Okra

[heidih]

Yup tastes like okra. Not particularly sweet or grassy green tasting (like a green bean) or cabbagy like the cruciferous veggies.. You have the firm outer portion and then the squish and the seeds. It does soak up the sauce well. Long ago when a Panamanian was at the table I used to do an okra and shark dish with coconut milk that was heavily in the rotation. I can't speak for the fried applications though I would like to try it that way. I imagine like roasting that it brings out sweetness.

[patrickamory]

Tastes "meaty" to me in the way that only certain vegetables do - artichoke hearts, for instance. It's hard to pin down, there's a slight bitterness and a slight sweetness but an overall complexity that is nonstop delight.

[judiu]

I'd say using it in dishes where it isn't the main component (filé gumbo, for instance) is a good way to start liking okra. On its own it does tend towards the mucosal.... I for one like okra but can't stand it on its own unless it's fried - if you can get large enough pods, it's possible to shallow-fry slices of seeded pod, dusted in spiced cornmeal, like you would a fried green tomato, and that's quite yummy.

Elizabeth, file gumbo is to exclude okra, since the file powder makes it's own viscosity, and okra, with its slimy texture would be superfluous.

[djyee100]

About the taste--I find the taste of okra to be mildly green, not assertive at all. When okra isn't slimy, it has a great texture, crunchy from the seeds and starchy from the inner fibers.

Some recipes with okra from Ruta Kahate, the Indian chef I used to work for.

Crispy Okra Raita, one of my faves for okra, and beautiful to serve with the red and orange colors of the dressing.

Adapted recipe here:

http://inmybox.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/oh-okra/

I use a shallow serving dish for the yogurt. That shows off all the colors of the dressing when the spices spread over the yogurt.

"...Place the cayenne and turmeric in a small pile on the yogurt...pour the hot oil directly on top of the cayenne and turmeric powder..." I always have trouble pouring the hot oil on all the spices, and some of the spices remain uncooked. Those spices move around when you pour oil on them!

These days I make the dressing twice, once for the cayenne, once for the turmeric, and I toss the spice into the hot dressing--after the mustard seeds have popped, and right before I pour it on the yogurt. The colors are less vibrant, but at least all of the spice is cooked and it tastes better. It only takes a second to cook the spice.

I tracked down this recipe from Ruta in an old file box, another one of my faves. See what happens when I start thinking about okra?

Okra with Curry Leaves and Garlic

Adapted recipe from Ruta Kahate

1/2 oz dried tamarind or juice of 2 limes

2 TB plus 1 TB peanut oil

1 1/4 lbs okra, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds*

2-3 shallots, sliced

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1-2 serrano chiles, coarsely chopped

1 medium-size tomato, chopped

1 tsp ground cayenne

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

salt

1 tsp mustard seeds

10 curry leaves

If using, soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup hot water for 10 mins. Then massage the dried tamarind with your fingers to form a thick liquid. Strain out the stringy pulp and discard. Set aside the liquid.

Heat 2 TB peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the okra and shallots. Saute for a few minutes, watching out for burning. Add garlic, chiles, tomato, cayenne, and turmeric. Saute for another few minutes. Add in tamarind liquid/lime juice and salt. Cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat until the okra is soft and cooked through.

To make the tadka or dressing: Start with a small pan, as small as you can find, and make sure you have something to cover it securely. Heat 1 TB peanut oil in the pan over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, and immediately cover the pan. When the mustard seeds stop popping, add the curry leaves and let the leaves turn white from the heat. Pour the dressing over the okra, and serve immediately.

* My notes say: Dry the okra thoroughly before cutting it to prevent sliminess. If possible, wash and dry the okra the day ahead, keeping it on a dry dishtowel on the kitchen counter overnight.

The end. I'm okra'd out! I'm outta here!

[Obuibo]

There is a vegetable you can get in an Asian store that is very slimy, which I enjoy. I don't know what it is called.

Before huiray's post I was going to guess that you were referring to what a waiter at a particular dim sum place called, "Chinese slime vegetable." I was able to find some at an Asian market afterward and, raw, it looked quite a bit like rapini. I briefly sauteed some at home and it was definitely mucilaginous. I haven't seen it since, so I was never able to experiment with it further.

[liuzhou]

I regularly cook Malabar spinach. In fact there is some cooking right now.

When I want 'slime', I get 'slime'. When I don't, I don't.

A brief stir fry with garlic until it the spinach wilts produces no slime at all. Tonight I'm using it in a curry. A longer cooking time produces what I would call a thickening agent rather than 'slime'.

Just what I want.

Okra is much the same. Frying tends to result in little, if any, 'slime'. In both cases, water seems to trigger what is referred to as 'slime'.

if you can get large enough pods, it's possible to shallow-fry slices of seeded pod, dusted in spiced cornmeal, like you would a fried green tomato, and that's quite yummy.

Be careful picking large pods. As we have discussed before, they can be stringy to the point that they are inedible.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'd say using it in dishes where it isn't the main component (filé gumbo, for instance) is a good way to start liking okra. On its own it does tend towards the mucosal.... I for one like okra but can't stand it on its own unless it's fried - if you can get large enough pods, it's possible to shallow-fry slices of seeded pod, dusted in spiced cornmeal, like you would a fried green tomato, and that's quite yummy.

Elizabeth, file gumbo is to exclude okra, since the file powder makes it's own viscosity, and okra, with its slimy texture would be superfluous.

OK, then my family has been making it wrong for at least 2 generations! Shame. We make an okra-free gumbo to start (thickening with the filé) and just toss in slices or small whole pods right at the very end, so that they poach lightly in the broth but don't slime out too badly.

if you can get large enough pods, it's possible to shallow-fry slices of seeded pod, dusted in spiced cornmeal, like you would a fried green tomato, and that's quite yummy.

Be careful picking large pods. As we have discussed before, they can be stringy to the point that they are inedible.

Depends on where you live. Here at the equator I can get quite nice large pods with no stringiness - I keep forgetting that northerners with their different growing seasons don't necessarily see the same veggie behaviours and I do. So, I bow to the superior knowledge of the northerners with regards to okra pod sizes!

[SylviaLovegren]

Y'all are really funny!

But here's the challenge: what does okra taste like, to those of you who like it? Does it taste like a pepper, a mushroom, broccoli, celery?

"Tastes like chicken" doesn't count.

Like a meaty green bean, to me.

We had okra in our garden in NJ and it was wonderful to have a potful of fresh young pods every couple of days. Would mostly steam them, then finish in olive oil or bacon fat, depending. Sometimes with fresh tomato and garlic. Yummy.

[cookingdiva]

You may try using some tomatoes or simply add a teaspoon of lime juice. The acid will help reduce the amount of slime.

[Obuibo]

OK, then my family has been making it wrong for at least 2 generations! Shame. We make an okra-free gumbo to start (thickening with the filé) and just toss in slices or small whole pods right at the very end, so that they poach lightly in the broth but don't slime out too badly.

I went to an Acadian wedding a few years ago and, every time the subject of food came up, I was told quite adamantly that gumbo has either filé or okra and never both. The subject came up so often I imagined that Houma information brochures would contain it.

[rotuts]

Ive never cooked Okra

 

did you have to 'deslime'  the okra

 

I remember a very old PBS show w Justin Wilson, and he always had to de-slime  the okra

 

thats probably why Ive avoided it for so long

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

rotuts,

 

Have you ever tried fried okra?

 

Even though I grew up with it, and have grown lots of it, the only way I like it is fried.

 

It completely tames the slime. It's really good that way and worth seeking out at a Southern cooking restaurant if you have access.

[Norm Matthews]

I love fried okra. Have not had any this year yet.  I like it with gumbo too.  Those two are the only ways I cook it.  

Edited July 5, 2015 by Norm Matthews (log)

[huiray]

Try this (scroll down to the last sub-entry) or something similar - if one wants something a little more non-Western.  Lots of other ways to use okra, of course, in S/SE Asian cuisines.  With the soup linked to, one puts in yound tender okra almost at the last and cooks it just enough so that the okra is not raw - and retains much of its crunchiness.  Basically slime-less.

[Shelby]

Honestly, these had no slime at all.  Light and crunchy.  I can't wait for more to grow

[Okanagancook]

We have given up trying to grow okra here. Just not hot enough. I bake mine at 375 for about 20 to 30 minutes. Salt, pepper and oil. No slime but I like the look of Shelby's. Is that tempura batter I wonder?

[Shelby]

We have given up trying to grow okra here. Just not hot enough. I bake mine at 375 for about 20 to 30 minutes. Salt, pepper and oil. No slime but I like the look of Shelby's. Is that tempura batter I wonder?

 

My Great Gramma Susie always grew okra here.  I have a memory of going to to help pick.  I was little.  The plants were taller than me.  This is my first year growing it myself.  I don't know why I waited so long.   I did equal parts of self rising flour and cornstarch seasoned up with salt and pepper then I mixed a light beer in until the batter was not too thick, but thick enough to leave a trail if you spooned some and drizzled it.

[FauxPas]

We have given up trying to grow okra here. Just not hot enough.

 

Not hot enough? I think of the Okanagan as being very warm, but maybe you mean the early Spring temps or something? And you are an amazing gardener, with lovely greenhouses. Do they require an unusually long growing season or something? 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

FauxPas, I've read okra grows as far north as Philadelphia, 39.95 deg N.  I am at 40.40 deg N.  No flowers yet on my gorgeous okra plants, but I am ever hopeful.  These were sold as dwarf okra seeds.  I'd hate to see full size.

 

And I'm so excited to be able to write about some deg other than deg C and deg F.

 

As it happens my dinner tonight includes okra, but I've not yet decided how to fix it.  That is what the mai tai's for.

[FauxPas]

Jo, I hope you will let us know what you do with your okra! It's a bit of a mystery veg to me, actually. I run across it occasionally but I don't know that i would know how to do it justice. 

 

But, growing it - it's 34 to 37C in Kelowna this week (near Okanagancook) and the days are really long there. That's 93 to 99F. How hot does okra need to be? (or should this be in the gardening thread?) I'm probably never going to grow it, but I'm curious now.

 

 

FauxPas, I've read okra grows as far north as Philadelphia, 39.95 deg N.  I am at 40.40 deg N.  No flowers yet on my gorgeous okra plants, but I am ever hopeful.  These were sold as dwarf okra seeds.  I'd hate to see full size.

 

And I'm so excited to be able to write about some deg other than deg C and deg F.

 

As it happens my dinner tonight includes okra, but I've not yet decided how to fix it.  That is what the mai tai's for.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I adapted Okanagancook's method of roasting my frozen okra (thawed and carefully dried) with grapeseed oil at 425 deg F.  Quite nice, actually.  No slime at all to speak of.

 

This was served of course with a baguette and with pork ribs that I could not help thinking was chicken.  I could not in good conscience call it barbecue, but it cooked 24 hours sous vide and then was grilled.  Quite nice anyways.

 

Since my kitchen resources were challenged by the ribs I could not make ice cream.  However for dessert I whipped up a batch of modernist peanut butter gelato.  Of which I think I shall have a second bowl.

[Norm Matthews]

FauxPas here is one way to prepare okra. Cut 3 to 4-inch pods it into medallions, rinse and drain, toss with the following, shake off the excess, fry oil over medium heat until browned.  Turn out on paper towels and salt. The pods bigger than 3-4 inches are too woody and tough. 

 

1 pound of small okra pods, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup of cooking oil, more or less, divided so as needed to cook it in batches about 1/4 inch deep

3/4 cup of all purpose cornmeal

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and Cajun seasoning (optional), to taste

[kayb]

FauxPas here is one way to prepare okra. Cut 3 to 4-inch pods it into medallions, rinse and drain, toss with the following, shake off the excess, fry oil over medium heat until browned.  Turn out on paper towels and salt. The pods bigger than 3-4 inches are too woody and tough. 

 

1 pound of small okra pods, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup of cooking oil, more or less, divided so as needed to cook it in batches about 1/4 inch deep

3/4 cup of all purpose cornmeal

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and Cajun seasoning (optional), to taste

Interesting technique. I'd never have thought of doing it that way. My method, handed down from generations back of Southern cooks, is to rinse the okra and, while wet, slice the okra into said half-inch rounds; those go in a bowl and sit for at least 20 minutes. This allows the "slime" to exude. Then it all goes into a plastic bag with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of self-rising corn meal mix (a combo of cornmeal, flour, and baking powder), salt and black pepper. That's sealed and shaken, and the breaded slices fried in about 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat. I tend to use canola, but peanur or any other oil that tolerates high temps will work.  

 

The "slime" helps the breading mix adhere, and the finished product is crunchy and not "slimy" at all. I can't abide boiled okra, though I've been told roasted is good -- I'm going to try it sometime. I've also had dehydrated okra that made an excellent snack. You can also put the breaded, uncooked okra in a single layer on a cookie sheet, freeze it, and transfer to a plastic bag to freeze. I freeze mine in gallon bags and fry what I want, from frozen.

 

It's important to put the okra in the skillet in a single layer and not crowd it too much. You can drain one batch on paper towels before frying the next.

 

My three daughters and I will eat two pounds of fried okra at a sitting, and fight over the last bite. Give me that, fresh sweet corn and sliced tomatoes, and maybe some purple hulled peas, and I'm in heaven. Meat is entirely superfluous in that meal.

[Okanagancook]

Yes, it is hot here in the Okanagan but we have not had luck growing okra.  Except, the first year we tried it the plants were four feet high and we got okras quite well but since then the plants get about a foot high and one or two okras are harvested per plant.  We have tried in different beds but to no avail.  So, we have given up and now that the Superstore is here, they have it quite regularly.

 

All the ideas for cooking okra above sound good.  Thank you for posting.  I tend not to fry it because we are watching our waistlines! 

Curried okra is also nice.  Usually the recipe calls for it to be fried with onions and spices.

[scubadoo97]

I remember when Suvir posted a recipe for crispy fried okra on eGullet. Been a favorite ever since

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crispy-okra-salad

Edited July 6, 2015 by scubadoo97 (log)