Seven Ways to Cook and Serve Okra

Okra with tomatoes and garlic

Okra is definitely cooked and served. Okra has a rich, sweet earthy style. The flavor is similar to eggplant with hints of asparagus and artichoke. 

The peak okra harvest season mid to late summer time

Simple the right way to Make a choice Okra

  • Make a choice more youthful, tender okra pods free of bruises. Okra pods will have to be corporate to the touch and no longer the use of a browning at the pointers. Make a choice brightly colored pods lower than 4 inches long. Younger pods are a lot much less glutinous. (Long, gummy pods about 7 inches (16 mm) long are most well liked in some parts of the usa.)
  • Keep away from okra that is relaxed, contracted, or boring colored. Large okra will difficult and fibrous.

Simple the right way to Store Okra

  • Refrigerate okra in a paper bag or inside a paper towel in a perforated plastic bag for 2 to a couple of days.
  • Okra may also be frozen after blanching complete for 2 minutes.
Okra sliced
Okra slices; remove the tough stem ends

Simple the right way to Prep Okra for Cooking

  • Rinse okra in cool water previous than using. Rinse and drain, then slice off the very best and tail if the pods are to be cooked complete. Once cooked okra may also be scale back into slices and used to thicken soups or ragoûts.
  • Trim the caps off of larger pods, on the other hand do not disclose the seeds. If pods are fuzzy, remove the fuzz via rubbing the pods in a towel previous than you wash them.
  • Do not cook dinner dinner okra in iron, brass, tin, or copper pots; the pods will discolor.
Roasted okra
Roasted okra

Simple the right way to Roast Okra

  1. Preheat an oven to 400 ranges F.
  2. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water. Roast the pods complete or scale back the pods partially lengthwise for faster cooking.
  3. Place the okra on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet in a single and drizzle the pods with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with the salt. Toss to coat the pods lightly.
  4. Prepare the pods in a single layer on the pan or sheet.
  5. Roast until the pods are tender when pierced with a knife tip and the edges are browning, about 25 minutes.
  6. Serve the roasted pods sizzling or warmth.
Braised okra
Okra stir-fried

Simple the right way to Sauté or Stir Fry Okra

  1. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water.
  2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  3. Add chopped onions and minced garlic and cook dinner dinner until begins to soften about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the okra and cook dinner dinner until the okra pieces are tender when pierced with a knife, about  2 to a couple of minutes further; stir once in a while for the reason that okra cooks.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and serve sizzling.

Simple the right way to Steam Okra

  1. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water.
  2. Place a steamer basket over 1 to 2 inches of boiling water; the water will have to not touch the basket.
  3. Place the okra inside the basket then duvet and cook dinner dinner until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Toss with butter and salt and serve warmth.
Boiled okra with soy sauce
Boiled okra seasoned with soy sauce

Simple the right way to Boil Okra

  1. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine enough water to cover the okra and two teaspoons of salt.
  3. Ship to a boil over top heat.
  4. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the okra is tender when pierced with a knife tip.
  5. Drain the water and okra in a colander then return the okra to the saucepan.
  6. Add an element stick of butter and cook dinner dinner over low heat until the butter melts and coats the okra, stirring often.

Simple the right way to Grill Okra

  1. Set the grill at top heat. The heat is key if you’ll be able to dangle your hand an inch or two above the grate for no more than 1 or 2 seconds.
  2. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water.
  3. In a large bowl drizzle the pods with olive oil and toss to coat lightly.
  4. Place the pods instantly on the grill or skewer them or put them in a grilling basket.
  5. Prepare dinner dinner turning once in a while with tongs until browned or lightly charred and tender when pierced with a knife tip, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on measurement. The color of the pods will deepen as they cook dinner dinner.

  6. Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice.
  7. Serve sizzling or at room temperature.
Deep fried battered okra
Deep fried battered okra

Simple the right way to Deep Fry Okra

  1. Place 2 inches or fairly further vegetable oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water.
  3. Heat the oil to 370 ranges F. 
  4. Preheat the oven to 200 ranges F. 
  5. Put flour in a paper or plastic bag; beat two eggs lightly in dish; place cornmeal in a third dish.
  6. The okra pods inside the flour inside the bag, then dip inside the egg, then dip inside the cornmeal.
  7. Place the covered okra inside the saucepan of heated oil and cook dinner dinner for 3 to 4 minutes until brown. Prepare dinner dinner in batches if very important
  8. Lift the okra with tongs and drain on a paper towel.
  9. Keep the okra warmth inside the oven on a baking sheet or roasting pan until all the pods are cooked.
  10. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve with lemon wedges.
Okra stew with feta cheese
Okra stew with feta cheese

Simple the right way to Make Okra Stew–With Tomatoes and Corn

  1. Remove the tough stem ends of the okra and rinse totally in cold water. Scale back the pods into small pieces–a few cup’s value.
  2. Remove the stems and seeds of a bell pepper and chop into pieces–in regards to the identical measurement for the reason that okra.
  3. Core, peel, and remove the seeds of two or 3 ripe tomatoes.
  4. Chop one huge onion.
  5. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
  6. When the oil is sizzling add the onion and pepper; cook dinner dinner and stir once in a while until the pepper is tender about 10 minutes.
  7. Add the okra and tomatoes and a tablespoon of chili powder to taste.
  8. Turn the heat to low and stir until the okra is tender when pierced with a knife tip, about 10 minutes.
  9. Uncover and stir in 2 cups of unpolluted corn kernels.
  10. Lift the heat to medium and cook dinner dinner with the cover off for kind of 5 minutes stirring often, or duvet and cook dinner dinner over low heat for 5 minutes.

Okra Serving Concepts

  • Use okra raw or cooked.
  • Okra may also be steamed, boiled, sautéed, baked, deep-fried, braised or made into soup or scale back raw proper right into a salad.
  • Devour okra raw in salads. Wash the pods and clip off the ends. Soak the pods in water with a marginally of lemon juice for kind of 30 minutes, drain, rinse, and dry.
  • Serve okra cold with vinaigrette or add to a salad after a quick blanching.
  • Prepare dinner dinner okra as it’s possible you’ll asparagus or eggplant; okra can trade those vegetables in most recipes. Alternate okra for zucchini in ratatouille.
  • Use okra in soups, stews, and curries or sautéed or fried to accompany meat or poultry.
  • Steam okra by myself or with other vegetables or serve as a facet dish. Prepare on a steamer rack, duvet, and steam over simmering water until tender.
  • Simmer okra with eggplant, onions, and chopped ripe tomatoes.
  • Boil okra in a small amount of salted water for 8 to 15 minutes or till tender. Drain, loosen up and serve with vinaigrette or a dip.
  • Pan-fry sliced okra rounds in olive oil over medium heat then style with cumin, tomato, and lemon juice.
  • Deep fry okra: wash and dry pods, scale back partially lengthwise, roll in salted yellow cornmeal until covered, fry vegetable oil heated to 365°F until golden brown about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Or dip okra pods in flour, egg, and cornmeal and deep-fry until golden brown and serve with lemon and sizzling sauce.
  • Serve okra soup-stews over fluffy white rice to absorb juices.
  • Serve okra with stewed tomatoes: add okra to sizzling stewed tomatoes for 8 to 10 minutes and simmer.
  • Use okra in gumbo for thickening and style. Add diced okra to gumbo, Brunswick stew, or rice pilaf. Add about 10 minutes previous than the top of cooking. Okra will thicken like cornstarch.
  • In India, okra–known as bhindi—is used to accompany curries.

If okra is overcooked, the pods will become gluey. To treatment this, add just a little of lemon juice to the pan and cover.

Okra Style Partners

  • Okra has a style affinity for chiles, corn, cornmeal, lemon, onion, rice, sweet peppers, tomato, and vinegar.
  • Season okra with curry, coriander, lemon, marjoram, oregano, parsley, or vinegar.
  • Partner okra with late summer time crops very similar to garlic, onions, tomatoes, and sweet peppers.

Okra Vitamin

  • Okra accommodates vitamins A and C and is an excellent provide of potassium, magnesium, and folic acid.
Okra near harvest
Okra with reference to harvest

Get to Know Okra

  • Okra is an upright annual plant that grows to about 3 ft (1m) tall with a hibiscus-like flower. The okra plant produces slim, tapered, five-sided fit to be eaten pods that can be pink, white, or green and are often referred to as ladies’ arms. The pods are eaten as a vegetable.
  • Okra pods range in size from 2 to 8 inches (5-20 cm) long. The pods may also be blank or fairly fuzzy in texture. Each pod accommodates sections of fit to be eaten green or brownish seeds. Okra tastes highest imaginable when the pods are harvested 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) long.
  • Okra pods contain a gummy, slippery substance that tends to become further slippery or gelatinous when cooked. It’s that mucilaginous texture this is serving to to thicken soups, stews, and gumbo.
  • Okra is native to tropical Africa and Asia. The West African Ashanti language word for okra is ki ngombo. After African slaves arrived inside the West Indies and American South inside the seventeenth century that word was shortened to gombo or gumbo. These days okra grows as some distance north as Virginia in the usa.
  • Okra has been cultivated during the Egyptians given that twelfth century. From Egypt, okra was traded around the Mediterranean and to India, Southeast Asia, and China.
  • Okra is frequently eaten in Africa, India, the Center East, the West Indies, South The us, and Louisiana. It is frequently used in Creole and Cajun cookery.

The botanical name for okra is Hibiscus esculentus (in the past Abelmoschus esculentas).

Moreover of passion:

Simple the right way to Expand Okra

Simple the right way to Harvest and Store Okra

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