Okraphobic ..what do you see in this stuff anyway?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Okra ... Mayhaw Man can't get enough of the stuff ... he ought to run a campaign for the stuff .... so what is it that whenever I encounter okra, in any way, shape, or form, I am instantly repelled?

I ate the stuff when I grew up in Orlando and found that it was always slimy .... then, I ate it fried, as an adult .. no difference ... it is simply a pod, that's about it ... can anyone here tell me how I can conquer this aversion to the innocent green veg so many adore?

Find a therapist specializing in okra aversion? Desensitize myself to the pods?

Fifi? You there? I hear you may also be in my position ....

[gwilson]

GG, go to Watershed. Call ahead and speak briefly with Chef Peacock. I had a saute of various vegetables there a couple (3?) years ago that included okra. No slime whatsoever. You could even go by Morningside Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning, get a little okra, then swing by Watershed and offer to share with the chef/staff. Chef Peacock is so nice; I bet he would appreciate the gesture.

-Greg

[Milt]

Okra is my favorite single vegetable. I enjoy it boiled, steamed, stewed, with tomatoes, pickled and fried. I have not found a method of preparation that was not enjoyable.

Growing up in OPklahoma and New Mexico, I occasionally had okra as a child - but not very often. I really discovered the delights of okra as an adult. When it is available in a restaurant - that is usually the vegetable that I choose. My wife even noticed that when we lived in New Mexico and ate at Furr's Cafeteria, I would sometimes buy two different forms of okra - usually fried and boiled with tomatoes - when both forms were offered.

My wife is not particularly fond of okra, but eats it when I fix it. She particularly has an aversion to cut boiled okra because of the slime. Small whole pods are what she prefers. She also enjoys some fried okra. I have found that the method she prefers most - for health and looks - is when I bake small pods in foil with lemon juice and salt. She also has no problem with okra when it is included with a soup or stew.

If you truly don't care for okra - don't worry about it. There are too many other foods to choose from. If you haven't tried okra in its many forms - experiment. Sometimes, it is the particular recipe and the cook which make a great deal of difference. Overcooked, greasy fried okra is just plain bad. I wasn't born enjoying coffee, but I thoroughly enjoy it now.

[NulloModo]

GG -

Take some Okra, chop it up into roughly 1" slices, with a dry knife (let no water get near it lest slime occur, dry it before you slice if you must wash it).

Heat up a cast iron skillet to rather hot with some peanut oil or butter.

Toss in the okra and stir as you fry with ample cayenne pepper, black pepper, and a bit of salt.

Serve it up, it won't be slimy, the heat of the pepper will help give it some kick, and the natural okra tang should shine through.

[bloviatrix]

can anyone here tell me how I can conquer this aversion to the innocent green veg so many adore?

Find a therapist specializing in okra aversion? Desensitize myself to the pods?

←

Funny you should mention this. I've been seeing okra at the greenmarket and thinking I should jump in, buy some and attempt to eat it. However, I'm a bit scared. I'm afraid it will be slimey and I won't like it.

When you find a good therapist, send him my way.

[fifi]

Reprising a quote from Jason Webley lyrics that I used in the GUMBO thread...

Gonna carve a jack-o-lantern, hang the garlic high,

This crop's been coming for a long, long time.

Flaming red peppers will rain down from the sky,

And your tap water'll turn into okra slime.

Therapists? Honey... Dr. Phil couldn't make me like the stuff.

[therese]

About the only sort of okra that I like is pickled---small pods, pickled whole.

I'll eat other preps in a restaurant if they accompany something else, but never make it at home.

[Mayhaw Man]

You people will eat every single part of animals. Entrails, organs, eyeballs, tails, snouts, and who knows what else, but you won't eat okra?

For Pete's sake, step out and live a little. The vibrant okra pickling industry is centered in Texas, Fifi-I would think that it would be your duty as a Daughter of the Lone Star State to be out there scarfing the stuff up like it was going out of style.

Pickled, stewed, fried, Indian, Southern US-I'll take it any time any style. Bring it on. More okra for me please.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Pickled, stewed, fried, Indian, Southern US-I'll take it any time any style. Bring it on. More okra for me please.

←

Way I see it, Brooks, with Fifi and I avoiding okra, there is more for you!

I don't eat entrails nor snouts for the same reasons ....not my cuppa tea ...

[Carrot Top]

Okra is just plain funny. It is little. It is an ugly green color. It is a pod, and not a pretty pod either...it has strange alien-looking ridges along it.

Cut it open and slithery gook and seeds smile out at you.

Its best value is as a conversation and/or ardent argument starter.

Sometimes, it's even good to eat.

Edited September 19, 2004 by Carrot Top (log)

[TheFoodTutor]

I also only like pickled okra, and that's even better when it's refrigerated, since the texture is lightly crisp and there's no sliminess.

Other than that, I don't even like to eat around it when it's included in a dish, because of the slime.

[dumplin]

I love fried okra. I could eat my weight in homemade fried okra made in a cast iron skillet. Its ok in soup or gumbo. I don't think it tastes as good as it does fried. Frying the okra brings out the natural sweetness.

[Suzanne F]

Obviously, the bacon non-eaters can't do this, but I'll bet you could use butter or even a different animal fat:

Slice okra no thicker than 1/2 inch. Add to saucepan with a good amount of bacon fat. Turn heat to low; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1/2 hour, until okra is browned, dry, and soft. Season with S & P. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[SobaAddict70]

Just pretend it's foie gras the next time you're eating it.

Ok, so the texture is probably not anywhere near foie....but you can dream.

Soba

[Kapuliperson]

Okra   ... Mayhaw Man can't get enough of the stuff ... he ought to run a campaign for the stuff .... so what is it that whenever I encounter okra, in any way, shape, or form, I am instantly repelled?

I ate the stuff when I grew up in Orlando and found that it was always slimy .... then, I ate it fried, as an adult .. no difference ... it is simply a pod, that's about it ... can anyone here tell me how I can conquer this aversion to the innocent green veg so many adore?

Find a therapist specializing in okra aversion? Desensitize myself to the pods?

Fifi? You there? I hear you may also be in my position ....

←

Try eating it raw, it's not slimy at all. I know it sounds even more disgusting, but try it. I'm not particularly fond of okra either especially when it's called 'lady fingers'. For one, whoever started calling it that must've had a wife/sister who had really disgusting looking fingers. Meh! And for another, the slime of course. But it's not as bad as boiled eggplant- with all the slime, weird texture and length which always reminds me of octopus

[Gifted Gourmet]

recipe for Peanut Soup with Okra Croutons

Never even thought of this ...

[nan]

Oh, I love okra - I've never tried it raw though... I prefer fried, but have eaten it in soups/stews/gumbos, etc. as well as cooked (aka "slimy").

I grew up on it. My great-aunt in Tennessee used to make fried okra - she called them "little french fries". I asked for them every single time I saw her. :) I don't know exactly how she made them, just that they were breaded and crunchy and delicious. I've got a bag of breaded okra in my fridge, but am not up for deep frying, so I'm wondering if I could bake them instead...

nan

[Mayhaw Man]

Okra ... Mayhaw Man can't get enough of the stuff ... he ought to run a campaign for the stuff ....

I will have you know that if the position of "High Priest of the Okra Lovers" paid just a bit better, I would be their man.

I'll also have you know that there is someone, with a really interesting background, both culturally and intelectually, writing the bible of Okra in all cultures and it's many forms right now and I have discussed this fascinating topic with him (as it pertains to the South) several times. In fact, I can almost guarantee that he is already reading this or has read it. A veritable Encyclopedia of Okra. I can't wait.

I will make sure that you and Fifi are on the publishers list, as I know that you will want to learn more about the Pod of the God's.

[StudentChefEclipse]

I've had deep-fried okra that didn't slime out; I suspect it had to do with the cornmeal batter. That's what our instructor said anyway.

Let's see...never tried it pickled or stewed or raw. But I do know that gumbo is simply not gumbo without it.

Good luck, GG... it's really neat stuff.

[andiesenji]

I am not a great fan of okra. However I do grow it because I have to cook it occasionally for friends who like it. I grow the red variety which doesn't seem to be quite as mucilaginous as the green.

Red Okra

It is also rather pretty. When the pods mature on the vine and dry out, the hummingbirds fight over the pods when they split open.

And this site has a recipe for pickled red okra.

Have you ever seen giant okra?

Three or four years ago one of my friends sent me some seeds and I grew some. The plant itself was huge. I liked it better than regular okra. I meant to save some seeds but forgot about it.

Edited October 20, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Geetha]

I love okra if I may add in to the heated discussion..

I love to make it using almost no ingredients except regular stuff that goes into the Indian VEgetable cooking procedure, with sauteing oil, onions, green chillies, seasoning with salt and turmeric, and adding to them the thinly sliced okra, I stir fry on low heat for a long time, that is the key to ridding it of slime and the pods too seem challenged and almost defeated. The time from the green color or browning green and caramelizing takes 25 to 30 min.

I love the fact that the resulting mix turns out a tid sweet and sour, and I add chillies so it is a bit spiced to my taste too.. In all I can't get over it there is no such thing as too much for this dish, I have it with yogurt rice, or flat bread (chapatis).

I guess if there was a way of removing moisture from the vegetable before cooking it the slime would not result, is there a way of removing moisture known today.. I ca't seem to remember ..

I think I am stuck on to this favourite since a very early age of 4 years till today, I remember my grand mother making it for me and grandpa, specially... It was at the time of when my sister was born and maybe I felt left out .. So I still remember it today and yes love this veggy to o much.

Edited October 20, 2004 by Geetha (log)

[Dr. Funk]

To StudentChefEclipse - in the 25 years I've been making gumbo, I have yet to use any okra. When I lived in LA, I encountered only a few people who used it in their gumbo and those who did, sauteed it before adding to the pot to get rid of the slime. If you go into the average small-town cafe in LA, unless the menu specifies that there is okra in the gumbo, there won't be any. It is not necessary to have okra to have gumbo.

[rosebud]

Years ago I read Margery Kinnan Rawlings' "Cross Creek," her memoir of living on an orange grove in central Florida. She mentioned that she boiled whole okra pods and ate them with Hollandaise Sauce (!) with her fingers, just like she ate asparagus in New York. I went to the Farmers' market and picked out the smallest pods I could find (they were freshly-picked) and tried it. I found that boiling them for the recommended 7 minutes made them too slimy, so I steam them for less than 5 minutes. It's something we eat a couple of times in the summer as an appetizer. The only problem is that the caps sometimes have little spikes on them, which makes eating them this way an adventure.

[Squeat Mungry]

Okra is great when it's roasted in the oven. Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock have a great recipe in their wonderful book, The Gift of Southern Cooking. GG PM me if you want their recipe -- it's at home and I'm at work. (Or, if I paraphrase the method, I can post it here, right?) Even simpler is to just toss okra in olive oil, salt it and shove it in the oven. Roast it for 15 - 20 minutes, shaking the pan every once in a while, until it's golden brown. I like to serve this with a freshly-made raita, or just sour cream and dill.

Another way I love to prepare okra is to make a risotto. Cut up 4 or 5 slices of bacon and fry them until crispy. Remove them and reserve. In the bacon fat, saute 1-1/2 - 2 cups or so of okra, sliced into rings, for 5 minutes or so. Add your rice and toast it in the bacon fat. Proceed as usual for risotto, using chicken or vegetable stock. Towards the end, stir in a cup or so of chopped tomatoes and the crisp bacon pieces, maybe some fresh corn if you have it. Yay!

I love okra!

Squeat

[Mayhaw Man]

Squeat,

That okra risotto sounds awesome. Dinner tonight! Thanks!