Grits Ain't Okra, Either
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| A Fine Mess of Okra Pods |
Or it makes you gag.
Evidently this isn't unique to the South. Bhindi -- the word used in India for okra -- is a fairly common curry dish, and sure enough not everyone likes it. Those who like bhindi, love it. And just like okra in the South, it's comfort food for a lot of Indians.
Let's ignore the haters. Some of us love that slime! It's the essence of a proper gumbo (more about why that is indisputable truth later), and it's more fun than using corn starch to thicken a soup stock. And there are ways to cook okra to minimize the goo.
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a member of the botanical mallow family (Malvaceae) and is related to cotton, cacao, and hibiscus. The flowers of okra, cotton, and hibiscus look a lot alike, too. Okra flowers are pretty.
Technically, okra is a perennial plant, but it's unlikely to overwinter in North America, and is cultivated as an annual. The plants are very tall, often over six feet.
And the leaves are itchy. Let me repeat that. Okra leaves are itchy. Even if it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit and so humid you feel like you're in a steam bath, do not pick okra in short sleeves. Or go ahead, pick okra in short sleeves. But you're gonna itch.
Pickled okra is a salad bar or relish staple at all-you-can-eat buffets across the Deep South. They're great in a Bloody Mary, too. Screw celery! And for slime-haters, acids reduce the goo level in okra, so okra pickles aren't very mucilaginous, but they sure are crunchy! You can make your own -- here's how -- but the easiest route to okra pickles is to buy them. I'm partial to Talk O' Texas brand, but if you enjoy a capsaicin buzz,Tabasco pickled okra is pretty fiery. Walmart and Amazon sell 'em online, even. (Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit, non-monetized blog, so I don't make a dime off you clicking those links, so click with impunity!)
Sliced okra may be boiled or fried. Typically, the pods are chopped transversely, although I've seen some photos of bhindi made with longitudinally sectioned okra. Personally, I've never seen it cut that way except in photos, so let's stick with transverse. Cut the pods into half-inch slices.
For those of us who love okra, it's pure green perfection and tastes like home. For those who hate okra, it's pure green slime.
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| Haters Gonna Hate |
So what is this stuff?
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| A Pretty Okra Flower |
Technically, okra is a perennial plant, but it's unlikely to overwinter in North America, and is cultivated as an annual. The plants are very tall, often over six feet.
And the leaves are itchy. Let me repeat that. Okra leaves are itchy. Even if it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit and so humid you feel like you're in a steam bath, do not pick okra in short sleeves. Or go ahead, pick okra in short sleeves. But you're gonna itch.
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| Too Cold to Plant Okra, So Go Fishin' (Photo by Roger Smith, Creative Commons) |
It has to be warm for okra seeds to germinate. An old-timer told me once that the way to tell if the ground is warm enough to plant okra is to drive by lake and observe the people fishing. If they're sitting on plastic buckets or in folding chairs, the ground is still too cool. Wait until folks are sitting directly on the ground before planting okra.
Okra is a drought-resistant plant and tolerates pretty lousy soil, too. But a little fertilizer and regular watering helps you grow those six foot itchy monsters.
It's also a good idea to tell your neighbors you're growing okra. At least it's a good idea if you live in a place where people aren't automatically going to recognize it for what it is. Superficially, okra can look a little like cannabis. Of course, I've never tried it, but I've heard a patch of okra is a nice screen for guerrilla agriculture. So tell your neighbors it's okra. That way they won't think it's marijuana and call the cops, who might then discover the marijuana you have growing in your okra patch.
Okra pods get woody as they mature, It's related to cotton, so this shouldn't be surprising. So you'll want to put on your long sleeved shirt and pick okra when the pods are less than 3-4 inches long.
There's some debate about whether okra originated in Africa or South Asia, but in all likelihood it arrived in North America with African slaves in the 1700s. Its status as soul food is undisputed and historically correct. It grows well in the South and was rapidly integrated into "country cooking" and Louisiana Cajun and Creole cuisine.
How do I cook these itchy, slimy things?
Cook 'em any way you want to. But first off wash them. That removes most of the itch. Actually a good cold water rinsing removes all of the itch, but I don't want to throw you off the trail.
You can eat it raw. This is probably not for the Abelmoschus newbie, but I've been known to munch a bunch when I'm chopping it up. You don't have to chop it up. The decision to begin with is whether to cook (or whatever) whole pods or to slice them up first.
Whole pods are ideal for boiling with field peas or butter beans. Just toss them in the pot and boil away. Ham, bacon, sausage, fatback, and/or "snap beans" are highly recommended additions to the mix. If the pods split apart, all the better. The slimy goo that people complain about thickens the pot liquor and is, in a sense, similar to using corn starch to thicken a gravy.
You can eat it raw. This is probably not for the Abelmoschus newbie, but I've been known to munch a bunch when I'm chopping it up. You don't have to chop it up. The decision to begin with is whether to cook (or whatever) whole pods or to slice them up first.
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| Field Peas & Okra (Photo: myrecipes.com) |
Some folks just boil whole okra pods by themselves. Even to my thoroughly Southern palate, this pushes the okra envelope into the slimy, gooey, might-work-as-intimate-lubricant realm that okra-haters occupy. So just don't.
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| A Seriously Fine Bowl of Seafood Gumbo |
Probably the quintessential sliced okra dish is gumbo. In fact, the word "gumbo" appeared in Louisiana at least by the early 19th Century, and is in fact a name for okra. That said, cooking gumbo is an art form that I've never mastered. I'm partial to seafood gumbo, of course; but, my granny made chicken (and sausage) gumbo, and I've had tasty duck gumbo, too. The basic "stock" for gumbo is a roux made from flour and pig fat. Depending on the cook, okra or filé (ground sassafras leaves) is typically used to thicken the roux. Some recipes leave okra out entirely, which is the "filé gumbo" mentioned in Hank Williams immortal song, "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)." This has always puzzled me a bit, since if "gumbo" means okra, but filé gumbo has no okra... Well, you get the picture.
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| Homestyle Fried Okra (Photo: Just A Pinch) |
Sliced okra is also ideal for thickening vegetable soup. In fact, that's probably the way I use most of the okra I put up in the freezer every year. Just toss in a cup or two of sliced okra and rock'n'roll! Some folks stew sliced okra with tomatoes as a side dish. The acid in the tomatoes reduces the slime factor just like pickling, but I'm not crazy about okra and tomatoes, just sayin'.
There's also fried okra, which also pops up on innumerable restaurant menus and buffets across the South. The restaurant version is usually heavily breaded and deep fried. Home style fried okra is easy: toss sliced okra in a plastic bag (or paper sack) full of corn meal, and fry it up in a skillet with a little hot oil. Crunchier than the restaurant version.
And of course, there's Fighting Okra!
No itchy romp through the field of Okra would be complete without mentioning Delta State University's Fighting Okra mascot. And that's all I'll say about that, except they really do have a cheerleader dressed as a menacing pod of okra stalking the sidelines at athletic events. Okra! Okra! Okra!
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| Fearsome Fighting Okra |
In conclusion, grits aren't okra. I've never encountered grits and okra as a dish, but that doesn't mean someone hasn't done it. I sometimes like a side of fried okra with my shrimp and grits, though.
And pass the cornbread.
