I made fried okra this weekend. I love okra like a big kid likes cake. I like it pickled, I like it boiled, and
I just don't understand how anyone can eat Gumbo without it.
Look at this. Look at the slight swell in the middle of the pod. Look at the clean lines from stem to tip. Look at the brilliant green of this fruit. Yes, it's a fruit you can fry. Frying is usually the only option many people will try with okra, but frying is just one way of using this green goddess of the fruit kingdom.
With the Farmer's Market in full swing, there is no reason not to make my favorite dishes with this green-eyed lady. I chose frying it, in the hopes I could persuade my husband to start liking it. He eats most things fried, but in this endeavor his taste buds beat out my diligence. I tried and now I can have okra all to myself...brahahahahahahaha.
You can find a fried okra recipe anywhere you look. There isn't much to it and it's really very basic. Fry-material and okra=fried okra. If you can fry potatoes, chances are you can fry okra.
After washing the okra, cut off the stems. Next, slice, making sure to include the tip. You can slice this very thin if you like a good crunchy taste, but this can still be achieved if you slice it a bit thicker. I guess I normally cut them about 1/4 of an inch thick or so.
I put all the sliced okra in a plastic bag, but the same effect can be created by placing it in a bowl. In this bag or bowl add 1 egg and about 2 tablespoons of milk. You want the okra to be bathed in the egg/milk mixture, but not drowning in it.
To the mixture I add salt, pepper and a few shakes of garlic. You could add whatever spice or herb you liked, but if this is your first time to fry okra, you might want to stick to a very basic regime, and then go adventurous. Walk before running. A plastic bag makes it easier to coat the slices: simply seal the bag and shake it like you're listening to KC and the Sunshine Band. It's much quieter if you used a bowl: using a wooden spoon stir it like a Lawrence Welk special.
This dish is easy on a beginner cook because you can let the sliced okra hang out in this mixture for hours. If you need to stop and check on your meat or whatever else you're preparing. You won't need it until the rest of the meal is 20 minutes away from being ready.
The next step is the breading. Frying okra is very similar to frying any kind of meat or vegetable the southern way, which is dipping it a wet mixture and then a dry mixture. This is the exact same procedure I use for chicken fried steak, only I use all flour and no cornmeal, but the principle is the same.
If the egg mix is in a bowl, you will add the cornmeal and flour to a separate bowl. 3 parts cornmeal to 1 part flour. Scoop the okra out of the milk bath and drop in the dry ingredient bowl, covering and coating the pieces as you go.
If you used a plastic bag and IF you didn't get crazy with the milk, you can use the same bag to add the dry mix.
If you see slices doing the back stroke, get another bag and pour the dry mix in it, and add the pieces like I described above for mixing in a bowl. Otherwise, dump your cornmeal and flour in the bag, maybe adding a little more salt and pepper, zip, and return to Shake Your Booty. Open the bag and check the coating. If you think it still looks gooey from the milk mixture, throw some more cornmeal and flour in there. You want the breading to stick to the okra.
I use an electric skillet for frying, but my mother always used an iron fry pan. You use whatever is comfortable for you.
I turn the heat to 350° or medium high and add some bacon or sausage grease. Where did I get the bacon/sausage grease? From a lidded glass jar I keep by the stove. Whenever we cook sausage or bacon on the stove (which is rare these days), I drain all the grease in this glass jar. And I keep it until I need some flavored grease. Stop crinkling up your nose and acting like you just smelled a pair of your brother's gym socks. There is no law forbidding you from using something more healthy like extra virgin olive oil or maybe canola oil. I don't care what you use. This dish is going to require the use of some kind of oil. Mine will taste better because I'm using flavored grease. You could, too, if you weren't afraid of the Grease Police.
I let the pan get warm while it heats the grease for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Time to add the breaded okra. I like to sprinkle a little bit more salt and pepper over the okra once it goes in the pan.
Now, if you've made more than your pan can hold, cook it in batches. Why? It won't work if you over fill the pan. How do I know? Could be that I've tried it with every vegetable and meat I've tried to fry. It's tempting, but then you ruin the whole batch of whatever you're frying. Believe me, it's better to fry in batches then to serve half-raw. half-burned food. Been there, done that.
After about 3-4 minutes of getting a good crisp on the okra, turn the heat down to 300° or medium and flip the slices over with a spatula. Here's a tip that's helpful on non-stick pans: only use plastic tools. For steel pans use the metal ones.
My electric skillet is non-stick so I use a plastic spatula. Put a lid on it for 5 minutes. This lets the okra get steamed.
The next step is purely a personal decision. I prefer my okra more steamed than crunchy, so I like to leave the lid on for the remainder of the cooking. If you like yours more crunchy, take the lid off.
You'll want to give the slices flips occasionally so no side ever gets burned. Unless you like it that way.
When the okra looks done to your liking, remove to a paper towel-lined bowl, so soak up any dripping grease. I immediately cover mine with foil until we sit down to eat, just to keep it hot.
I have heard tales of people using frozen okra to make this dish. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, but if I can't buy it at the store or at the farmer's market, I'll wait. It's that much better to my Texan tongue.
I have a friend who makes a different fried okra mix: potatoes, onions, squash and okra-all fried together. De-lious!
Try this and tell me what you think. Tell me what you did differently and whether you liked the recipe or not.
Happy Cooking!
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