# Okra



## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

So how you all cook okra? I've never cooked it before and my father brought home a big bag of it.


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## alpidarkomama (Jan 22, 2012)

Roasted! With a little olive oil, salt, and sometimes a bit of lemon zest or preserved lemon. YUM.


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## giraffe_baby (Oct 15, 2005)

we roll it in cornmeal and fry it... OR dehydrate it with some garlic pepper and eat it like popcorn!


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## morninglory (Aug 7, 2003)

giraffe_baby said:


> we roll it in cornmeal and fry it... OR dehydrate it with some garlic pepper and eat it like popcorn!


I love okra any way it can be cooked and never heard of dehydrating it and eating it like popcorn. Please pass on to me how to prepare this. Do I parboil it first? Just tell me how, I can just taste it. lol


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## Capt Quirk (Sep 24, 2011)

Eww... just ewww!


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## wingnut64 (Jan 12, 2012)

Tommyice said:


> So how you all cook okra? I've never cooked it before and my father brought home a big bag of it.





giraffe_baby said:


> we roll it in cornmeal and fry it



That's the best way, especially for a newbie.
Cut it up crossways about 1/2" long segments. Maybe add a little chopped onion. Mom used to fry up some bacon and cook it in the grease.
Make sure the oil or grease is hot when you drop it and turn it so you don't burn it.

If this is your first time, please don't let them talk you into just boiling it, or you might not eat it again. Unless you LIKE slimy, mushy food.:sob:

Maybe it's just a southern thing, but I was once offered it boiled and I just looked at them like they were crazy.......:yuck:


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

wingnut64 said:


> That's the best way, especially for a newbie.
> Cut it up crossways about 1/2" long segments. Maybe add a little chopped onion. Mom used to fry up some bacon and cook it in the grease.
> Make sure the oil or grease is hot when you drop it and turn it so you don't burn it.
> 
> ...


Funny you say that. Dad's a southerner, mom was a Jersey girl. She had to boil every vegetable for him. I don't want to eat just boiled vegetables--I want some flavor and texture in my food. 

I'll try the cornmeal and fry version first. So I'd basically be making a fritter of it?


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

Tommyice said:


> Funny you say that. Dad's a southerner, mom was a Jersey girl. She had to boil every vegetable for him. I don't want to eat just boiled vegetables--I want some flavor and texture in my food.
> 
> I'll try the cornmeal and fry version first. So I'd basically be making a fritter of it?


Not really a fritter. Here is Southern Living's recipe for fried okra.

We love it fried (my fave) but we also love it in gumbo.


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## Chief Cook (Apr 24, 2011)

All right, Giraffe Baby, now I want to know about the dehydrating recipe! I am not supposed to have much popcorn, soooo, come on lets have it....! LOL Does sound good.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

I often dehydrate okra for winter soups...just slice it and lay it on the trays..have not spiced it up, but you can add garlic salt or ? at this point and just dry it. Okra does not have to be blanched, just pick it, slice it, fry it or dry it....DH's grandmother would slice it lenthwise, roll it in egg and crumbs and fry it, tell the kids they were eating little fishes..LOL


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## wingnut64 (Jan 12, 2012)

Txsteader said:


> Not really a fritter. Here is Southern Living's recipe for fried okra.




That'll work!:thumb:


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

Tommyice said:


> Funny you say that. Dad's a southerner, mom was a Jersey girl. She had to boil every vegetable for him. I don't want to eat just boiled vegetables--I want some flavor and texture in my food.
> 
> I'll try the cornmeal and fry version first. So I'd basically be making a fritter of it?


LOL My DH is from MA, I was raised in IL but both parents are from the south, so grew up with a lot of southern cooking. I joke around about the differences in food. In New England states they boil everything, in the south the bread it and fry it.

I cut my okra up into little circles, roll it in cornmeal and salt and fry it. I also like to cut up okra, onion and tomatoes and boil it.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

I add it to stews/soups, like it in blackeyed peas, roll in cornbread and fry some up with potatoes and onions, stewed with tomatoes, and pickled.
Ed


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

Sonshine said:


> I joke around about the differences in food. In New England states they boil everything, in the south the bread it and fry it.


That is a fact. My Daddy was from New England, Mama was from TX. Daddy did most of the cooking and it was usually a meat and 2 boiled veggies. Tasty, but boring.

It wasn't until I got married that I first tasted (or heard of actually) fried okra. My MIL would fix it, a pot of pinto beans and a big ol' pan of cornbread...I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. To this day, that's still one of my favorite meals.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

You all have certainly given me a lot to chew on. I'll definately try frying it. I asked dad how his mom cooked it. Boiled with tomatoes--she was from New York. His dad (actually step dad) was from Canada. How they wound up in Florida I'll never know.


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## ChickenMiss (Jan 21, 2012)

Here's a recipe for cooked okra and tomatoes:

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/04/stewed-okra-tomatoes-288-recipe-048.html?showComment=1327694617389#c2287131182332460366

It looks pretty good. I've had fried okra before but not tried this. Next time I get to the store I'm going to pick up some of this if I can find it.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I love okra! I never thought about turning it into popcorn; but as soon as I can get an Excaliber dehydrator, I will slice the okra length wise, add some garlic/pepper mix and dry it.

There is a great way to stop boiled okra from being slimy. Just boil it in tomatoes! I like to season the tomatoes well and make sure the skin is off them. Then I put all (both tomatoes and okra still frozen) into a large cookpot with just enough water to cover the veggies. Start it to boiling, then stir it all up after it is no longer frozen. Turn your burner down to a low boil and cook until okra is real tender. ..... no slime!

I don't like okra in soups. I love it fried. Just roll in a mixture of cornmeal and seasoning, make sure the grease is hot (I like Peanut Oil.) and drop it in, turning only once. Then drain any grease from it on a paper towel before serving.


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## woodsy_gardener (May 27, 2007)

Raw.

Sounded bad when I heard that Burmese Okra could be eaten raw. I grew it last year with several other varieties. This year I'm only growing Burmese (Available from Baker Creek and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.)

This is a great garden munchee.


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## gapeach (Dec 23, 2011)

Fried Okra
I'm southern. My sister and I both tried that Southern Living recipe and it did not work. It was soggy.
When you wash okra, you have to let it dry before you cut it up to fry or it will be slimey. I put it out on paper towels to dry. Don't cut it up til it is good and dry. Cut it up into small pieces. Put some corn meal into a paper bag. Put the cut up okra in and shake it to cover all the okra.
Heat your oil to hot in a skillet. Put the okra in. Keep turning it in the hot oil to brown. Use a slotted spatula or big slotted spoon to remove the browned okra. Let it drain more on paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

At the Korean vegetable market WIHH. I'm pretty sure it's not USA grown. The advantage of living 20 miles from NYC--you can pretty much get anything that comes through the Hunts Point Vegetable and Flower market in NYC.


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## Raven12 (Mar 5, 2011)

Txsteader said:


> We love it fried (my fave) but we also love it in gumbo.


It is used in the Gulf to thicken soups/stews.


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

GrannyG said:


> I often dehydrate okra for winter soups...just slice it and lay it on the trays..have not spiced it up, but you can add garlic salt or ? at this point and just dry it. Okra does not have to be blanched, just pick it, slice it, fry it or dry it....


Thanks for this. I didn't even think of dehydrating it. My sis in TN brought me a big bag and it's in the freezer. I've cooked some, but dehydrating sounds good.


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

Being southern, I have had okra many different ways. My favorite is boiled with a mix of field peas and speckled butter beans, this with a side of sliced tomatoes and pan of hot cornbread is the food of the Gods.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

Kmac15 said:


> Being southern, I have had okra many different ways. *My favorite is boiled with a mix of field peas and speckled butter beans, this with a side of sliced tomatoes and pan of hot cornbread is the food of the Gods.*




Yes.... this is one of the very best ways to eat Okra IMO..although I do eat it with stewed tomatoes, bacon and onion.. I also fry it, sautee it, use in all soups and gumbos..never eaten it fresh or dehydrated.. I grow so much okra every year that I love these new ideas.


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