OKRA: THE BASICS
Pronounced [OH-kruh]. Also called Lady's Fingers, for the bright green finger-shaped tapered seedpods.
The Season. In the Midwest, the okra season is "late summer" when home gardens spit out okra like bullets. In the South, fresh okra is available year round. Good news, however, frozen okra is excellent, although best used in dishes where the okra itself isn't the star. How to Select Okra Okra is best eaten with a few hours (best) or days (okay) of picking so is best purchased from a farmers market or farmstand. For tenderness, look for okra no more than four inches long, though some times longer but very fresh okra are tender as well. For freshness, select okra with no dark spots and fresh-looking stem ends. A quick test for freshness? Try to bend the delicate tip of an okra, if it breaks off, it's fresh; if it bends but doesn't break, it's less fresh. Okra in the Garden It's also easy to grow okra at home, it loves heat and needs plenty of water. So Pretty! Okra are quite beautiful, be sure to examine one close up! (Or check this cross-section close-up on Flickr.) The Slime Factor Some people object to the "mucilage" that spills out of some okra when it's sliced. In fact, that slimy goo is the thickener in the classic Cajun dish called "gumbo". To avoid it, purchase young, very fresh okra which have little goo, otherwise avoid cutting into the seedpods or try using frozen okra. The Spine Factor Some people are allergic to the tiny often hair-like spines on okra seedpods, gloves are recommended or touch only the stem end, not the seedpod itself. Natural Pairings Okra work especially well with other late-summer vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and corn.
OKRA NUTRITION INFORMATION
Per 1/4 pound Raw Okra: 35 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 8g Carb; 4g Fiber; NetCarb4; 1g Sugar; 9mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 2g Protein. 
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 0, WW PointsPlus 0
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 0, WW PointsPlus 0 OKRA: BASIC TIPS & TECHNIQUES
HOW TO TRIM OKRA If cooking whole okra, cut off the tough stems but do leave a thin slice of the 'cap' which is tender and succulent and helps hold in the okra flavor and moisture.
CLASSIC RECIPES for Okra
Kitchen Parade recipes
Gumbo ♥
NEW to Okra? TRY THESE FIRST
A Veggie Venture recipes
Potato Okra Curry ♥
Sautéed Okra & Garlic ♥
MY PERSONAL FAVORITES
Kitchen Parade recipes
Summer Seafood Chowder ♥
A Veggie Venture recipes
Summer Vegetable Curry ♥
Warm Tomato, Corn & Okra Salad ♥
What's your favorite okra recipe? or what okra recipe did you hope to find here? I'm always looking for new ones, especially healthy okra recipes. Leave me a quick note in the comments! ~Alanna
JUST Okra, NO MORE
A Veggie Venture recipes
Sautéed Okra & Garlic 5min/10min – WW1 – NetCarb5 ♥
Okra in SOUP
A Veggie Venture recipes
Chickpea Gumbo
Summer's Best Corn Chowder 50min/3hrs – WW2 – PP4 – NetCarb20 ♥
Okra in MAIN DISHES
Kitchen Parade recipes
Steak & Tomatoes ♥
Summer Seafood Chowder ♥
A Veggie Venture recipes
Potato Okra Curry 20min/20min – WW1 – NetCarb10 ♥
Summer Vegetable Curry 40min/60min – WW1/WW2 – NetCarb11/14 ♥
Hurricane Rice 25min/25min – WW8 ♥
Okra in HOT SIDE DISHES
Kitchen Parade recipes
Quick Supper: Cornmeal Catfish with Warm Potato Salad ♥
A Veggie Venture recipes
Southern Farm-Stand Stew 30min/40min – WW2
Potato Okra Curry 20min/20min – WW1 – NetCarb10 ♥
Sautéed Okra & Garlic 5min/10min – WW1 – NetCarb5 ♥
Summer Vegetable Curry 40min/60min – WW1/WW2 – NetCarb11/14 ♥
Warm Tomato, Corn & Okra Salad 15min/20min – WW2 – NetCarb18 ♥
RAW Okra Recipes
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PICKLED Okra Recipes
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Okra on the GRILL
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Okra in the MICROWAVE
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Okra in the SLOW COOKER
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A Veggie Venture is home of okra lover and 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2005
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2005
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3 comments:
Having read about Okra I think I shall have to try some as soon as I see it in the market. Up to now, the only way I have eated okra is batter dipped and fried. That is not the healthiest, I know.
I was out of okra when I made seafood gumbo last year. I ended up using frozen okra from the store since it was out of season. I learned a great lesson in doing this. Many people object to okra in gumbo because of its appearance and "eyes" from the seeds. This is not a problem any longer, I took the frozen gumbo and put the whole pods in my Ninja blender. I ground it into a powder. I then used the powder just as I would use fresh. My husband preferred this method.
In case someone doesn't know why okra is added to gumbo, it thickens it.
How bout just good ole fashioned fried okra? How do you make that? Mine always turns out slimy. Thanks. KAT
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna