So it’s finally happened - my CSA finally sent me my Most Hated Vegetable. More than collards. More than kale, even (and I got a shitload of kale this year.) Okra. Fucking okra. I eat okra once a year, fried. And I have Lizard’s Thicket do it for me.
So, is there anything I can do with it that I’d like? I don’t even have that much - three giant okroids and three little ones. I hate all their little seeds, I hate how they’re slimy, etc. Is there anything that can be done? (Because nobody will take them. Even when I offered to throw in an extra cantelope.) I’ll throw 'em away with no guilt if I have to, but I was thinking, hey, maybe I don’t understand the full nature of this nasty little plant. So educate me.
Oh - no okra and tomatoes. I can’t stand that stuff and it’s always on the damned table down here.
Two words: Bhindi Baji (though you might like to experiment with “Bindi Bhajia” and other alternate phonetic spellings from Hindu translation if you’re Googling).
I’f you’ve not heard of it, it’s essentially a mildly-spiced Indian dish, usually served as an accompaniment. And cooked properly, the okra (or bhindi) should be firm and al dente, not slimy. Delicious!
Slice your okra very very very skinny, roll it in cornmeal, and fry it briefly then put it on paper towels, salt it, and leave it to dry. Should be crispy like potato chips, and quite tasty.
My vote is to throw it in the next pot of soup you make. Disappears, no taste, but gives the soup a nice velvety texture. Gumbo is, of course, the obvious choice.
I barely trim the stems off, leaving the caps on, and then poach the whole okra for just one or two minutes in simmering salted water. I serve them room temp drizzled with equal parts of good soy sauce and fresh lemon juice. I could eat a pound of okra prepared this way.
I also love it in gumbo, but cooked less than the traditional recipe calls for. I think it’s delicious when it’s ever so slightly crisp, with the little pearl-like seeds adding their texture to the experience.
Pickled okra is not slimy at all and very tasty. I don’t like any other form of okra, but pickled okra makes a nice snack. You can get it in most grocery stores, pre-pickled.
Keep them coming. I live in a village where currently okra is the only produce available with any reliability. I will need to find ways I enjoy eating it if I want to continue to eat.
I’m going to try Ogre’s grilling recipe - I’d never have thought of that. I’ll report back and kick you in the teeth if it’s nasty, kay?
Oh, and guys - I said in the OP, yes, fried is nice, but Lizard’s Thicket does it better than I do with less mess.
I don’t like the little bastards in soups or stews because every time I order vegetable soup around here (particularly at Lizard’s Thicket… do you think there’s a connection?) they give me the “extra okra” ladleful or something. I don’t mind some okra, but it’s always an okra bonanza! Plus, I don’t like those little seeds floating all around.
I suggested steaming a few small uncut pods on top of the stew. You don’t have to cut small pods and see seeds or what weenies consider to be slime, because the pods are uncut. :rolleyes:
