Okra, My Nemesis

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Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Go to an Indian restaurant and order Bhindi Masala. Or, follow these steps at home:

    http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/01/07/bhindi-masala-spicy-okra/

    thank you for the link :) will check it out. I love Indian/Pakistani/Bengali food
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    We add it to stir fries here, and none of the family minds a little slime. My dad treated it as a huge treat to get it from the Indian restaurant, and I think that rubbed off on me. I like slime, but can't stand wobble :P
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    As a bhindi bhaji from my local Indian restaurant (or see this recipe: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bhindibhajji_74849)
  • kuteme
    kuteme Posts: 17 Member
    For those of us from Africa, west Africa to be precise, okra is a delicacy and the slimier it is the better :-) . It is chopped and cooked with tomatoes, pepper, garlic etc. with some protein. It is usually eaten with some staple food we have here or steamed rice
  • too funny!!!
  • I've tried every way I can think of too, and I just can't do it. If you ever find a way that works for you, pass it along so I can try it.
  • Louisianababy93
    Louisianababy93 Posts: 1,709 Member
    breaded and fried.
  • ECR1989
    ECR1989 Posts: 158
    Never tried it fried or pickled but ate it a lot growing up, pretty much stewed the only way to go for me and I actually enjoy it. This takes some kitchen skills to get it down but once you do you will love it, this is a North African/Mediterranean way of eating it.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/bamya-lamb-or-beef-and-okra-stew-14739


    LOVE this recipe! My mum did a version of this when I was growing up but I could never find it myself - thank you!!!! now just to find some okra...
  • bootsiejayne
    bootsiejayne Posts: 151 Member
    My mom makes this modified "fried okra". She gives it a light coating of cornmeal and puts it in a cast iron skillet with a teeny tiny bit of evoo in the bottom. She then bakes it for about an hour. It comes out so YUMMY!
  • walk_fit
    walk_fit Posts: 83 Member
    Okra is extremely good to lower cholesterol.I eat it three times a week.


    Take pic sweet whole okra frozen packet.

    Microwave half of the frozen content in a microwave safe dish for few minutes till thawed.

    Cut both ends and make them into reasonable size pieces.
    In a pan put little olive oil fry the okra and remove it in a dish. In the same pan add 1 onion and tomato chopped , add salt,turmeric and paprika/chili powder, can also add ginger garlic, fry for few minutes.then add the okra which have been partially fried on top of the tomato onion mix. DO NOT MIX IT. Cover the pan and cook in very slow flame till okra fully cooked. Later after cooking mix the dish.
  • like_milk
    like_milk Posts: 79 Member
    Dice it up and add it to stews and curry like dishes to thicken the sauce. You'll hardly even taste it.
  • trb85
    trb85 Posts: 81 Member
    I have an easy solution to this problem: if you don't like it, don't eat it.

    Honestly. Enjoy the food you like, and don't worry about the stuff you don't.

    Eh, I get what you're saying.

    But I like to push myself. Our taste buds change over time, and I believe you can train yourself to enjoy something over time. Plus, how things were cooked in our childhoods can shape how we view those foods as adults. For example, my mom was horrible at cooking squash and zucchini. They were always mushy and kinda greasy. I spent most of my life hating them and would pick them out of dishes. After some experimenting, I've found a way to cook them that I really, really enjoy. (Stir-fry like a pro!)

    I'm hoping to do the same thing for okra.

    Some of the dishes y'all suggested look pretty good. I've never tried to cook any ethnic-type food, so this will be an experiment with flavors and textures and smells, oh my!
  • honeyandmilk
    honeyandmilk Posts: 160 Member
    Why do you want to eat something you don't like?

    I've tried okra a few times and I don't like it any way I've prepared it. I've had it roasted, in curry and fried, and it's just horrendous. I think it's something you have to grow up with to appreciate, and I definitely didn't grow up with it.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Lamb and okra soup, with a tomato base to it. Soooo good. Sure you can Google it x
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Also your right in keep trying things. Your taste buds do change and it's awesome! X
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    calories notwithstanding, fried okra is the best thing ever......either the commercial breaded and deep fried stuff they serve at restaurants around here or the homegrown cornmeal breaded and cast iron pan fried stuff my stepmom (any good southern US cook) makes. nom, nom, nom.....now i may be on a quest for some fried okra.
  • droneofvelvet
    droneofvelvet Posts: 290 Member
    I love Okra. Why are you making yourself eat things you don't love?
  • shoshi68
    shoshi68 Posts: 407 Member
    Olive oil and garlic. Garlic makes everything good. Except Brussels sprouts.

    Oh, hon, you need to come to my house - if anyone can make you love the Brussels Sprouts, I can. :love:
  • BackInSoFL
    BackInSoFL Posts: 82 Member
    Using fresh - cut tops and tails off then cross section cut. Dry heat will keep it from getting slimey. No stick spray and you favorite seasoning. Hot oven. Toss a couple of times while cooking. Great alternative to frying.
  • SwimFan1981
    SwimFan1981 Posts: 1,430 Member
    Bhindi Masala :bigsmile:

    Here's how to make it http://youtu.be/f59EoAGY0U4
  • I've never eaten zucchini, mushrooms, or okra...and don't want to. I have "trust" issues :-). Kudos to you for zucchini.
  • lilncbrat
    lilncbrat Posts: 56 Member
    I love okra! But I understand how the goo factor might be a little bit of a turnoff. If you prepare your own okra to fry it's really not that gooey. No more so than any other water dense veggie. Pickled is awesome too. But if you boil it.......you bite into one and you will never eat it again....it's very ummm GOOEY. Yeah. If you run across a method of roasting I would totally be interested in taking it for a test run.
  • lilncbrat
    lilncbrat Posts: 56 Member
    Thank you for the roasting recipe. I am so going to try that when the harvest rolls in. How simple.
  • aliciagetshealthy
    aliciagetshealthy Posts: 946 Member
    Okra is like the vegetable equivalent of a slug.

    ^^^indeed. I never eat food I hate. Okra ranks right up there with brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Are you doing this on a dare?

    eta: no offense to the okra, brussel sprout, & mushroom lovers. Really, just curious about the "why".
  • MissJanet55
    MissJanet55 Posts: 457 Member
    A friend suggested preparing it like a vietnamese salad - mix up a little rice wine vinegar, some salt and sugar and crushed chilis, they use it to soak chopped okra. I served it at a dinner and people loved it. It did taste good, nice and crunchy and cool, but I can never get past the slime.
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    I pan sizzle it with salt in a skillet using olive oil, until its dark brown and slightly crispy. I cant stand okra any other way other than deep fried which that is a no no of course.
  • Here's my thought (for what it's worth). If it's good for you, and you don't like it, juice it. I had troubles with cucumber, then I'd juice it with fruits like apples, pears, etc. (just remember that it tastes better than it looks) and got the valuable antioxidants that you can't get after cooking it. Cheers.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    The Indian restaurant near me has an awesome okra dish that shows up on the buffet every so often. This recipe looks quite similar to it: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=yatzD1bJrfM&desktop_uri=/watch?v=yatzD1bJrfM

    I also like to use okra with creole flavors. Here's a terrific sauce you might try: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/creole-sauce-recipe/index.html I'd make okra just a part of a dish with that sauce, adding it to your protein of choice.
  • BabyFishMouth
    BabyFishMouth Posts: 31 Member
    Fur on the outside; boogers on the inside. No thanks. :laugh: