Okra patch at New Moon Farm circa 2008
HIBISCUS ESCULENTUS. Synonym: abelmoschus esculentus. Common name: okra,lady fingers, gumbo, gambo, gombo, okura, ocra, bamia ochro, bhindi, bombo, chimbombo. Family: Malvaceae (mallow family). Origin Ethiopia; there seeds are pressed for oil. An erect common annual vegetable with hibiscus like flowers. The leaves are heart shaped, while the fruits are ribbed pods. The edible part is the fruitpod.
Unfortunately, okra is a much maligned veggie. People either love it or fear it. Those who love it can't get enough of it. Those who fear it probably had it boiled the first time they tried it. If you are on the fence on how you feel about okra, the following are some suggestions on preparation that may help you with your decision. (By the way, for those of you who think that okra is a "Southern" vegetable, you might note from the names listed above that it has its origin Africa, and is eaten in India (where it is an important Ayurvedic vegetable), Japan and many other countries where it was a staple way before it made its way to the new world.)
Always look for bright fresh green pods. If they are turning dark, they are well past time for use. Okra can be spineless (what we grow) or it can have itchy little spines on the pods. These wash away but you should probably use gloves to prepare if you are sensitive to plants.
Small okra is not always better okra. As the seed pods dry, they become brittle, so that eventually they split and drop the seeds inside. Therefore, older, more mature okra is tough, but larger is not always more mature. Okra grows incredibly fast under optimum conditions. We have pods that start out under an inch in the morning and reach 3+ by evening. So, if it is growing quickly, larger pods may not be older, just bigger. To see if your okra is tough, grasp the pod in question with your four fingers and palm, then gently bend the tip with your thumb. If it yields to pressure easily, it is fine. If they are brittle or too hard..throw them out. There is no way to cook brittle okra. You just end up with something the resembles cooked straw with seeds. Usually pods under 3 inches are generally fine.
The inside of an okra pod is lined with what most people describe as slime. This is not true. The seeds in the pods are surrounded by a membrane that does have a certain slickness to it, but that muscilaginous substance is actually good for you. It is soothing to the digestive tract. That is also what makes okra unique. Plus, it is good to have different textures, as well as flavors, hit your palate. It educates your tastebuds and raises your culinary awareness.
You can leave okra plain or you can bread it to fry it. Slice it into about 1/4 inch thick pieces. Flour, corn meal or a combination of the two are the most common ways to prepare it. Some people dip their okra in egg before breading it, but I think that is a waste of time and an egg. I don't like much of anything with cornmeal breading, but the flavor of corn mixed with okra does add something. I use masa flour to bread okra when I prepare it that way (Masa is a type of Mexican corn flour, the kind tortillas are made from.) It is as fine as any flour and has the corn flavor. It is also readily available at most supermarkets. Plus, you can use it to make homemade tortillas, but that is another recipe. If you are planning on breading your okra, dip in buttermilk and toss in a bowl with your breading medium. I don't dip mine in anything, so I put my breading into a ziplock, toss in the okra and shake, shake shake! That pretty well covers the okra pieces, which my mom says is the secret to great fried okra.
Try soaking your sliced okra in icy water before you bread it. Drain it well. It reduces the "sliminess", which can cause your breaded okra to be sticky. If you like a heavy breading, leave this step out.
Fry it in a lot of oil over high heat, stirring frequently. OR Fry it in just a little oil, over medium heat, only turning once. Same person told me both of these ways to fry okra.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put just a drizzle of oil (Oil is your choice. You will only use about a tablespoon, if that much. Olive is good, but burns at a lower temp than other oils. Never cook with canola oil at high temps.) on your pan (cookie sheet is good.). Spread a thin layer of breaded or plain sliced okra on pan . Put in the hot oven and in about 10 minutes, it will begin to sizzle. Turn once with a spatula and let it cook until the other side is brown. This is an extremely low fat way to have "fried" okra. This works well with squash, too.
Also, if you want to freeze okra, already breaded, use the above method. After it cooks, just let it cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and place entire sheet in freezer. Once okra is frozen solid, remove from sheet, place in freezer bags, label and stack back in freezer. When you are ready to cook and eat it, you can either pop in hot oven for about 10 minutes or heat in a toaster oven. Easy as 1-2-3.
Try baking it in the oven drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
Boiled okra is for those who truly love okra. If you mix it with some tomatoes, onions and peppers, you have a good start toward a "gumbo".
Try roasting or grilling okra along with other veggies.
Some people think this is strange, but I like raw okra. It is crunchy and has a weird sort of bitter taste, which is not an altogether bad thing. Plus, the seeds pop when you bite them. Don't eat too many though, as it will make your lips itchy.
Pickled with dill, there isn't a better pickle than okra. Pods used at peak freshness and size stay crisp. Pickling okra is very easy and makes a really different condiment for your table. If you can't find a recipe for pickled okra, use a recipe for dill pickles, but leave out the dill heads and just use seeds. FYI, a 9 0z. jar of pickled okra at my local market is about $4.00 and has about 10 pods in the jar. I can make enough pints (6) to give for gifts for about $4.00 including the jars and all the other ingredients.
