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Most people we know either love okra or hate it. As okra season is in full effect, we thought a little ode to the okra will convince the haters to give it a second chance. The okra, a relative to the hibiscus and cotton plant, is a little tubular vegetable with fuzzy, tender casing and round, edible white seeds. Okra also has a sticky core that causes the up-turned noses and looks of disgust among the haters. Some people call it slime, but we like to think of it as the Glue of Goodness. Besides, the slime helps thicken soups and stews and adds great flavor. Okra is popular among Southern, Creole, Indian, and African cuisine. Besides the added taste value, okra is also – gasp – nutritious! It’s a great source of fiber, vitamin c, vitamin B6 and folic acid. Below are a few hints and tips on how to get your okra fix. If you’re a hater, step out of your comfort zone and give it a second go around. We double dog dare you.
How to buy okra: buy young, tender okra, free of bruises. And yes, size does matter. Contrary to popular belief, the smaller the better. The bigger the okra, the more fibrous and tough.
Where to buy okra: You can find these fuzzy little bites at your local grocery store (either fresh or frozen). For the freshest and most flavorful, go to a farmers market. They are in season now and you can get them at their most brilliant. We like the Urban Harvest Bayou City Farmer’s Market, on Wednesdays (4-7pm) and on Saturdays (8am-noon).
Where to eat okra dishes in Houston: it’s no surprise that there are plenty of places around town that serve up a mean okra dish. Here are some of our favorites:
Fried Okra: Black Eye Peas and Cleburne’s Cafeteria
Gumbo: Pesce (the gumbo is made to order, with fresh okra and big chunks of crabmeat, shrimp and fried oysters. It’s $10 a bowl, but completely worth it. While you're there, try the mussels and make sure Chef Lenny is the one preparing it...though there are no okra in the mussels, it's heavenly good with the gumbo.)
Sweet and Sour Vietnamese Soup (Canh Chua): this traditional Vietnamese soup comes with fish, pineapples, bean sprouts and okra in a light and flavorful broth. There are plenty of places you can go for this, but one of our favorites is Jasmine Restaurant.
Mediterranean-style: try the okra dish at Dimassi’s – comes with beef, onions, garlic and tomatoes.
How to cook okra: to reduce the slime factor, keep in mind that the more you cut up the vegetable and the longer you cook it, the more it’ll slime. For minimal slimage, just trim the ends. Okra can be fried, sautéed, boiled, bbq-ed, souped, stewed, pickled and eaten raw. Check out our favorite okra side dish recipe after the jump.
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Photo courtesy of flickr user: Prato9x
Okra and Tomatoes
6 slices diced bacon (turkey bacon can be used as substitute…if you really must)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans diced or stewed tomatoes
2 cups fresh okra, cut in chunks
Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, pepper
A few drops of hot sauce
In medium pot, cook bacon until soft. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add tomatoes and seasonings and stew for 15-20 minutes. Add the okra and stew for another 20 minutes. Just before serving, add the hot sauce (as hot as you want). Serve as a side dish and/or over rice.
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a "capful" of vinegar reduces the slime factor of boiled okra, too
Non-watery cooking (like stir frying vs. stewing or steaming) also helps majorly cut down on the slime factor, if that helps anyone want to try okra after being slimed :)
I love the stuff!!! Glue of goodness and all :) Great post!
Gumbo without okra is just dark soup. Gumbo contains okra!
pickled is the BEST!
Gumbo is not French for okra soup. No okra required for gumbo. Don't screw up the roux and use some file and you'll be OK.