Okra! The vegetable, which also goes by the name of ladies fingers, may either induce feelings of love or hate in you. The lovers will probably adore its flavour and the slightly crunchy, popping texture of the large white seeds. The haters probably gag at the thought of okra’s mucilaginous texture when cut. I reckon this recipe might convert some of you haters. I mean, it’s deep fried; that’s worth a few points at least.
I adore okra. I love it in fish curry and I love it stir fried with sambal. I eat it cooked in tomato sauce and I love it sliced thinly and deep fried into crisps. One day, I even want to grow it at home as it’s a cute plant: the pointy finger pods grow upwards. However, I’d never had Southern fried okra, where the pods are cut up and coated in a cornmeal crust and then deep fried. After frying some aubergines to make Reiko‘s noodles at home, there was still enough oil to deep fry a little something on the side. Southern-style okra had been on my to-cook list for a while and okra it was going to be. Putting it together was very easy and preparing and frying it all took no longer than 10-15 minutes. And what a crunch they had! We couldn’t stop popping the little fritters and cleared the small bowlful in no time. They weren’t slimy at all.
The recipe below is for the small batch that I fried up for the two of us as a side dish. However, I wish I’d cooked ten times as much. The recipe is easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. but I think you’d only need 1 egg for every 20 okra pods or so. Many recipes online also add some buttermilk to the egg, which I’ll try next time.
Fried Okra
serves 1-2 as a side or snack.
10-12 large pods of okra (or double the number of small)
1 egg
cornmeal
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for frying
This one’s an easy recipe! Clean your okra and slice them into approximately 1.5cm chunks. Beat the egg and dump all the okra pieces into the bowl with it. Stir well so that each okra bit is coated well.
In another bowl, add some cornmeal and season it well with salt and pepper (I reckon pimenton or chilli powder would be lovely here too). Use a fork to transfer the okra lumps to the cornmeal (you just want enough egg to hold that cornmeal on). Coat each lump well and set aside – they’re ready for frying.
Heat some oil for deep frying – it should be ready when a piece of okra sizzles happily in there. Fry in small batches, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve.
Mon, 12 Jul, 2010 at 23:02
Sounds gorgeous Su-lin. Love Okra in any form especially in south Indian sambar or even fried in spices. Corn meal coating is a good idea which I think gives it that crispier edge.
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 04:56
Oh you would post a snacksize recipe for this fried delicacy that is my new obsession! How naughty.
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 06:36
I drooled over them on Flickr and once again here, this looks so good!
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 09:50
I know that it’s an entirely different coating and that you’re using okra not corn but this reminds me of the legendary fried corn w/salted egg yolk at Sichuan restaurant.
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 10:15
Ooh, okra in fish curry! My fave! Although I think this recipe could convert me! 🙂
xox Sarah
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 11:15
I’m not a fan of Okra. But this does sound good teamed with a smooth creamy dip.
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 12:43
i think you’ve got it. after living here in the south for 20 years, i’ve become a huge fan of fried okra. yours look delicious!
Tue, 13 Jul, 2010 at 20:55
yum..I love mine with sambal!
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 02:17
I live in the midwest and fried okra is a popular dish here. It is right up there with chocolate gravy in these parts.
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 08:11
I love fried okra!
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 12:09
Looks awesome. I may have to try this. I’ve only had okra a few times and seem to have escaped slime free.
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 12:11
I loooove okra. What an interesting way to have it!! I usually have it in curry, especially fish curry with aubergine as well *YUM*
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 13:57
Oh man, Okra and southern style cuisine. What a great combo, and one you don’t see much of over here. I’ve had it plenty of times in South Indian cooking, but a great gumbo (with okra) or jambalaya – i had to go all the way to the Big Easy for that one.
I’m guessing it was slaves that brought it from West Africa to the USA in the 19th century. And since then it’s become integral to a lot of Louisiana food. And what food that is.
This sounds like a fantastic dish and might just inspire me to get a deep fat fryer (not sure i trust my pans).
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 15:22
Mmm, fried okra! I like the pods roasted whole, too, when they’re fairly young and fresh. Can I dub you an honorary Southerner – even though I’m not a heredtary one myself?
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 20:28
These look so damn good. I always fry okra before adding them to anything nowadays due to one too many slimy outcomes. This is another level of goodness though!
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 21:10
I LOVE fried okra. It is my favorite vegetable of all time! I wish I had some for dinner tonight.
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 23:33
I’m an okra lover and this looks delish! I agree, you should be able to convert the hater for sure!
Wed, 14 Jul, 2010 at 23:36
I’m an okra lover and this looks delish! The haters must surely be converted?!
Thu, 15 Jul, 2010 at 15:07
I know what you mean about the texture but this looks fab!
Fri, 16 Jul, 2010 at 22:07
Okra is something I have never cooked with, but this makes me want to try it!
Mon, 19 Jul, 2010 at 03:27
I love okra! I never fried it like this though, looks amazing!
Wed, 21 Jul, 2010 at 22:12
Maunika: I’ve not had okra in a sambhar… must try that next!
foodhoe: 😀 It was the amount I cooked. We did regret not buying more okra though.
kat: Thank you so much!
Mr Noodles: Ooh. I wonder if that coating will go with okra…
Sarah: Yes, I reckon the first time I ate it as a kid was probably in a fish curry too!
Robert: I’m terrible at coming up with dips but you’re right… a dip would definitely be good with these…
Donald: Coming from you, that is a serious compliment! Thank you!
pigpigscorner: Oh yes! I’ve got to fry some soon!
Ada: I’m sorry, chocolate gravy?!
Jane: Yay! And so do I, as I’ve learned.
William: To get the most slime out of a pod of okra, I’ve found that boiling it does the trick.
catty: Yes! Just like my mother used to cook! I need to get me some fish curry powder soon.
The Grubworm: I reckon your pans are gonna be alright – I’ve got some right dodgy ones and I haven’t burned any holes in them yet. And I do believe you’re right about the route okra took from Africa to America.
Rachel: Woohoo! I am thoroughly honoured! Thank you! As for the pods, I haven’t really found many young ones here…but if I do, I’ve gotta try your roasting idea.
Helen: Never boil them… I made that mistake once. When it came to scooping them out of the water, it looked like someone had blown their nose into the water.
Steph: I hope it’s easy to get where you are! Favourite vegetable ever? That’s impressive too!
LexEat: I hope they will be! No slime whatsover here.
Northern Snippet: Oh yes, it can be extremely slimy.
ezsrecipes: Have you had it? I find it utterly delicious!
Nadia: Thank you – things are always so nice fried. 😀
Thu, 22 Jul, 2010 at 16:06
very ,very nice one, Su-Lin. love ‘fried bhinda’ as they call it in Southall. nice combo with the cornmeal. delish. xxx shayma
Sat, 31 Jul, 2010 at 00:11
I love fried okra! I grew it in my garden this year and it was so good fresh!
Tue, 3 Aug, 2010 at 16:35
shayma: I bet a few Indian spices would turn these into fantastic treats!
Alli: Oh wow – I’d love to grow it too! The plants must look amazing!
Wed, 28 Dec, 2011 at 18:18
Fried Okra is the perfect veggie addition to a fun kids fish fillets meal. your recipe and photo look DELICIOUS!
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