Bora Bora

I wish this post was about a fabulous vacation to Bora Bora :)! Not so much, it is more about a fabulous vegetable that shares the name.

I remember visiting Guyana as a child and my mother being really excited about eating some bora. It had been a while since we had been back and she was looking forward to enjoying foods that she had not eaten in a while. As a child I really did not care too much for it probably because it was a vegetable and one that I was not familiar with since I lived in Botswana. As I grew older, my palate evolved and I began to appreciate and enjoy foods that I was not familiar with.

Bora, as it is called in Guyana is known by several other names including bodi, Chinese long bean and yard long bean. It is found in most Asian grocery stores and looks just like its name, a long bean. It is sold in bunches ranging from 1 – 1 ½ lbs. 

It is quite versatile and can be eaten raw, stir fried with shrimp, chicken or pork, steamed and stewed. You can vary the cooking time based on whether you like your vegetables with a little crunch to it or soft.

I was still on my vegetarian kick when I prepared this dish so I left the meat out and opted for stewed bora. It is great served with rice, couscous or quinoa.  

Ingredients

1 ½ lb bora, washed and cut into 3” pieces

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 bouillon cube

½ cup water/stock or coconut milk

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 T canola or olive oil

Directions

Heat oil in pan

Add chopped onions and sauté for 3 minutes

Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes

Add tomatoes, cube, salt and pepper and stir, allow to cook for 5 minutes

Add bora and stir

Add water/stock or coconut milk and stir

Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes

Enjoy!

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