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Posted

When *boiled*, it is slimy. You've obviously never had the $1.99 deep-fried version at Po' Folks. :lol:

I'm not that sensitive to food texture.  I like okra, no matter how it's prepared.  My husband won't eat it, though, so I don't usually prepare it at home.  Sometimes I try to slip it into something like gumbo, but he always finds it.

Posted

When *boiled*, it is slimy. You've obviously never had the $1.99 deep-fried version at Po' Folks. :lol:

I'm not that sensitive to food texture.  I like okra, no matter how it's prepared.  My husband won't eat it, though, so I don't usually prepare it at home.  Sometimes I try to slip it into something like gumbo, but he always finds it.  

Battered, deep-fried okra is not what I had growing up with one Florida and one Georgia Grandmother, both of whom cooked it the same way.  The batter can encapsulate the okra leaving residual sliminess.  Instead, slice into rounds, toss with seasoned cornmeal, shallow fry in your cast iron skillet until brown and crispy on the edges (in Crisco, if you want to do it like my Granny did, otherwise in oil), enjoy.  It is not possible not to like fried okra prepared like this.  :)

  • Like 3
Posted

I made fried okra this summer for a cocktail party because I found a whole slew of the very small, tender pods at the Farmers Market. I left them whole (with the tops on as handles), and battered and pan-fried them. Not at all slimy.

Posted

On a Labor Day Monday, five or six years ago, Mrs. B made me my first homemade fried okra.  I fell in love with okra that day and haven't had it fried that good since.  I personally love the slime and try to bring it out as much as possible but when preparing it for others I like to roast 'em till golden brown.

Posted

Battered, deep-fried okra is not what I had growing up with one Florida and one Georgia Grandmother, both of whom cooked it the same way.  The batter can encapsulate the okra leaving residual sliminess.  Instead, slice into rounds, toss with seasoned cornmeal, shallow fry in your cast iron skillet until brown and crispy on the edges (in Crisco, if you want to do it like my Granny did, otherwise in oil), enjoy.  It is not possible not to like fried okra prepared like this.  :)

I've tried pan-fried with cornmeal.  No go.  Of course, the best brussels sprouts I've ever made--caramelized in bacon fat and roasted along with figs--were a no go too, but he ate some of the figs. No way I prepare either one of those vegetables is acceptable.

Posted

What can I say?  I love the slime.  Don't really like the fried stuff.  If I need to reduce slimy qualities for other eaters, then I'll do it up middle eastern style with chopped tomatoes and garlic and coriander and lemon juice.

Posted

I've tried pan-fried with cornmeal.  No go.  Of course, the best brussels sprouts I've ever made--caramelized in bacon fat and roasted along with figs--were a no go too, but he ate some of the figs. No way I prepare either one of those vegetables is acceptable.

Do you have an immersion blender?  I pureed Brussels Sprouts together with an almost-broken Hollandaise Sauce, and it was one of the best vegetable dishes I have ever made.  There's something magical in the velvet texture.

Okra chips are amazing.

  • Like 1
Posted

^ Yum.  Indian cooks have a way with okra.  One of my cookbooks has a recipe that calls for slitting the pods lengthwise, stuffing the okra with a spiced mixture, closing it back up, then cooking it.  (Frying?  Steaming?)  I don't mind the slime, having had steamed or boiled okra quite a bit as a kid.  If you are half-and-half about it, okra and tomatoes is another traditional southern dish, and the acidity of the tomatoes cuts the slime a bit.  My Florida Grandmother used to have bags of it in the freezer because okra and tomatoes came in from the fields at the same time of year.  *sigh*  Lots of vegetable memories. 

Posted

There's also Suvir's crispy okra salad:

6093655942_038f6cc93d_z.jpg

Not at all slimy, and doesn't need to be coated in batter.

A few weeks ago I snagged a bunch of red okra at the Ballston farmers market and made this dish (various versions of the recipe are everyone on the net).  Unfortunately, I think I sliced the okra too thin and ended up with mostly fried crunchy slivers without much okra taste.  I also have the remaining okra in the process of pickling - should be ready in a few more days.  The funny thing about red okra is that it is almost as if the redness is painted on - when you cook the okra it turns back to green and in the pickle jars I now have green okra and reddish water.  Should be interesting.

  • Like 1
Posted

A few weeks ago I snagged a bunch of red okra at the Ballston farmers market and made this dish (various versions of the recipe are everyone on the net).  Unfortunately, I think I sliced the okra too thin and ended up with mostly fried crunchy slivers without much okra taste.  I also have the remaining okra in the process of pickling - should be ready in a few more days.  The funny thing about red okra is that it is almost as if the redness is painted on - when you cook the okra it turns back to green and in the pickle jars I now have green okra and reddish water.  Should be interesting.

At risk of supplying TMSI (Too Much Scientific Information), anthocyanins are water-soluble compounds.  If you steam purple okra or asparagus, you get green vegetables and purple water.  Altogether an unsatisfying color experience.

  • Like 3
Posted

^ Yum.  Indian cooks have a way with okra.  One of my cookbooks has a recipe that calls for slitting the pods lengthwise, stuffing the okra with a spiced mixture, closing it back up, then cooking it.  (Frying?  Steaming?)  I don't mind the slime, having had steamed or boiled okra quite a bit as a kid.  If you are half-and-half about it, okra and tomatoes is another traditional southern dish, and the acidity of the tomatoes cuts the slime a bit.  My Florida Grandmother used to have bags of it in the freezer because okra and tomatoes came in from the fields at the same time of year.  *sigh*  Lots of vegetable memories. 

i make okra this way sometimes, and my mom does often. what we both do is fry some spices in a tbs or so of oil, then add the okra, klet it sizzle/brown for a bit (say 2-3 min) and then cover with a lid so it steams a bit, then, when close to desired doneness, lift lid (so okra can dry out and brown more) and finish. my fave stuffings are the ones with amchoor, the tart mango powder. so good! particularly with some yogurt on the side.

  • Like 1
Posted

My husband hated okra, until we started getting it in our CSA bag several years ago.  The first recipe I tried was steamed whole pods with fresh ginger and sliced scallions (I think I found it on epicurious.com), and it was delicious--not at all slimy.  This year I cooked it cut up in a recipe from Hugh Acheson, sliced on the bias and sauteed quickly in olive oil with almonds. That was the best preparation yet! Again, not at all slimy.

I wonder if freshness affects sliminess.  The okra I used to buy at the supermarket was always slimy. The okra I've gotten in my CSA bag has never (yet) been slimy. I love okra!

Posted

My step-mother, who is Chinese, cooked okra whole last weekend, sauteed in a cast iron pan in a litle bacon fat until the skin is a little crispy and then finished over low heat with the lid on.  Very tasty and not slimey.

I looked for okra at the Burke farmer's market but the vendors said that okra is done for the year here.

Posted

Okra fried in bacon fat sounds delicious, & I'd add a splash of tamari, fish sauce, sesame seeds, a squeeze of lime- I'm definitely going to remember to grow okra next year, they're such lovely plants.

Posted

Okra fried in bacon fat sounds delicious, & I'd add a splash of tamari, fish sauce, sesame seeds, a squeeze of lime- I'm definitely going to remember to grow okra next year, they're such lovely plants.

You are going to need quite a few plants. The pods don't exactly grow at the same time; so, if you want the small, most tender pods, you will have to have a number of plants and harvest A LOT.

Posted

Yes, like planting banks of hibiscus, just have to find a sunny spot (maybe out by the road, where the hell strip would be, if we had a sidewalk). Almost anything would be better than ratty ass grass.

  • Like 1

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