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If you ask a random sampling of people about their experiences with okra, you are likely to hear stories of a fantastic pot of Louisiana gumbo or a dish consumed at an Indian restaurant. Less often, you might hear about a deep fried, potentially battered, version often associated with Southern foods including fried chicken and BBQ. While the prime examples of fried okra are all about individually crunchy and greaseless bites of self contained okra flavor, it is the exact opposite quality that is brought to bear for a gumbo or stews popular in India and the Middle East. That quality is alternatively described as slimy or mucilaginous, and it is this gluey substance which okra releases that binds the dish and creates the unique texture of these types of dishes.
Here in the fall okra is abundant in our local markets and you do not need a deep fryer or a long cooked gumbo to produce great tasting results. We prefer the dry unrunniness of fried okra but do not have the inclination to set up a fry station in the apartment. In order to reproduce an acceptable non-slimy alternative you need an extremely hot cast iron pan, oil, okra sliced in ½ in rounds, and some attentive cooking. The key, like cooking a good burger or chicken breast, is to flip the okra just once deeply browning both sides.
As good as they are by their own, once they are removed from the pan feel free to add in an equal volume of corn freshly cut off the cob. Sauté till crisp-tender and mix with the okra.
If you prefer the runny recipes, try these links for gumbo tips and recipes, as well as a Middle Eastern stir-fry with tomato.
How do you like your okra ? Or maybe not at all.
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Middle Eastern style stewed Okra
1 pnd fresh or frozen okra, cut into 1/2 in. rounds
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 teaspoons Allspice
1 bay leaf
Juice from 1 lemon
Olive oil
Tea spoon each Salt & Pepper
1 can of crushed tomatoes
Heat the olive oil In a large sauce pot
Add the chopped onion, garlic, salt & pepper and cook until the onion browns
Add the tomatoes,parsley,bay leaves, and the Allspice
When the tomatoes start to simmer, lower the heat and add the okra, and lemon juice
Simmer, stirring often until the okra is tender
Best served over Cous Cous
cut, steamed and eaten with shaved bonito flakes and soy sauce. actually it's the sliminess that promotes male stamina! ;)
The state of Minas Gerais in Brasil has a very traditional recipe called Frango com Quiabo (Chicken with Okra). Very slimy, very wonderful, served with a kind of polenta (angu).
I'm a SC emigrant, so i'm going to use that as a basis for my claim that I know good fried okra.
True southern style:
ingredients: okra, salt, buttermilk, cornmeal, vegetable oil, deep fat frier (or big cast iron skillet)
-wash the okra and cut it up into half inch slices.
-keep the tips (theyre effing delicious when crispy), get rid of the stems (duh)
-put the okra in a bowl and salt it
-salt the okra
-pour some buttermilk over the okra to get it wet
-spread out some cornmeal on a plate or cuttingboard or whatever
-roll the okra around in the cornmeal till its coated pretty well
-fry it till its brown
-let it cool on some paper towels to drain oil
-salt and pepper to taste and eat the hell out of it b/c its delicious.. wash down w/ sweet tea
thats right.. i said salt it 3 times. its southern.
Hey jay,
You made a mistake with your recipe...
I think you meant wash down w/ your favorite beer...
Mmmmmm... fresh okra, ends trimmed, simmered with wedges of fresh tomato and and slices of onion! Great side dish with fried chicken or grilled pork chops.