These ladies fingers or as I refer to them as bamia, are just awesome. A dream come true for anyone who can get to Greece and enjoy the natural cooking of Tothalassaki’s kitchen. Chef Adonia creates “euphoric perfection” which starts in her garden, and is transposed by her passion and skill in her kitchen. Her dishes are inspired by her willingness to explore ideas and nature. Walk outside and her garden shines with multiple varieties of vegetables.

Bamia are mucilaginous, so the end result is often a slimy feel. The texture depends on the preparation and cooking time. Tothalassaki’s bamia are not slimy, and I guess the sliminess is minimized by keeping the pods intact, and by adding some acidity by using tomatoes.

In Japan they chop bamia to a micro size and the goo is desirable. Similar to what is found in natto soybeans, the enzymes produced by natto react with soybean sugars to produce the mucilage, the slime. The amount and viscosity of the mucilage are very important characteristics, and that’s in part what gives natto the punch.