Jump to content

Okra


legant

Recommended Posts

I get nauseated just looking at the thing. However, someone just gave me eight pods of the stuff, ranging from 3 - 12 inches. I can toss them but...

What's your favorite/best okra (non-gumbo) recipe?

Granted... I could stuff it and fry the heck out of the stuff: frying makes anything taste good. But... I'm trying to be open to new food experiences... even if it involves okra. Blech.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How tender are the stalks?

If the answer is "very", go with grilling.

The attached pic is from my first time grilling okra a few years ago. The skewer on the left shows the best configuration for a single skewer (you could always go with two and train-track them, but adventure it instead!). The skewer next to that one shows the amusing spatial fail before I identified the best method. Grilled, tender pods turn even the most anti-okra folks into fans of the mallow stuff.

If the pods are not tender, have you tried bhindi masala or other Indian preparations? With only 8 pods, maybe your okra can be part of a larger vegetable curry.

(that's oliver ranch beef and brined corn)

(no cobs were harmed)

(in the making of this meal)

post-5654-071301000 1286362543_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

to see if you really hate them or like them, slice off the stems and saute in a hot pan for a few minutes with a generous amount of brown butter and a splash of water, white wine of lemon and serve with the sauce over a handful of whole wheat pasta. salt and pepper, of course. they will get slimy when they heat up, if that's the way you want to look at them, and if they get too hot they will even open with the smallest of explosion. to disguise them a bit, you can also add some roma tomato roasted with garlic, herb and olive oil (sliced in half, face up, for two hours at 300 degrees) to the pot after giving the okra a minute head start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the farmers at 14th&U gave me an idea for okra that has served me well this year since I kept buying it and forgetting about it! Toss the smaller pieces in a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt of some kind. Lay them individually on a cookie sheet and roast them in a pre-heated oven until they become browned and crispy (IIRC about 30-45 minutes). Eat like potato chips.

Yum.

(I think the only thing you can do with the really long pieces is slice and stew... but I could be wrong about that.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of you recommend keeping the pods whole during cooking; does okra only get slimy when it's cut? KMango: how do I tell if they're "tender"? The smaller ones have some give; the others are quite firm. For the masala: if I cook them whole, and then slice 'em, will that cut down on the gag me reaction?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the farmers at 14th&U gave me an idea for okra that has served me well this year since I kept buying it and forgetting about it! Toss the smaller pieces in a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt of some kind. Lay them individually on a cookie sheet and roast them in a pre-heated oven until they become browned and crispy (IIRC about 30-45 minutes). Eat like potato chips.

I second the recommendation for roasting if you don't like the slime factor (which admittedly, I do). I advise only about 20 minutes at around 375 F, turning once, including the really large, whole ones. Look for them to just get tender and develop just enough of N's yummy caramelization to satisfy.

Much more palatable mixed into dishes this way--as well as eaten on their own, say with a noodle pilaf and tomato or thick, garlicky yogurt sauce with herbs.

Also see Paula Wolfert's recommendations for a more elaborate way to minimize/eliminate the undesired texture at the bottom of the linked recipe. (I really love her recipe for ground lamb and okra with a red pepper jam--in Eastern Mediterranean Cooking--that I always make w tzaziki and the aforementioned pilaf. )

* * *

Slime can also occur when whole pods are cooked a very long time so that they disintegrate, especially in a liquid. Insides--their botanical guts--are the cause of slime. That's the reasoning behind lperry's Southern method. On sliced okra, cornmeal coating (mix w a little AP flour, a touch of cayenne and pinch of salt) should be thick enough, fat generous enough, and cast iron skillet hot enough to keep Ghostbusters at bay. Tempera batter works similarly.

* * *

Tender? Pierce w small knife. Should yield. Press the pods while still firm and raw to reserve a comparative anti-model in short-term memory. If there's a real disparity in size of your okra, start roasting the big ones ten minutes before you add the small ones to the cookie sheet since tiny things take less time to cook.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of you recommend keeping the pods whole during cooking; does okra only get slimy when it's cut? KMango: how do I tell if they're "tender"? The smaller ones have some give; the others are quite firm. For the masala: if I cook them whole, and then slice 'em, will that cut down on the gag me reaction?

my experience is that okra gets slimy when it's hot. if you don't like okra, slicing them will just spread them around more. it's hard to overcook them, but they are definitely done if they are breaking open. maybe you should look at them as green beans; the main difference is that they can cook quite a bit faster. i think they are an interesting vegetable, and as you can see from above, there is a lot you can do with them, but i like them best when they are simply prepared. they have a good flavor and i don't mind the slick texture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...