga Raya (Hibiscus 
rosa-sinensis), our national flower, you are right in the sense that they both 
belong to the family Malvaceae and the same genus Hibiscus.  It is also related 
to the Indian jute plant (Hibiscus cannabinus).  Ladies Fingers is not native to 
South East Asia, and its origin is said to be West or Central Africa.  
Historical records indicated that the vegetable was planted in the upper Nile as 
early as the Egyptian Civilisation.

There is no need for any pencil drawing of this fruit as I am sure you know what 
I am talking about.  For some who may not be acquainted with the plant, I will 
attempt to describe it further.

This annual plant is erect and can grow to a height of about 2 metres.  The 
leaves are large measuring from 15 to 25 cm across and are arranged somewhat in 
alternate manner on the main stem.  They can be cordate (heart-shaped) or lobed 
depending on the varieties, and are very hairy just like the stem.  Flowers are 
large and conspicuous measuring about 6 to 8 cm in diameter.  The bright yellow 
corolla with a reddish purple centre is made up of 5 distinct petals.  From the 
centre arise a long structure similar to that of the Bunga Raya.  This appendage 
houses the reproductive organs -- the pistil and the stamen.  

The July/August issue of Nature's Voice shows that the Bendir contains a rather 
complete range of vitamins and minerals.  A 100 g serving portion provides the 
consumer with 1.7 g protein, 5.9 g carbohydrate and 1 g fibre.  The same serving 
portion gives 77 mg of Calsium, 32 mg of Phosphorous, 1.5 mg of Iron, 30 mg of 
Sodium and 80 mg of Potassium.  The vitamin values are more variable depending 
on the methods of cooking.  On the average, a 100 g serving contains 33 ug of 
Vitamin A, 0.1 mg of Vitamin B1, 0.16 mg of Vitamin B2, 19.3 mg of Vitamin C, 
0.7 mg of Niacin and 200 ug of Carotene.

Burkhill, in his Dictionary of Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula, 
mentioned some of its medicinal properties.  Infusion of the roots is used for 
treatment of syphillis.  The fruits are used as a demulcent (soothing) for 
gonorrhoea and dysuria.  Decoction (boiling for a period of time) of young 
fruits is used in India for catarrh, urinary problems as well as for gonorrhoea.

The fruit is most crunchy when eaten raw best accompanied by sambal belacan.  It 
can also be partially blanched, steamed, boiled, fried or even grilled. Stuffed 
with fish paste and you get the Yong Tau Foo.  While we often stir-fry them with 
belacan or dried prawns, the Japanese deep-fry them in their tempuras.  
Americans stew them in their gombos and Indians like them in their curries.  The 
Europeans smothered them with cheese and other special sauces.  Whenever I have 
a soup for dinner and if I am lazy to prepare an additional okra dish, I'll just 
dump them into the boiling soup for additional roughage. 

Ladies Finger is propagated by seeds and can be easily grown in any garden or 
backyard.  It is, however, quite big for planting in flower pots, but then I 
even planted a papaya tree in a big pot many years back!!  It is a sun-loving 
plant and with plenty of care, it should start flowering within 6-7 weeks from 
germination.  The fruits develop at quite a fast rate and you can begin your 
first harvest in 5-8 days after flowering.  Harvesting can be carried out on 
every alternate day for two months and by then, the plant should reach almost 
its maximum height.  You can chop off the top of the plant leaving a height of 
about half a metre from the ground and you will have a ratoon crop that should 
start flowering again within a month................ Koon Hup
??