We saw the season's first fresh okra at the Alemany Farmer's Market last weekend.
Seasonal Spotlight: Okra
We feel that okra is a misunderstood vegetable. Most people think of it as slimy and icky, but we think they weren't served really good okra. Growing up in Georgia, we had a lot of okra; in gumbos, deep fried, pickled, steamed, and baked in gratins.
Okra is technically a fruit, not a vegetable. It originated in Africa and spread to the Middle East and Europe with traders. When African slaves were brought to the Americas in the treacherous Middle Passage, they hid the seeds of many of their native plants in their hair - among these hidden seeds were okra seeds. That's how okra came to the New World.
Okra has historically featured heavily in Southeastern cuisine in America, although it's available seasonally across the US. It is easy to grow; the fruit pods emerge after large yellow flowers with maroon centers die. The pods are usually harvested when they are three to five inches long, but if left on the plant, the pods can grow to over a foot in length.
Okra is very versatile and is used in a wide variety of recipes. In Africa and the Caribbean, it's used in soups and stews. In India, it's used in stews and curries, and served with rice. In the United States, particularly in the Southeast, it's breaded and deep-fried, and used in Cajun gumbos. It's also extremely good pickled and used in Bloody Marys. We like Rick's Picks Smokra pickled okra.
Dishes that call for okra should be prepared using fresh okra. Select bright green and firm pods. All portions of the pod are edible. Okra doesn't freeze well; it breaks down and loses both flavor and texture when frozen. Okra is a natural thickener and its juices have a little bit of a slimy mouthfeel. The fresher the okra, the less slippery feel there is. The outer skin of the pod has the texture of a tender green bean; the inner seeds are firm and crispy, like beans.
Okra is a seasonal item only found in the summer, so go to your local fresh market and grab a couple and give them a try!
(Image: Kathryn Hill)
Comments (11)
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Lovely post on okra! I grew up eating it fried for the most part, but here's what I do now: steam it and dip in a garlic soy sauce. Sometimes slimy, but still delicious :)
view talida's profile
one of my favorite dishes at the local afghani restaurant is an okra stew/curry sort of thing. SO delicious.
view akostalas's profile
in Thai sour soup with lemongrass.
view callbob's profile
Okra is a big favorite of mine and I would say that it does freeze well, but you can't use it in all the same applications as fresh. But for my favorite uses--frying or in gumbo and jambalaya or other soups/stews/rice dishes--it's fine. And thank heavens so, because it's very seasonal and highly perishable (although you can get greenhouse okra most of the year in these parts).
I like the fresh stuff cut in large chunks, sauteed with some onions and desired seasonings (curry powder and/or garlic) and finished with a little chicken broth.
view renata's profile
Okra! tossed in corn meal and fried! I could founder on the stuff. Little whole okra, the size of a lady's ring finger, gently steamed and eaten in one bite. Dee Lish!
view Fontessa's profile
Okra is a very favourite summer dish in Turkey. We cook it with virgin olive oil, chopped onions, tomatoes, a pinch of salt and sugar. When the okras turn yellow, we add hot water and stew.
Thank you for the post, it was lovely!
view Dilmin Kucukbarak's profile
I was an adult before I realized that there were people in this world, real live people with all their tastebuds and in their right minds, who didn't like okra. And I just barely believed that such a thing could be true.
I love fried okra the most, I think, but I also love pickled okra and little panfried okra cakes with egg, cornmeal, fresh homegrown tomatoes, garlic and onion.
view pomobabble's profile
Does anyone have recipes to post?
view timeless's profile
I also grew up with fresh fried okra...but okra is harder to find here in Boston. I bought two cans of it last week, to fry, and it wasn't bad. Not as good as fresh, but a suitable alternative.
view aleec's profile
Here's a fabulous okra recipe:
I sub lima beans for the edamame./fava
roasted potato and okra salad
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ROASTED-POTATO-AND-OKRA-SALAD-232318
view ValHalla's profile
I like roasting it in the oven.
Good method here, http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/08/roasted-okra.html
view Gingus's profile