I am pretty sure that many people don’t know what okra is or at least have never cooked it before. It’s a southern delight and so tasty! I like it boiled as much as I like it friend but it makes Mr. Picky-eater sick to watch me eat boiled okra so when I found this exquisite delicacy at the farmer’s market Saturday, I just had to get it.
Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole fresh Okra
- ½ Cup Flour
- 1 heaping tablespoon of cornmeal or corn flour
- ¼ Cup Buttermilk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Optional: Garlic Powder and/or Chili Powder
- Oil for frying
Instructions
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Wash Okra very well.
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Cut Okra
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Put Okra, Salt, Pepper, and any seasoning in a ziplock bag and mix together. Pour in Okra and toss in the bag until the okra is covered.
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Remove Okra from the bag but keep the remaining seasoned flour.
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Pour buttermilk into a dish. Coat the okra in buttermilk. Using a clotted spoon remove the okra from the buttermilk and place back into the seasoned flour and coat it again.
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Remove coated okra from the excess flour and place in a covered dish. Place it in the refrigerator for 30 to 90 minutes.
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Fill a medium sided saucepan about half way up the side with oil.
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Bring cooking oil up to 350 F degrees and start putting prepared okra into pot with a clean slotted spoon. You will fry the okra in batches. Don’t overfill the pot with oil or okra.
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Fry to okra until golden brown and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.
Recipe Notes
It’s ready to serve. Fried okra is best served fresh and hot.
When we got home, I washed it very well and then began cutting it like this:
Then I put it in a Ziploc bag with flour:
I poured it out into a colander to get all the excess flour off.
Pour it into a dish:
Using a slotted spoon, put okra into the dish and coat:
Once again, using a slotted spoon take the okra out and place in a big dish where you then sprinkle with flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and whatever else you want – I used chili powder.
Toss to completely coat, cover with foil or saran wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes.
Bring cooking oil up to 350 F degrees and start putting okra into pot with a clean slotted spoon.
Remove from oil with the slotted spoon. Working in batches, continue until all is done. Some people serve this side dish with hot sauce sprinkled on but we eat it with ranch dressing!
Make this meal!
Ribs
AUNT IRENE’S OLD FASHIONED MUSTARD POTATO SALAD
Southern Baked Beans
Okra (this post)
Sliced tomato from the farmer’s Market
Check out Taking Care of Mom and Dad on Amazon!
I have never had an urge to eat okra since a curry my mum makes is not my favourite but your fried okra just makes me drool! 🙂
Cheers
CCU
you should try! It’s very good!
I love fried okra but I’m the only one here that eats it, so I usually get it when I go out. You convinced me that I can just make a little batch! http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com
Yay! I”m so glad!
I am bookmarking this! I seriously cannot eat a pulled pork or brisket sandwich, without a handfull of these on the plate! I am glad to see your cooking going so well. I knew you were underestimating yourself!
Ah…you are so sweet! Thank you.
I confess I had never heard of Okra until I read your blog, and now I am interested in what it taste like, and I just read elsewhere (see below) that it’s very good for you!
Okra is a popular health food due to its high fiber, vitamin C, and folate content. Okra is also known for being high in antioxidants and is also often eaten as part of a weight loss diet since it is both fat-free and cholesterol-free. Okra is also a good source of calcium and potassium
I honestly don’t know how to describe it because I’ve never had anything else that it tastes “like”. If you have food texture issues this might not be the veggie for you though. There’s the pod texture and then the little “seeds” inside which are not hard – they are very soft. Last but not least is the mucilage – most people fry that out (Mr. Picky-eater won’t eat it if there is any) but you cannot avoid it when it is in gumbo or stew or just plain boiled………it doesn’t both me but most people do call it slimy! Okra LOVES the heat (originally it is from Africa) so if you have a hot climate you could certainly grow it but the stalks that grow about 4 ft. high and even the pods of okra are sticky and can hurt sometimes!
I highly recommend you eat them if you don’t have issues with it because they are sooooooo good for you!
Thanks for that, not sure about growing them though I live in the UK and as you may be aware our summer at the moment is a wash out, even turning cold enough to put the heating back on for some. I am going to keep an eye out for it in our stores here though, as I am intrigued now. I’m not a particularly fussy eater and like to try new things. Which is how I found Sharon fruit. As I said I will keep an eye out in my store (just did a quick search at tesco, at they have it!!!). Thanks again
My favorite ways to eat okra are pickled and boiled. Although, few people like boiled okra. I’ll admit it can be a little slimy.
I love okra!! In Malaysia we either fry it with dried shrimp and garlic, or in a dried shrimp and chilli paste called ‘sambal’ – awesome!
That sounds delicious! I love chili sauce!! Thank you so much for dropping by! Please come back any time!
Never had okra before but it looks really good! Your Southern recipes always make me hungry!
You gotta’ try it! Dr. Oz says it’s one of the best things you can eat and you know, Dr. Oz is the new Oprah so go worship at this clogged feet and find out the 4-1-1~ 🙂